Qualla: Battle of Gonzales https://qualla.com/battle-of-gonzales en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:03 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/4/x/battle-of-gonzales-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Gonzales https://qualla.com/battle-of-gonzales Battle of Gonzales: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-gonzales/ Photo credit Daniel Ziegler, CC BY-SA 4.0. "Come and Take It." Four words, painted hastily in black on a white cotton banner beside the crude image of a cannon and a lone star, became the battle cry of a revolution. On the morning of October 2, 1835, a group of Texian settlers near Gonzales aimed a borrowed six-pounder loaded with scrap iron at a detachment of Mexican dragoons and fired the shot that ignited the Texas Revolution. The cannon itself was almost laughable -- a small bronze piece described by one local as being "good for little more than starting horse races" -- but the principle behind it was deadly serious. When the Mexican government demanded its return, the people of Gonzales answered with gunpowder and defiance.

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Image: Daniel Ziegler | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/4/x/battle-of-gonzales-wp/9v4x-battle-of-gonzales-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Gonzales: A Cannon Worth Fighting For https://qualla.com/battle-of-gonzales/ Photo credit It'sOnlyMakeBelieve, CC BY-SA 4.0. The story begins with a simple loan. In 1831, Mexican authorities provided the settlers of Gonzales with a small bronze cannon to defend against raids by Comanche and other Native peoples along the Guadalupe River. It was a practical arrangement, unremarkable at the time. But by ...

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]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/4/x/battle-of-gonzales-wp/9v4x-battle-of-gonzales-a-cannon-worth-fighting-for.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Gonzales: Eighteen Men at the River https://qualla.com/battle-of-gonzales/ Photo credit It'sOnlyMakeBelieve, CC BY-SA 4.0. When Castaneda's soldiers arrived at the Guadalupe River crossing on September 29, they found the ferry on the opposite bank and the ford blocked. A group of just 18 armed militiamen stood between the Mexican troops and the town. Castaneda, under orders to avoid provoking conflic...

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]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/4/x/battle-of-gonzales-wp/9v4x-battle-of-gonzales-eighteen-men-at-the-river.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Gonzales: The Shot That Started a Revolution https://qualla.com/battle-of-gonzales/ Photo credit It'sOnlyMakeBelieve, CC BY-SA 4.0. Under the cover of thick fog on the morning of October 2, the Texians crossed the river and advanced on the Mexican camp. The settlers had dug up their cannon, mounted it on improvised ox-cart wheels, and loaded it with chains, scrap iron, and whatever metal they could find. When...

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]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/4/x/battle-of-gonzales-wp/9v4x-battle-of-gonzales-the-shot-that-started-a-revolution.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Gonzales: The Cannon's Mysterious Afterlife https://qualla.com/battle-of-gonzales/ Photo credit It'sOnlyMakeBelieve, CC BY-SA 4.0. The battle itself was, as historian William C. Davis characterized it, "an inconsequential skirmish in which one side did not try to fight." But the symbolism was enormous. The Texians had taken an armed stand against the Mexican army, and there was no going back. Gonzales became...

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]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/4/x/battle-of-gonzales-wp/9v4x-battle-of-gonzales-the-cannons-mysterious-afterlife.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Gonzales: Legacy on the Guadalupe https://qualla.com/battle-of-gonzales/ Photo credit It'sOnlyMakeBelieve, CC BY-SA 4.0. Today, Gonzales wears its revolutionary heritage openly. Nine Texas historical markers commemorate locations connected to the prelude and battle, and the town hosts a "Come and Take It" celebration every October. The Gonzales Memorial Museum displays a cannon that may have partic...

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]]> Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/4/x/battle-of-gonzales-wp/9v4x-battle-of-gonzales-legacy-on-the-guadalupe.mp3 0:06 6 full