On this day
in 1835, fighting broke out at Gonzales between Mexican soldiers and
Texas militiamen. When Domingo de Ugartechea, military commander in
Texas, received word that the American colonists of Gonzales refused to
surrender a small cannon that had been given that settlement in 1831 as a
defense against the Indians, he dispatched Francisco de Castañeda and
100 dragoons to retrieve it on September 27. Though Castañ
eda
attempted to avoid conflict, on the morning of October 2 his force
clashed with local Texan militia led by John Henry Moore in the first
battle of the Texas Revolution. The struggle for the "Come and Take It"
cannon was only a brief skirmish that ended with the retreat of
Castañeda and his force, but it also marked a clear break between the
American colonists and the Mexican government. – Texas State Historical Association
