The first major engagement of the Texas Revolution, demonstrating Texian defensive tactics and boosting patriot morale against Mexican forces.
Key Facts
- Date
- October 28, 1835
- Duration
- 30 minutes
- Texian force size
- 90 soldiers
- Mexican force size
- 275 soldiers
- Mexican casualties (est.)
- 14–76 killed
- Texian casualties
- 1 killed
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Texian Army under Stephen F. Austin marched toward Bexar, where Mexican General Martín Perfecto de Cos held command. On October 27, Austin detached Bowie and Fannin with 90 men to locate a defensible camp near Mission Concepción. Learning the Texian force was divided, Cos dispatched Colonel Ugartechea with 275 soldiers to strike before Austin's main army could reunite.
On October 28, 1835, Ugartechea's Mexican troops attacked the Texian scouting party camped at Mission Concepción. The Texians sheltered in a horseshoe-shaped gully that provided strong cover, repelling multiple Mexican assaults. The engagement lasted only 30 minutes before the Mexican force retreated, ending just before the rest of the Texian Army arrived on the field.
The Texians suffered only one fatality while Mexican losses ranged from an estimated 14 to 76 killed, making it a lopsided Texian victory. Described by historians as the first major battle of the Texas Revolution, the outcome reinforced Texian confidence and demonstrated that disciplined use of terrain could offset significant numerical disadvantages against Mexican regulars.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
James Bowie, James Fannin.
Side B
1 belligerent
Colonel Domingo Ugartechea.