March 12, 1836, at the old Presidio La Bahía, Col.
James Fannin and his men rename it Fort Defiance
King and his men took refuge in the old Nuestra Señora del Refugio Mission at Refugio on March 12. Receiving word, Fannin dispatched William Ward, commanding a
group to assist King. Ward made his stand at the mission and a furious battle ensued.
As more of Urrea's troops arrived, the fighting continued. The groups held their own
on the 14th, repelling four assaults, killing 80-100 Mexican soldiers and wounding 50.
The Texians suffered light losses, (about 15), but were now short on ammunition and
supplies. They had to fight from a tree-line near the Mission River, where they also
inflicted heavy losses upon the Mexican army. Ward sent courier James Humphries
to Fannin for orders; the reply was to fall back to Victoria, where Texian forces would
regroup.
At night, small groups of the Texians attempted to escape. Their flight seemed successful at first, but there were overwhelming numbers of Mexican troops in wait.
Each group was subsequently defeated and its survivors captured by Urrea's troops.
After battling for twelve hours and inflicting heavy casualties on their enemies, the
last group of fleeing Texians only suffered one killed and four wounded. King and
thirty-two men surrendered on the 15th because their remaining powder had become
unusable after crossing the river. They were returned as prisoners of war to the Refugio Mission.
Mexican General José Urrea
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