José de Urrea ( Spanish: José de Urrea , March 14, 1797 - August 1, 1849 ) is a prominent Mexican military leader. During the Texas Revolution, he fought under the command of Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna . Urrea’s troops during the campaign never once left the battlefield defeated. He achieved the greatest success during the Goliad campaign, in the battle of the Coleto stream , as a result of which he captured about four hundred Texans along with their leader, James Fannin .
| Jose de Urrea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date of Birth | March 14, 1797 |
| Place of Birth | El Presidio de San Agustin de Tucson, Mexico (now Tucson , Arizona , USA ) |
| Date of death | August 1, 1849 |
| Place of death | Mexico |
| Affiliation |  Mexico |
| Type of army | |
| Rank | the general |
| Battles / wars | Mexican War of Independence Texas revolution Mexican war |
Biography
Urrea was born in El Presidio de San Agustin de Tucson (now Tucson , Arizona ). Although he was born on the northern border of Mexico, his family had deep roots in the state of Durango .
In 1807 he joined the Spanish army. By 1824 he rose to captain , but resigned for family reasons. In 1829 he returned to army service, already in the rank of major, and helped free Durango from the Spaniards, in alliance with Santa Anna . For these actions, he received the rank of colonel . In 1835, he reluctantly took part in the suppression of the uprising in the state of Zacatecas , which prevented Santa Anna from taking power. After that, he was awarded the rank of brigadier general .
During the uprising in Mexican Texas, Urrea led one of the columns of the Army of Action in Texas . His goal was to regain control of the Texas coast and, consequently, marine supply lines with the internal states of Mexico. His convoy defeated the Texas forces at the battles of San Patricio , Refujio, and at the battle of Coleto Creek . The latter was widely publicized as the “Goliad Massacre,” since later all captured Texans were exterminated. However, the execution of prisoners of war was carried out not by order of Urrea, who was trying to save their lives, but at the request of Santa Anna.
A series of General Urrea victories forced Santa Anna to linger in Texas to personally end the rebellious Texas government. Thus, the Mexican president intended to increase his personal and political authority, since in this situation, it was Urrea who looked the most popular figure in Mexico.
The defeat of the Mexican army column at the Battle of San Jacinto and the subsequent capture of Santa Anna forced the Mexican president to order the withdrawal of the Mexican army from Texas. Urrea was furious and, teamed up with the units of General Vicente Filisola , sought to continue the war against the Texans, because the remaining Mexican force in Texas numbered more than 2,500 against less than 900 Sam Houston rebels. But the captive Santa Anna gave other orders, and neither Urrea nor Filisola had any choice. In June 1836, Mexican troops left Texas. In 1837, Urrea rebelled against the returning Santa Anna, fought in 1838 with his troops at the battle of Mazatlan , but was defeated as a result. He was arrested and sent to Perote Prison. The very next year he was returned to the army to repel French intervention . But not for long: an unsuccessful coup attempt again followed.
During the Mexican-American War, Urrea commanded a cavalry division. Shortly after the war ended, he died of cholera .
Memory
- In the series Rebellion of Texas (2015) the role of General Urrea was played by Alejandro Bracho .