William Ward (ca.? – 1836), was a
Macon, Georgia
Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...
native, who answered the appeal from Texas, during the
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
Revolution. He recruited men from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
and led the
Georgia Battalion.
Georgia native
William Ward and Dr. Robert Collins first held a public meeting in Macon on November 12, 1835, to organize an infantry battalion in answer to the plea from Texas to join the
Texas Revolution.
Texas Revolution
Ward recruited 120 men from Milledgeville, Columbus, and
Macon, Georgia
Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...
. From these 120 men, he formed them into three companies. With the use of the Georgia State arsenal, he personally armed, supplied, and booked passage for them to Texas at his own expense. Ward passed through Georgia to New Orleans adding recruits along the way, numbering 220 by the time they set sail for Texas.
James 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 ...
, a Georgian himself, personally met the group in
Velasco, Texas
Velasco was a town in Texas, United States, that was later merged with the city of Freeport by an election conducted by eligible voters of both municipalities on February 9, 1957. The consolidation effort passed by a margin of 17 votes. Founded ...
, on December 20, 1835. Ward was elected as major in Texas service.
[Craig H. Roell, "WARD, WILLIAM," Handbook of Texas Onlin]
accessed June 12, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
On February 7, 1836, Ward and his troops officially formed the Georgia Battalion at
Refugio, Texas
Refugio ( ) is a town in Refugio County, Texas, Refugio County, of which it is the county seat, in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,890 as of the 2010 United States census, 2010 Census. Refugio is the birthplace of National Baseball H ...
and he was elected lieutenant colonel. On February 12, the Georgia Battalion traveled with Fannin to Goliad. It was here at Fort Defiance, that they would serve Texas. Ward would serve as a member of Fannin's staff through March 12.
On March 13, Fannin ordered Ward and the Georgia Battalion to go to the aid of Amon B. King's and his company, who were besieged in the
Nuestra Señora del Refugio Mission in Refugio. Although successful in breaking up the siege on the 13th, the arrival of Ward at Refugio initiated a conflict over command between the two officers. This in-fighting caused the insurgents to break into several smaller detachments. King would now leave and attack a nearby ranch, believed to be Centralistas.
[Hardin (1994), pg. 164] Ward was left defending the Mission. When Mexican forces neared 1500 and thus became overwhelming, the Texians fled the battle during the night.
[Todish (1998), p. 129.]
On March 22, Ward and the Georgia Battalion (80 men plus Ward), surrendered after escaping from the
Battle of Refugio
The Battle of Refugio was fought from March 12–15, 1836, near Refugio, Texas. Mexican General José Urrea and 1,500 Centralista soldiers fought against Amon B. King and his 28 American volunteers and Lieutenant Colonel William Ward and his ...
. About 26 men were retained at Victoria as laborers, but 55 prisoners were marched into Goliad, on March 25.
[Castaneda (1970), p. 19.] Ward and his captured battalion were executed on March 27, 1836, in the
Goliad Massacre.
See also
*
List of Texas Revolution battles
When Mexico's congress changed the constitution in 1827 and 1835, and banned slavery in 1829 and immigration in 1830, immigrants, slave-owners, and federalists throughout the country revolted; in Texas, an armed uprising began on October 2, 1835, ...
*
Timeline of the Texas Revolution
This is a timeline of the Texas Revolution, spanning the time from the earliest independence movements of the area of Texas, over the declaration of independence from Spain, up to the secession of the Republic of Texas from Mexico.
The first sh ...
References
Citations
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, William
1836 deaths
People of the Texas Revolution
Army of the Republic of Texas officers
People who died in the Goliad Massacre