Plácido Benavides
Encyclopedia
Plácido Benavides was an early Mexican-born settler in De Leon's Colony, Victoria County, Texas
. Benavides earned himself the sobriquet of the Paul Revere of Texas for his 1836 journey from San Patricio
to Goliad to Victoria, warning residents of the approaching Mexican army. He was twice elected alcalde
of Victoria, Texas. He married into the powerful De León family, and with his wife Agustina became the father of three daughters. Benavides fought against the dictatorship of Antonio López de Santa Anna
, but did not feel Texas should be separated from Mexico. He led a unit of Tejano
fighters at the Battle of Goliad
and then he proceeded with his company to San Antonio, where they fought against Martín Perfecto de Cos
in the Siege of Bexar
. On February 11, 1836, Benavides sent a warning to James Bowie inside the Alamo that Santa Anna was approaching. Benavides escaped the Battle of Agua Dulce
and was able to warn James Fannin
headquartered in Goliad of the enemy army's approach, as he had warned all towns between Agua Dulce and Goliad. When the Texas Declaration of Independence
was signed on March 2, 1836, James Fannin
discharged Benavides from the army and sent him home. On his route back to Victoria, Benavides spread the alarm about the march of the Mexican army. In 1836, Benavides and his family were among the Mexicans evacuated out of Victoria by Brigadier General Thomas Jefferson Rusk
. His family exiled to Louisiana, where he died of an unknown cause the next year. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
number 6563 placed in 1936 at the SW Corner of S. Main and Juan Linn in Victoria, marks the site of the Benavides Round Top house.
. Details of his youth are unknown, except that he was taken under the wing of his godfather Captain Henrique Villareal. In 1828, Benavides moved to Victoria, Texas
with his brothers Ysidro, Nicolás and Eugenio. He became secretary to Fernando De León
, the eldest son of the influential De León family in Victoria County.
There, Benavides was put in the position of overseeing land titles and general business transactions. He married into the De Leon family in 1831. The Mexican government authorized Benavides to continue recruiting colonists to De Leon's Colony after the 1833 death of empresario Martín De León.
In 1832 and 1834, Benavides was elected second alcalde
of Victoria. Martín De León had held the position as the first alcalde, and Silvestre De León
served as the third alcalde. Benavides built a house fortress with first-floor gun slits and reinforced door, that became known alternately as "Plácido's Round House" and the "Round Top House". Benavides and his brother-in-law Silvestre De León, led several attacks against the Tonkawa
and Karankawa
Indian tribes. After the death of Benavides, many lives were saved in 1840 by hiding in the round house during a raid by 600 Comanche
s. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
number 6563 placed in 1936 at the SW Corner of S. Main and Juan Linn in Victoria, marks the site of the Benavides Round Top house.
became President of Mexico on April 1, 1833, he revoked the 1824 Constitution of Mexico
and replaced its Federalist
form of government with a Centralist regime to further his military dictatorship. He appointed his brother-in-law Martín Perfecto de Cos
as commandant-general northeast of Saltillo
. Some in the De Leon extended family felt loyal to the Federalist government of the constitution.
was an elected representative from Bexar to that legislature. General Martín Perfecto de Cos sent troops to shut down the legislature, and ordered the arrest of all who voted for the Four Hundred League Law. Colonel Domingo Ugartechea
, as principal commandant of Coahuila y Texas, ordered Cabajal arrested, but soldiers searching for him in Victoria were unsuccessful in their attempts at doing so. Alcalde Benavides had refused to surrender Carbajal, and ordered his local militia to block the soldiers from entry into Victoria.
repelled the Mexican attempted seizure of their cannon on October 2, 1835, Benavides teamed up with John Joseph Linn
to capture General Cos. In Victoria, they joined with George M. Collingsworth who was training men for the same purpose. During the Battle of Goliad
, Benavides was put in charge of thirty Tejano
volunteers, who were part of the October 1835 storming of Presidio La Bahía
. Goliad
was captured by Collingsworth on October 10, 1835.
in the two-month Siege of Béxar
campaign to drive out General Cos. As part of the campaign, Benavides and his men joined with the James Bowie group in October 1835. In the process of searching for enemy horses, Benavides suggested to Bowie that they torture a simple Mexican herder into admitting he was hiding horses for the Mexican soldiers. The particular torture method used by Benavides and Bowie was to hang the herder by the neck until he almost choked to death, then let him down and threaten him with guns. After executing this method of torture three successive times on the man, the herder confessed and surrendered his herd to Bowie.
, and Peter Kerr
, responded to an arms plea from Stephen F. Austin and began to run horses and mules to New Orleans in a trade for munitions. The trio were captured by Mexicans and taken prisoner. Kerr was set free, and Fernando De León bribed his way out. Carbajal was transferred to Matamoros, Tamaulipas
, with an intended transfer for imprisonment at San Juan de Ulloa. In February 1836, Plácido Benavides was serving at San Patricio
under Major Robert C. Morris. When word arrived of Carbajal's imprisonment, Benavides took a small group of men to break Carbajal out of incarceration. He bribed the guards at Matamoros. Although Mexicans gave pursuit, the escape back to Victoria was a success.
planned to draw the Texas forces below the Rio Grande
. Benavides reported the information to Major Morris, who in turn passed it along to James Fannin
. Upon receipt of the information, Fannin decided against his planned invasion of Matamoros and instead moved his men to Goliad.
, at 1 a.m. on February 11, 1836, messenger Blas Herrera delivered to James Bowie a letter from Benavides, that stated Santa Anna was moving towards San Antonio with a large deployment of troops.
were out with a detachment hunting wild mustangs, General José de Urrea
captured San Patricio. On March 2, 1836, Benavides and Grant stumbled into a trap set by Urrera at Agua Dulce Creek, south of San Patricio. Benavides tried to rejoin the men but was ordered by Grant to save himself and warn Fannin of Urrea's approach. Upon reaching Fannin with the warning, and learning that the Texas Declaration of Independence
had just been signed at Washington-on-the-Brazos
, Benavides informed Fannin that he did not wish to help Texas to be torn from Mexico. Fannin discharged Benavides from the army and sent him home to Victoria. From San Patricio to his final destination of Victoria, Benavides warned every person and town along the way of Urrea's approach. Benavides became known as the Paul Revere of Texas.
gunned down 342 unarmed Texans. Isaac D. Hamilton, who had served with Benavides at Goliad, escaped and found refuge on a ranch owned by Benavides. Upon finding the wounded Hamilton, Benavides attempted to take Hamilton to safety. Encountering a Mexican unit, Benavides saved himself by claiming Hamilton was his prisoner. Hamilton was tortured and taken to Victoria to face a firing squad. He was rescued by "The Angel of Goliad", Francisca Alvarez. With the help of Alvarez, Hamilton escaped back to his hometown of Courtland, Alabama
. Hamilton returned to Texas, and in 1858 the Texas legislature awarded him a bounty certificate for league of land, as part of the state's bounty grants for participants in the battle of the Alamo, the siege of Bexar, the Goliad campaigns. Hamilton died in 1859 before he was able to take possession of the land.
ordered the evacuation of Mexican families "...who were likely to afford information to the enemy." The Carbajal, Benavides and De Leon families evacuated to New Orleans, leaving behind their wealth and everything they owned.
Martín De León
and his wife Patricia de la Garza De León
. The couple had three daughters, Pilar, Librada and Matiana.
Benavides died in Opelousas, Louisiana
in 1837, cause unknown.
Victoria County, Texas
Victoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 84,088. Its county seat is Victoria. It is included in the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
. Benavides earned himself the sobriquet of the Paul Revere of Texas for his 1836 journey from San Patricio
San Patricio, Texas
San Patricio is a city in Nueces and San Patricio Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 318 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, San Patricio, located at , has a total area of 3.9 square miles , of which, 3.8 square miles of it is...
to Goliad to Victoria, warning residents of the approaching Mexican army. He was twice elected alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
of Victoria, Texas. He married into the powerful De León family, and with his wife Agustina became the father of three daughters. Benavides fought against the dictatorship of Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
, but did not feel Texas should be separated from Mexico. He led a unit of Tejano
Tejano
Tejano or Texano is a term used to identify a Texan of Mexican heritage.Historically, the Spanish term Tejano has been used to identify different groups of people...
fighters at the Battle of Goliad
Battle of Goliad
The Battle of Goliad was the second skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In the early-morning hours of October 10, 1835, rebellious Texas settlers attacked the Mexican Army soldiers garrisoned at Presidio La Bahía, a fort near the Mexican Texas settlement of Goliad...
and then he proceeded with his company to San Antonio, where they fought against Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos was a 19th-century Mexican general. He was married to Lucinda López de Santa Anna, sister of Antonio López de Santa Anna.-Background:Cós was born in Vera Cruz in the year 1800, the son of an attorney...
in the Siege of Bexar
Siege of Bexar
The Siege of Béxar was an early campaign of the Texas Revolution in which a volunteer Texan army successfully defeated Mexican forces at San Antonio de Béxar . Texians had become disillusioned with the Mexican government as President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's tenure became increasingly...
. On February 11, 1836, Benavides sent a warning to James Bowie inside the Alamo that Santa Anna was approaching. Benavides escaped the Battle of Agua Dulce
Battle of Agua Dulce
The Battle of Agua Dulce Creek occurred approximately south of San Patricio on March 2, 1836 between the Republic of Mexico and the rebellious Mexican state of Texas as part of the Texas Revolution. In February 1836, Mexican General Jose Urrea led a contingent of troops along the Texas coast,...
and was able to warn James Fannin
James Fannin
James Walker Fannin, Jr. was a 19th-century U.S. military figure on the Texas Army and leader during the Texas Revolution of 1835–36...
headquartered in Goliad of the enemy army's approach, as he had warned all towns between Agua Dulce and Goliad. When the Texas Declaration of Independence
Texas Declaration of Independence
The Texas Declaration of Independence was the formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution. It was adopted at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, and formally signed the following day after errors were noted in the...
was signed on March 2, 1836, James Fannin
James Fannin
James Walker Fannin, Jr. was a 19th-century U.S. military figure on the Texas Army and leader during the Texas Revolution of 1835–36...
discharged Benavides from the army and sent him home. On his route back to Victoria, Benavides spread the alarm about the march of the Mexican army. In 1836, Benavides and his family were among the Mexicans evacuated out of Victoria by Brigadier General Thomas Jefferson Rusk
Thomas Jefferson Rusk
Thomas Jefferson Rusk was an early political and military leader of the Republic of Texas, serving as its first Secretary of War as well as a general at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was later a U.S. politician and served as a Senator from Texas from 1846 until his suicide...
. His family exiled to Louisiana, where he died of an unknown cause the next year. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....
number 6563 placed in 1936 at the SW Corner of S. Main and Juan Linn in Victoria, marks the site of the Benavides Round Top house.
Early life
Plácido Benavides was born in 1810, in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Details of his youth are unknown, except that he was taken under the wing of his godfather Captain Henrique Villareal. In 1828, Benavides moved to Victoria, Texas
Victoria, Texas
Victoria is a city in and the seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,...
with his brothers Ysidro, Nicolás and Eugenio. He became secretary to Fernando De León
Fernando De León
Fernando De León was a co-founder of Victoria, Texas, and the first commissioner and colonization manager of De León's Colony. He fought against Antonio López de Santa Anna. De León was an aide-de-camp to provisional Texas governor James W. Robinson...
, the eldest son of the influential De León family in Victoria County.
Victoria County, Texas
Victoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 84,088. Its county seat is Victoria. It is included in the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
There, Benavides was put in the position of overseeing land titles and general business transactions. He married into the De Leon family in 1831. The Mexican government authorized Benavides to continue recruiting colonists to De Leon's Colony after the 1833 death of empresario Martín De León.
In 1832 and 1834, Benavides was elected second alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
of Victoria. Martín De León had held the position as the first alcalde, and Silvestre De León
Silvestre De León
Silvestre De León was the second son born to the influential De León family in Victoria, Texas. He became the third alcalde of Victoria. De León joined his brother-in-law Plácido Benavides to fight with Stephen F. Austin at the 1835 Siege of Béxar...
served as the third alcalde. Benavides built a house fortress with first-floor gun slits and reinforced door, that became known alternately as "Plácido's Round House" and the "Round Top House". Benavides and his brother-in-law Silvestre De León, led several attacks against the Tonkawa
Tonkawa
The Tickanwa•tic Tribe , better known as the Tonkawa , are a Native American people indigenous to present-day Oklahoma and Texas. They once spoke the now-extinct Tonkawa language believed to have been a language isolate not related to any other indigenous tongues...
and Karankawa
Karankawa
Karankawa were a group of Native American peoples, now extinct as a tribal group, who played a pivotal part in early Texas history....
Indian tribes. After the death of Benavides, many lives were saved in 1840 by hiding in the round house during a raid by 600 Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
s. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....
number 6563 placed in 1936 at the SW Corner of S. Main and Juan Linn in Victoria, marks the site of the Benavides Round Top house.
At war with Santa Anna
When Antonio López de Santa AnnaAntonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
became President of Mexico on April 1, 1833, he revoked the 1824 Constitution of Mexico
1824 Constitution of Mexico
The Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1824 was enacted on October 4 of 1824, after the overthrow of the Mexican Empire of Agustin de Iturbide. In the new constitution, the republic took the name of United Mexican States, and was defined as a representative federal republic, with...
and replaced its Federalist
Federalist
The term federalist describes several political beliefs around the world. Also, it may refer to the concept of federalism or the type of government called a federation...
form of government with a Centralist regime to further his military dictatorship. He appointed his brother-in-law Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos was a 19th-century Mexican general. He was married to Lucinda López de Santa Anna, sister of Antonio López de Santa Anna.-Background:Cós was born in Vera Cruz in the year 1800, the son of an attorney...
as commandant-general northeast of Saltillo
Saltillo
Saltillo is the capital city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. The city is located about 400 km south of the U.S. state of Texas, and 90 km west of Monterrey, Nuevo León....
. Some in the De Leon extended family felt loyal to the Federalist government of the constitution.
José María Jesús Carbajal
On April 28, 1835, federal legislation in Mexico invalidated the Four Hundred League Law that had been passed by the Coahuila y Texas legislature. Benavides' brother-in-law José María Jesús CarbajalJosé María Jesús Carbajal
José María Jesús Carbajal was a Mexican freedom fighter, who opposed the Centralist government installed by Antonio López de Santa Anna. Carbajal was a direct descendant of Canary Islands settlers who emigrated to San Antonio, Texas in the 18th Century. As a teenager in San Antonio, he was...
was an elected representative from Bexar to that legislature. General Martín Perfecto de Cos sent troops to shut down the legislature, and ordered the arrest of all who voted for the Four Hundred League Law. Colonel Domingo Ugartechea
Domingo Ugartechea
Domingo de Ugartechea was a 19th century Mexican Army officer for the Republic of Mexico.-Early years:He served for Joaquín de Arredondo in 1813...
, as principal commandant of Coahuila y Texas, ordered Cabajal arrested, but soldiers searching for him in Victoria were unsuccessful in their attempts at doing so. Alcalde Benavides had refused to surrender Carbajal, and ordered his local militia to block the soldiers from entry into Victoria.
La Bahia
After Gonzales, TexasGonzales, Texas
Gonzales is a city in Gonzales County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,202 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Gonzales County.-Geography:Gonzales is located at...
repelled the Mexican attempted seizure of their cannon on October 2, 1835, Benavides teamed up with John Joseph Linn
to capture General Cos. In Victoria, they joined with George M. Collingsworth who was training men for the same purpose. During the Battle of Goliad
Battle of Goliad
The Battle of Goliad was the second skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In the early-morning hours of October 10, 1835, rebellious Texas settlers attacked the Mexican Army soldiers garrisoned at Presidio La Bahía, a fort near the Mexican Texas settlement of Goliad...
, Benavides was put in charge of thirty Tejano
Tejano
Tejano or Texano is a term used to identify a Texan of Mexican heritage.Historically, the Spanish term Tejano has been used to identify different groups of people...
volunteers, who were part of the October 1835 storming of Presidio La Bahía
Presidio La Bahía
The Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la Bahía, known more commonly as Presidio La Bahia, or simply La Bahia is a fort constructed by the Spanish Army that became the nucleus of the city of Goliad, Texas, United States. Originally founded in 1721 on the ruins of the failed French Fort Saint...
. Goliad
Battle of Goliad
The Battle of Goliad was the second skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In the early-morning hours of October 10, 1835, rebellious Texas settlers attacked the Mexican Army soldiers garrisoned at Presidio La Bahía, a fort near the Mexican Texas settlement of Goliad...
was captured by Collingsworth on October 10, 1835.
James Bowie
Following the capture of Goliad, Benavides and his men were ordered to join Stephen F. AustinStephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
in the two-month Siege of Béxar
Siege of Bexar
The Siege of Béxar was an early campaign of the Texas Revolution in which a volunteer Texan army successfully defeated Mexican forces at San Antonio de Béxar . Texians had become disillusioned with the Mexican government as President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's tenure became increasingly...
campaign to drive out General Cos. As part of the campaign, Benavides and his men joined with the James Bowie group in October 1835. In the process of searching for enemy horses, Benavides suggested to Bowie that they torture a simple Mexican herder into admitting he was hiding horses for the Mexican soldiers. The particular torture method used by Benavides and Bowie was to hang the herder by the neck until he almost choked to death, then let him down and threaten him with guns. After executing this method of torture three successive times on the man, the herder confessed and surrendered his herd to Bowie.
Matamoros jail break
José María Jesús Carbajal, his brother-in-law Fernando De LeónFernando De León
Fernando De León was a co-founder of Victoria, Texas, and the first commissioner and colonization manager of De León's Colony. He fought against Antonio López de Santa Anna. De León was an aide-de-camp to provisional Texas governor James W. Robinson...
, and Peter Kerr
Peter Kerr (Texas settler)
Peter Kerr , also known as Peter Carr, was the founder of Burnet, Texas and a member of the Old Three Hundred, the original settlers in Stephen F...
, responded to an arms plea from Stephen F. Austin and began to run horses and mules to New Orleans in a trade for munitions. The trio were captured by Mexicans and taken prisoner. Kerr was set free, and Fernando De León bribed his way out. Carbajal was transferred to Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
, with an intended transfer for imprisonment at San Juan de Ulloa. In February 1836, Plácido Benavides was serving at San Patricio
San Patricio, Texas
San Patricio is a city in Nueces and San Patricio Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 318 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, San Patricio, located at , has a total area of 3.9 square miles , of which, 3.8 square miles of it is...
under Major Robert C. Morris. When word arrived of Carbajal's imprisonment, Benavides took a small group of men to break Carbajal out of incarceration. He bribed the guards at Matamoros. Although Mexicans gave pursuit, the escape back to Victoria was a success.
Goliad
The alcalde of Matamoros had leaked to Benavides that Antonio López de Santa AnnaAntonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
planned to draw the Texas forces below the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
. Benavides reported the information to Major Morris, who in turn passed it along to James Fannin
James Fannin
James Walker Fannin, Jr. was a 19th-century U.S. military figure on the Texas Army and leader during the Texas Revolution of 1835–36...
. Upon receipt of the information, Fannin decided against his planned invasion of Matamoros and instead moved his men to Goliad.
Alamo
Inside the Alamo Mission in San AntonioAlamo Mission in San Antonio
The Alamo, originally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero, is a former Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound, site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, and now a museum, in San Antonio, Texas....
, at 1 a.m. on February 11, 1836, messenger Blas Herrera delivered to James Bowie a letter from Benavides, that stated Santa Anna was moving towards San Antonio with a large deployment of troops.
Texas Paul Revere
On February 27, 1836, while Benavides and James GrantJames Grant (Texas)
James Grant was a 19th century Texas politician, physician and military participant in the Texas Revolution.-Early life:James Grant was born on July 28, 1793, in Killearnan Parish, Ross-shire, Scotland. In 1823, he traveled to northern Mexico, ending up in Texas. He became interested in real...
were out with a detachment hunting wild mustangs, General José de Urrea
José de Urrea
José de Urrea was a noted general for Mexico. He fought under General Antonio López de Santa Anna during the Texas Revolution. Urrea's forces were never defeated in battle during the Texas Revolution...
captured San Patricio. On March 2, 1836, Benavides and Grant stumbled into a trap set by Urrera at Agua Dulce Creek, south of San Patricio. Benavides tried to rejoin the men but was ordered by Grant to save himself and warn Fannin of Urrea's approach. Upon reaching Fannin with the warning, and learning that the Texas Declaration of Independence
Texas Declaration of Independence
The Texas Declaration of Independence was the formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution. It was adopted at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, and formally signed the following day after errors were noted in the...
had just been signed at Washington-on-the-Brazos
Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas
Washington-on-the-Brazos is an unincorporated area along the Brazos River in Washington County, Texas, United States. It was founded when Texas was still a part of Mexico, and the settlement became the site of the Convention of 1836 and the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence...
, Benavides informed Fannin that he did not wish to help Texas to be torn from Mexico. Fannin discharged Benavides from the army and sent him home to Victoria. From San Patricio to his final destination of Victoria, Benavides warned every person and town along the way of Urrea's approach. Benavides became known as the Paul Revere of Texas.
Isaac D. Hamilton
On March 27, 1836, following the Battle of Coleto, Mexican soldiers under General José de UrreaJosé de Urrea
José de Urrea was a noted general for Mexico. He fought under General Antonio López de Santa Anna during the Texas Revolution. Urrea's forces were never defeated in battle during the Texas Revolution...
gunned down 342 unarmed Texans. Isaac D. Hamilton, who had served with Benavides at Goliad, escaped and found refuge on a ranch owned by Benavides. Upon finding the wounded Hamilton, Benavides attempted to take Hamilton to safety. Encountering a Mexican unit, Benavides saved himself by claiming Hamilton was his prisoner. Hamilton was tortured and taken to Victoria to face a firing squad. He was rescued by "The Angel of Goliad", Francisca Alvarez. With the help of Alvarez, Hamilton escaped back to his hometown of Courtland, Alabama
Courtland, Alabama
Courtland is a town in Lawrence County, Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 769.-Geography:...
. Hamilton returned to Texas, and in 1858 the Texas legislature awarded him a bounty certificate for league of land, as part of the state's bounty grants for participants in the battle of the Alamo, the siege of Bexar, the Goliad campaigns. Hamilton died in 1859 before he was able to take possession of the land.
Exile to Louisiana
During the Texas War of Independence many Mexicans were opposed to Santa Anna's regime, but felt loyal to Mexico and its 1824 constitution. Brigadier General Thomas Jefferson RuskThomas Jefferson Rusk
Thomas Jefferson Rusk was an early political and military leader of the Republic of Texas, serving as its first Secretary of War as well as a general at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was later a U.S. politician and served as a Senator from Texas from 1846 until his suicide...
ordered the evacuation of Mexican families "...who were likely to afford information to the enemy." The Carbajal, Benavides and De Leon families evacuated to New Orleans, leaving behind their wealth and everything they owned.
Personal life and death
In 1831 Benavides married Agustina De León, daughter of empresarioEmpresario
An empresario was a person who, in the early years of the settlement of Texas, had been granted the right to settle on Mexican land in exchange for recruiting and taking responsibility for new settlers. The word is Spanish for entrepreneur.- Background :...
Martín De León
Martín De León
Martín De León was a rancher and wealthy Mexican empresario descended from Spanish aristocracy. He was the patriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. De León and his wife Patricia de la Garza established De León's Colony, the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas...
and his wife Patricia de la Garza De León
Patricia de la Garza De León
Patricia de la Garza De León was the matriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. Doña Patricia raised ten children, some of whom helped change the course of history. At age 49, she uprooted her life in 1824 to help her husband Martín De León establish the predominantly...
. The couple had three daughters, Pilar, Librada and Matiana.
Benavides died in Opelousas, Louisiana
Opelousas, Louisiana
Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
in 1837, cause unknown.
Legacy
The following are Anglicized spellings, named after Plácido Benavides:- Placedo Creek (formerly Zorillo Creek)
- Placedo, TexasPlacedo, TexasPlacedo is an unincorporated community in Victoria County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 760 in 2000. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...