The Battle of Goliad was the second skirmish of the Texas Revolution. Early on October 9, 1835, rebellious Texas settlers attacked the Mexican Army soldiers garrisoned at Presidio La Bahía (pictured), a fort near the Mexican Texas settlement of Goliad. It was halfway between the Mexican garrison at San Antonio de Béxar and the major port of Copano. Texians were plotting to kidnap Mexican General Martín Perfecto de Cos, who was en route to Goliad, although they knew before their arrival that he had departed for San Antonio de Béxar. The garrison at La Bahía was understaffed and could not mount an effective defense of the perimeter. Using axes borrowed from townspeople, the Texians chopped through a door and entered the complex before the bulk of the soldiers were aware of their presence. After a 30-minute battle, the Mexican garrison surrendered. The majority of the Mexican soldiers were instructed to leave Texas, and the Texians confiscated $10,000 worth of provisions and several cannons, later used in the Siege of Béxar. The victory isolated Cos's men in Béxar from the coast, forcing them to rely on a long overland march to request or receive reinforcements or supplies.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Goliad

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1260:

Qutuz, Mamluk sultan of Egypt, was assassinated by a fellow Mamluk leader, Baibars, who then seized power for himself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baibars

1795:

As a result of the Third Partition of Poland, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ceased to exist as an independent state as its territory was divided between Austria, Prussia, and Russia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth

1931:

The George Washington Bridge (pictured), today the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge, connecting New York City to Fort Lee, New Jersey, was dedicated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge

1945:

The UN Charter, the constitution of the United Nations, entered into force after being ratified by the Republic of China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and a majority of the other signatories. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Charter

2007:

Chang'e 1, the first satellite in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, was launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_1

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

miniver: A light gray or white fur used to trim the robes of judges or state executives, used since medieval times. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/miniver

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

the poet, his presence ursine and kind, shifting his weight in a chair too small for him, quietly says, and shyly: "The Poet never must lose despair." Then our eyes indeed meet and hold. All of us know, smiling in common knowledge — even the palest spirit among us, burdened as he is with weight of abstractions — all of us know he means we mustn't, any of us, lose touch with the source, pretend it's not there, cover over the mineshaft of passion...   --Denise Levertov https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Denise_Levertov