Who's Who in the Texas Revolution
James Fannin
James Fannin 1804-1836
James Fannin was born in early 1804 in Georgia. He entered the US Military Academy at West Point in 1819 and remained for just over two years. He came to Texas in 1834 and settled with his wife and two daughters at Valesco. Soon after his arrival, he became active in the cause for independence from Mexico. He participated in the Battle of Gonzales and later helped lead the Texas forces in the Battle of Concepcion. In early 1836, Fannin was stationed in Goliad with 400 soldiers. He received orders from Sam Houston on March 14 to retreat to Victoria. Partly through indecision and partly due to circumstances, Fannin delayed the retreat for five days. Due to the delay, Fannin and his troops were captured by General Urrea at Goliad on March 20 and executed on the orders of Santa Anna seven days later. "Remember Goliad" became a Texas battle cry along with “Remember the Alamo.”