Burr Harrison Duval (1809 – March 27, 1836) was the commander of the

Kentucky Mustangs Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to ...

, First Regiment Volunteers, a group of Kentucky long-riflemen formed in

Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

, in November 1835 during the Texas Revolution. He and hundreds of others surrendered to the Mexican army at Goliad, Texas, only to be executed in the Goliad Massacre.

Early life and family

Burr H. Duval was the son of

William Pope Duval William Pope Duval (September 4, 1784 – March 19, 1854) was the first civilian governor of the Florida Territory, succeeding Andrew Jackson, who had been a military governor. In his twelve-year governorship, from 1822 to 1834, he divided Florid ...

and Nancy Hynes. He was born in 1809 in Bardstown. William Pope Duval was the first and longest-serving (twelve years)

Territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

Governor of Florida A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. Burr Duval's brother, John Crittenden Duval (1816–1897), who later became a writer, was captured with him at Goliad; however, his life was spared. Another brother,

Thomas Howard DuVal Thomas Howard DuVal (November 4, 1813 – October 10, 1880) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. Education and career Born November 4, 1813, in Buckingham County, Virginia, ...

(1813–1880), had a distinguished judicial career in Texas. He attended St. Joseph's College in Bardstown.

Texas Revolution

After forming the Kentucky Mustangs, the group traveled to Texas to fight for independence from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. They arrived at

Quintana, Texas Quintana is a town in Brazoria County, Texas, Brazoria County, Texas, United States. Its population was 56 at the 2010 census. Geography Quintana is located in southern Brazoria County at , on Quintana Beach along the Gulf of Mexico. It is bordere ...

, in December 1835. Duval and his company were put under the command of Colonel

James Walker Fannin James Walker Fannin Jr. (1804 or 1805 – March 27, 1836) was an American military figure and slave trader in the Texas Army and leader during the Texas Revolution (1835-1836) against Mexico. After being outnumbered and surrendering to Mexi ...

, with Duval given the rank of captain. The Mustangs, along with the five other companies under Fannin's command, were in Goliad, Texas, on March 14, 1836, when they received orders from Commander-in-Chief of the Texas Army Sam Houston to retreat to

Victoria, Texas Victoria is a small city in South Texas and county seat of Victoria County, Texas. The population was 65,534 as of the 2020 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 as of the 2000 censu ...

. Fannin delayed the retreat from

Presidio La Bahia A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th and 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Spanish Philippines in particular, were ce ...

in Goliad, waiting for reinforcements. Once it was learned that the reinforcements had been defeated on their way to Goliad, Colonel Fannin ordered the retreat. Captain Duval and his men began to retreat with the regiment, however, by the time the order came, the Mexican army under the command of José de Urrea had completely surrounded the town of Goliad. Duval and all of the men under Fannin's command were forced to surrender to the Mexican army on March 19, 1836. A week following the surrender,

Antonio López de Santa Anna Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (; 21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. usually known as Santa Ann ...

ordered the execution of most of the captured men. Colonel Fannin, Burr Duval and almost 400 other men were executed on March 27 in what became known as the Goliad Massacre.

Honors

Duval County, Texas Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 9,831. The county seat is San Diego. The county was founded in 1858 and later organized in 1876. It is named for Burr H. Duval, a soldier in ...

, is named after him.

References

External links

Burr H. Duval
in the '' Handbook of Texas Online''
Burr Harrison Duval
at Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Duval, Burr H. 1809 births 1836 deaths People from Bardstown, Kentucky People of the Texas Revolution People who died in the Goliad Massacre Burials in Texas