Texas Revolution Timeline

As early as April 1835, military commanders in Texas began requesting reinforcements from Mexico City, fearing that the increasingly restless citizens would rise in revolt.

After a Mexican soldier bludgeoned a Gonzales resident on September 10, 1835, tensions rose even further, and Mexican authorities felt it unwise to leave the settlers with a weapon, setting the stage for confrontation.

Image source: Battle of Gonzales

Of the 1,300 men who volunteered to fight for the Texian army in October and November 1835, only 150–200 arrived from the United States after October 2; most were residents of Texas with an average immigration date of 1830.

The Texas Revolution began on October 2, 1835, when Texians resisted Mexican attempts to reclaim a cannon at Gonzales. The rebellion was waged by Anglo-American immigrants (Texians) and Hispanic Texans (Tejanos) against the centralist government of Mexico in the state of Coahuila y Tejas.

While delegates at the Consultation debated whether the goal was independence or a return to the Constitution of 1824, Texians and volunteers from the United States defeated small Mexican garrisons across Texas.

Image source: Consultation (Texas)

After days of bitter debate, the delegates voted to create a provisional government based on the principles of the Constitution of 1824 rather than declaring outright independence.

By mid-December 1835, Texians and volunteers from the United States had defeated the small garrisons of Mexican soldiers in Texas. Under the terms of surrender, General Martín Perfecto de Cos and his men agreed to leave Texas and no longer fight against supporters of the Constitution of 1824.

Image source: Siege of Béxar

At Santa Anna's behest, the Mexican Congress passed the Tornel Decree in late December, declaring that any foreigners fighting against Mexican troops would be deemed pirates and dealt with as such — meaning execution upon capture, as captured pirates were executed immediately in the early nineteenth century.

Image source: José María Tornel

Out of caution following the revolutionary upheaval, the town of Béxar (San Antonio) remained under martial law throughout 1836.

Image source: San Antonio

Petty bickering between Governor Henry Smith and the Council members increased dramatically, and on January 9, 1836, Smith threatened to dismiss the Council unless they revoked their approval of the ill-fated Matamoros Expedition.

By December 1835, 6,019 soldiers had begun their march towards Texas under Santa Anna. His Army of Operations entered Texas in mid-February 1836 and found the Texians completely unprepared for the invasion.

On March 1, 1836, Mexican President Miguel Barragán died in the midst of the war from typhus while attending to matters related to the conflict with the rebel colonists.

Image source: Miguel Barragán

From October 1835 through April 1836, approximately 1,000 Mexican and 600 Texian soldiers died, while wounded numbered roughly 400 Mexican and 350 Texian — unusual for 19th-century warfare, where the wounded typically outnumbered those killed.

In March 1836, a second political convention declared independence from Mexico and appointed leadership for the new Republic of Texas, fulfilling one side of the debate between independence and return to the Constitution of 1824.

Image source: Texas Declaration of Independence

The Convention of 1836 opened at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 1, attracting 45 delegates representing 21 municipalities. Travis had succeeded in buying time for the convention to meet despite the ongoing siege of the Alamo.

Image source: Convention of 1836

On June 1, 1836, after his defeat and capture by Texian forces, Santa Anna boarded a ship to travel back to Mexico, ending his direct involvement in the revolution's military campaign.

Voters overwhelmingly chose Sam Houston as the first president of the Republic of Texas, ratified the constitution drawn up by the Convention of 1836, and approved a resolution requesting annexation to the United States.

Image source: Sam Houston

The United States agreed to recognize the Republic of Texas in March 1837 but declined to annex the territory, leaving the young republic diplomatically isolated.

Image source: Republic of Texas

In May 1837, Santa Anna requested an official inquiry into his conduct of the Texas campaign and his surrender after the Battle of San Jacinto.

The northern Mexican states, which had been the focus of the Matamoros Expedition, briefly launched an independent Republic of the Rio Grande in 1839, echoing the federalist resistance that fueled the Texas Revolution.

Image source: Republic of the Rio Grande

In late 1839 France recognized the Republic of Texas after being convinced it would make a fine trading partner, giving the republic valuable international legitimacy.

Image source: France–Mexico relations

In 1840, after years in which the Republic of Texas was neither annexed by the United States nor reabsorbed into Mexico, Britain signed a treaty recognizing the nation and acting as mediator to help Texas gain recognition from Mexico.

In June 1843, leaders of the Republic of Texas and Mexico declared an armistice, easing hostilities between the two nations though Mexico still refused to recognize Texan independence.

From the first novel depicting events of the revolution, 1838's 'Mexico versus Texas,' through the mid-20th century, most works contained themes of anticlericalism and racism, depicting the battle as a fight for freedom between good (Anglo Texian) and evil (Mexican).

The United States voted to annex Texas as the 28th state in March 1845. Some rights were restored in 1845 when Texas added them to the new state constitution, and the annexation led directly to the Mexican–American War.

Image source: Texas annexation

On July 4, 1845, Texians voted overwhelmingly in favor of annexation to the United States, completing the process of joining the Union as the 28th state.

The Texas Veterans Association, composed solely of revolutionary veterans living in Texas, was active from 1873 through 1901 and played a key role in convincing the legislature to create a monument honoring the San Jacinto veterans.

Veterans were guaranteed land bounties; in 1879, surviving Texian veterans who served more than three months from October 1, 1835, through January 1, 1837, were guaranteed an additional 1,280 acres in public lands.

In the late 19th century, the Texas Legislature purchased the San Jacinto battlesite, which is now home to the San Jacinto Monument, the tallest stone column monument in the world.

Image source: San Jacinto Monument

In the early 20th century, the Texas Legislature purchased the Alamo Mission, preserving it as an official state shrine commemorating the defenders of the Alamo.

Image source: Alamo Mission