The Presidio La Bahia and Our Lady of Loreto Chapel were constructed in 1722 on the original site of LaSalle's doomed Fort St. Louis in what is now Port Lavaca. Port Lavaca is close to the midway point on the Texas Gulf Coastline. Moved from their original location once already, they were finally brought to their current location in 1749 by Escandon. The Presidio La Bahia is the oldest standing fort west of the Mississippi. Its original purpose was to guard the interests of the Spanish Crown against Native American and French attackers. The chapel of Our Lady of Loreto was included in the current structure to serve the religious needs of the soldiers stationed there. La Bahia never served as a mission. It did not need to, for you can look across the San Antonio river to the northwest and see the Mission Espiritu Santo, now on the grounds of Goliad State Park.
The Presidio and the chapel were used by settlers and soldiers as first Spain, and then Mexico, colonized the area.
In December of 1835 the Texans took control of the fort under George Collingsworth with Ben Milam in attendance. A premature Declaration of Independence was signed at this time. A formal Declaration was drafted and signed a few weeks later at a different location.
Raised by his maternal grandfather in Marion, GA, Fannin was a former student of the US Military Academy at West Point. He and his wife settled in Velasco, TX in 1834. Fannin was accustomed to dealing with professional soldiers, not a volunteer militia. This lack of experience caused much respect to be lost between him and his troops, the majority of whom were volunteers. In February of 1836 he took control of La Bahia and renamed it "Fort Defiance". But Santa Anna was marching into Texas with a superior force, and had sent his brother-in-law, Urrea, to take Goliad and the surrounding area. Sam Houston ordered Fannin to retreat to Victoria and raize the presidio to prevent the Mexican forces from fortifying their supplies. Fannin had sent several of his troops off to aid Refugio and on scouting missions. Unbeknownst to him, most had been captured or killed by Urrea's force. Fannin's tenure as a military commander is marked with indecision. It caused him to fail to aid Travis at the Alamo, and it caused him and his troops to be captured. He delayed his retreat until Urrea had taken the town of Goliad to the northwest. During their retreat to Victoria they were plagued with mechanical difficulties and eventually Fannin decided to make camp in the open prairie. A few more miles would have provided him and his men with the safety of trees and the convenience of water from Coleto Creek. It was here that Urrea caught them. The Battle of Coleto ended on March 20, 1836 with Fannin's surrender. Fannin and his men were marched back to the Presidio and imprisoned, detained as prisoners of war (or so they thought). Analysis of official documents indicates that they surrendered their fate to the whim of the government of Mexico, and Santa Anna was not known for mercy. Fannin and several dozen of his men had been wounded in battle, but most were in perfect condition. On Palm Sunday (March 27, 1836) the wounded were ushered into the quadrangle of the Presidio, and the uninjured were marched into a nearby field. Those who were uninjured thought they were being marched to Mexico City. The wounded probably thought they were being let out for excercise. Then, without warning, on the orders of Santa Anna himself, the Mexican troops opened fire. Fannin was reportedly forced to watch as the wounded were cut down like chattel. The men in the field were caught in a crossfire. When the Mexican troops ran out of ammunition, they began stabbing anyone who appeared to be alive with bayonets. Fannin knew his time was up so he requested that he be shot in the chest, that his watch be returned to his family, and that he be given a Christian burial. The Mexican forces did not honor any of his requests. His watch was stolen by a Mexican officer and Fannin, along with approximately 320 of his men, were left to the vultures.
Fannin's watch was recovered by a Texan at the Battle of San Jacinto, and his last wish was honored then. Texan forces returned to Goliad and buried Fannin and his troops in a mass grave to the east of the Presidio, a short distance from where the uninjured were murdered. The numbers are vague, but approximately 35 of Fannin's troops escaped the Presidio with their lives. Many of them owed their lives to a woman whose true identity remains vague, but she is known as the "Angel of Goliad". Our best guess is that she was the wife of Colonel Alavez and that she had begged him for their lives.
March 27, 1836 is known as the blackest day in Texas history. The loss of life at the Goliad Massacre is greater than that of the Alamo, and at the Alamo, they knew they would probably die.