Martín Perfecto de Cos (1800–1 October 1854) was a general for the Mexican army and a politician during the mid-19th century. Born in
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
, the son of an attorney, he became an army cadet at the age of 20, a Lieutenant in 1821, and a Brigadier General in 1833.
Cos is perhaps best known as a commander of Mexican forces during the
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...
in the 1830s. In September 1835, he was sent by President-General
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. often known as Santa Anna, wa ...
to investigate the refusal of
Texians to pay duties during the
Anahuac Disturbances. General Cos dispersed the legislature of
Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas, officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila y Tejas (), was one of the constituent states of the newly established United Mexican States under its 1824 Constitution.
It had two capitals: first Saltillo (1822–1825) f ...
, then in session at
Monclova, landed 300 men at
Matagorda Bay
Matagorda Bay () is a large Gulf of Mexico bay on the Texas coast, lying in Calhoun and Matagorda counties and located approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, east-southeast of San Antonio, south-southwest of Houston, and south-southea ...
, established a headquarters in
San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
, and declared his intention of ending Anglo-American resistance in Texas. He attempted to arrest several Texian critics of Santa Anna, but his demands were resisted; a force of Texians under
Stephen F. Austin and
Edward Burleson held the Mexican troops for two months in the
siege of Béxar until Cos surrendered after an attack led by
Benjamin R. Milam in December 1835. Cos and his men were released on their pledge not to oppose further the
Constitution of 1824
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
, which Santa Anna had recently repealed.
Texans believed this pledge was broken when Cos returned in the spring of 1836 to command a column in the
attack on the Alamo. On April 21, 1836, he reached
San Jacinto with reinforcements and crossed Vince's Bridge just before the Texians destroyed it. He was taken prisoner by
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...
in the general surrender and later released, after which he returned to Mexico. Cos later commanded a post at
Tuxpan during the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
. He died in
Minatitlán, Veracruz
Minatitlán is a city in the List of states of Mexico, Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located in the southeastern part of the state, in the Olmeca Region, Olmeca region, to the north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, along the Coatzacoalcos River.
...
, in 1854, while serving as commandant general and political chief of the
Tehuantepec
Tehuantepec (, in full, Santo Domingo Tehuantepec) is a city and municipality in the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region. The area was important in pre-Hispanic per ...
territory.
Family
It is generally accepted that Martín Perfecto de Cos was a relative of
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. often known as Santa Anna, wa ...
, and most accounts refer to him as a brother-in-law. ''The Encyclopedia of the Mexican American War'' states that he was married to Lucinda López de Santa Anna, the general's sister. Some early Texas accounts also credit him as being either a cousin or nephew of Santa Anna.
Military career

When the Mexican government moved away from a new local-level
federalist
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of deep ...
political ideology to create a
centralist
Centralisation or centralization (American English) is the process by which the activities of an organisation, particularly those regarding planning, decision-making, and framing strategies and policies, become concentrated within a particular ...
authoritarian government under Santa Anna, Martín Perfecto de Cos became military commander of the Mexican state of
Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas, officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila y Tejas (), was one of the constituent states of the newly established United Mexican States under its 1824 Constitution.
It had two capitals: first Saltillo (1822–1825) f ...
in 1833. He initially was headquartered in
Saltillo
Saltillo () is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and is also the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. Mexico City, Monterrey, and Saltillo are all connected by a major railroad and high ...
. San Antonio had always governed its own affairs and its citizens, increasingly ethnic Anglo-Americans with closer ties to the emerging United States, resented Cos being given power over them. As tensions between
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
and
Mexican Texas
Mexican Texas is the historiographical name used to refer to the era of Texan history between 1821 and 1836, when it was part of Mexico. Mexico gained independence in 1821 after winning its Mexican War of Independence, war against Spain, whi ...
increased, Cos headed north to put down the rebellion.
Cos arrived in Texas by sea at the port of
Copano on September 20, 1835, with 500 soldiers
[Huson (1974), p. 5.] and proceeded to the town of
Goliad on October 1, where he ordered the arrest of rebel leaders and garrisoned his men inside the nearby
Presidio La Bahía. Even before his arrival, a group of Texians had plotted to kidnap Cos at either Copano or Goliad, but a rebellion committee rejected the idea. The
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...
began in earnest with the
Battle of Gonzales
The Battle of Gonzales was the first military engagement of the Texas Revolution. It was fought near Gonzales, Texas, Gonzales, Mexican Texas, Texas, on October 2, 1835, between rebellious Texian settlers and a detachment of Mexican army soldier ...
on October 2, and upon learning of the Texian victory, Cos hurried to
San Antonio de Béxar, leaving with the bulk of his men on October 5. Texians assaulted the Presidio La Bahía at the
Battle of Goliad on October 10, only to learn that Cos had already left.
Once he was in San Antonio, the town and Cos' men were
besieged by the
Texian Army under the leadership of
Stephen F. Austin. After a 56-day siege of the town and the
Alamo Mission, on December 9, Cos surrendered
San Antonio de Béxar and its weapons to the Texians, then proceeded to retreat back across the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...
. Cos and his men were allowed to keep their muskets for protection, as well as one four-pound
cannon
A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...
. Mexican losses during the siege were about 150. On his way south, Cos met up with
Santa Anna's forces at
Laredo, who were marching north to put down the rebellion.
In February 1836, Cos returned to San Antonio with Santa Anna and led a column of 300 soldiers in the
siege of the Alamo. His men assaulted the northwest corner of the mission on March 6, eventually overrunning the north wall. On April 21, Cos arrived with over 500 reinforcements for Santa Anna shortly before the
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto (), fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day La Porte and Deer Park, Texas, was the final and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Samuel Houston, the Texan Army engaged and defeated General A ...
. That afternoon Texian forces led by General Sam Houston decisively defeated Santa Anna's army in a battle which lasted only eighteen minutes. Cos and Santa Anna both escaped during the battle; Santa Anna was captured the next day, on April 22, and Cos was captured on April 24. General Santa Anna subsequently surrendered his army and eventually all Mexican claims to Texas, ending the Texas Revolution.
Mexican–American War
Following the Texas Revolution, Martín Perfecto de Cos remained in the Mexican Army and was given command of an army outpost in
Tuxpan, where he served during the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
and afterwards, until his death in 1854.
Film depictions
Among the depictions of Martín Perfecto de Cos on film is that of the Mexico City-born actor
Rodolfo Hoyos Jr., in the 1956 picture ''
The First Texan'', about the rise of
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...
in Texas. In the film, Cos orders the arrest of
William B. Travis and directs his Mexican soldiers to scale the walls of The Alamo.
In the 2004 film ''
The Alamo'', General Martín Perfecto de Cos is portrayed by Francisco Philibert.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cos, Martin Perfecto De
1800 births
1854 deaths
People of Mexican Texas
Mexican generals
Mexican Republic combatants of the Texas Revolution
Mexican military personnel of the Mexican–American War
Military personnel from Veracruz