The mass grave of Fannin and his men — and the close of the tour.
Just here, beneath this monument, is the grave — the resting place of Colonel James Fannin and the more than three hundred men who died in the massacre. For years after that Palm Sunday their remains lay where they fell, until a Texas general gathered them up with full military honors and buried them together here, and much later this pink granite monument was raised over them. It's the largest mass grave from the Texas Revolution, and it is very quiet. Stand a moment. Read the names if you can. They were mostly young men, many of them new arrivals who had come from the United States and beyond to fight for a Texas most of them barely knew.
That's the end of our short, heavy, unforgettable tour of Goliad. On behalf of Ranger Boone Merrick and myself, thank you for coming here and for listening — some places you visit not for fun but for remembrance, and this is one. If this tour meant something to you, we'd be grateful if you'd leave a review, so others find their way here too. Walk gently, remember Goliad, and travel safe. This has been Ranger Quinn.
Photo: Michaelluckey · CC BY 4.0
