Thursday, March 27, 2025 was the 189th anniversary of the Massacre at Goliad when nearly 400 brave men were slaughtered in violation of every rule and time-honored principle of honor between battlefield enemies.

Here I offer the saga of John Duval, survivor of Goliad and one of the more amazing characters of the early Republic of Texas:

John C. Duval and the remainder of Fannin’s men were brought back to Goliad where they were confined in Presidio la Bahía for the following week. He recalled that on the morning of March 27, 1836, a Mexican officer told the men “to get ready for a march. [They were] to be liberated on ‘parole,’ and that arrangements had been made to send [them] to New Orleans on board of vessels then at Copano.” Duval joined the division that was marched northwest “along the road leading to San Antonio.” Upon hearing “heavy firing of musketry in the directions taken by the other two divisions, [one of the men] exclaimed ‘Boys! They are going to shoot us!’ and at the same instant [John] heard the clicking of musket locks all along the Mexican line.”

and,

Records of John C. Duval’s service in the Republic of Texas Army and his escape from Goliad can be found in the Archives of the General Land Office. He received land certificates for his service, including a 640-acre Donation specifically for his service under Fannin at Goliad, and a 1,280-acre Bounty for the full term of his enlistment. He appears in the Muster Roll of the Republic of Texas as a Private serving under Fannin, and mention of his escape from the massacre appears in the “Remarks” column. Later in 1883 while living in El Paso County, he applied for and received an additional donation as a surviving veteran of the Texas Revolution.

After his brush with death at Goliad, John C. Duval lived a long, distinguished life. He served with Bigfoot Wallace and Jack Hays in the Texas Rangers and was a veteran of the Mexican-American War and the Civil War.

Also, don’t miss Sgt. Mom of San Antonio, a prolific Texas historian for decades now, both in non-fiction and historical novels.

Houston went to Gonzalez, intending to rally the settlers’ militia there and lift the siege of the Alamo. He arrived there on the very same day that news came that Santa Anna’s army had finally broken through the walls. Travis’ rag-tag collection of volunteers had held for fourteen days. They had bought time with their blood. Houston sent word to Fannin, still holed up in the old La Bahia presidio, ordering him to retreat north. But Fannin had sent out a small force to protect Anglo-Texan settlers in a nearby town, and refused to leave until he heard from them. When he finally decided to fall back, and join up with Houston, it was already too late. Urrea’s column had already made contact. Fannin and his men moved out of Goliad on March 19th, temporarily shielded by fog, but they were caught in the open, a little short of Coleto Creek.

and,

On Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, those of Fannin’s garrison able to walk— about three hundred of them– were divided into three groups, and marched out of town in three different directions, before being shot down by their guards. Forty wounded were dragged into the courtyard in front of the chapel doors and executed as they lay on the ground. Fannin himself was shot last of all, knowing what had happened to his men. Reportedly he asked only that he not be shot in the face, that his personal belongings be sent to his family, and that he be given decent burial. He was executed at point blank range with a shot in the face, his belongings were looted and his body was dumped into a trench with those of others, and burnt, although many were left where they lay.

The Texas Land Office has some great archives and is rich in our state history.   I discovered John C. Duvall there and I want to recommend their site.  You will not be disappointed, especially with the very cool and reasonable map offers.  The TLO website is a mostly unknown resource open to the public and if you are ever in Austin, do go and look them up.