Runaway Scrape

The Runaway Scrape events take place mainly between September 1835 and April 1836, and are the evacuations by Texas residents fleeing the Mexican Army of Operations during the Texas Revolution, from the Battle of the Alamo through the decisive Battle of San Jacinto.

The ad interim government of the new Republic of Texas and much of the civilian population flees eastward ahead of the Mexican forces.

The conflict arises after Antonio López de Santa Anna abrogates the 1824 constitution of Mexico and establishes martial law in Coahuila y Tejas.

The Texians resist and declare their independence.

It is Sam Houston's responsibility, as the appointed commander-in-chief of the Provisional Army of Texas (before such an army actually exists), to recruit and train a military force to defend the population against troops led by Santa Anna.

Residents on the Gulf Coast and at San Antonio de Béxar begin evacuating in January upon learning of the Mexican army's troop movements into their area, an event that is ultimately replayed across Texas.

During early skirmishes, some Texian soldiers surrender, believing that they will become prisoners of war—but Santa Anna demands their executions.

The news of the Battle of the Alamo and the Goliad massacre instill fear in the population and result in the mass exodus of the civilian population of Gonzales, where the opening battle of the Texian revolution had begun and where, only days before the fall of the Alamo, they had sent a militia to reinforce the defenders at the mission.

The civilian refugees are accompanied by the newly forming provisional army, as Houston buys time to train soldiers and create a military structure that can oppose Santa Anna's greater forces.

Houston's actions are viewed as cowardice by the ad interim government, as well as by some of his own troops.

As he and the refugees from Gonzales escape first to the Colorado River, then to the Brazos, evacuees from other areas trickle in and new militia groups arrive to join with Houston's force.

The towns of Gonzales and San Felipe de Austin are burned to keep them out of the hands of the Mexican army.

Santa Anna is intent on executing members of the Republic's interim government, who have fled from Washington-on-the-Brazos to Groce's Landing to Harrisburg and New Washington.

The government officials eventually escape to Galveston Island, and Santa Anna burns the towns of Harrisburg and New Washington when he fails to find them.

Approximately five thousand terrified residents of New Washington flee from the Mexican army.

After a little over a month of training the troops, Houston reaches a crossroads where he orders some of them to escort the fleeing refugees farther east while he takes the main army southeast to engage the Mexican army.

The subsequent Battle of San Jacinto resulta in the surrender of Santa Anna and the signing of the Treaties of Velasco.

No related events match the current filters.