Fort Velasco was a small circular palisade fort built by a

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

of Mexican soldiers at (what would become known as)

Velasco, Texas Velasco was a town in Texas, United States, that was later merged with the city of Freeport by an election conducted by eligible voters of both municipalities on February 9, 1957. The consolidation effort passed by a margin of 17 votes. Founded ...

at the present-day location of Surfside Beach on the northeast bank at the

mouth A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...

of the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

and

Texas Gulf Coast Texas Gulf Coast is an intertidal zone which borders the Coast, coastal region of South Texas, Southeast Texas, and the Texas Coastal Bend. The Texas coastal geography boundaries the Gulf of Mexico encompassing a geographical distance relative be ...

. The name also applies to at least three other forts built at almost the same location, one during the

Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...

, and two during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

In response to fear of annexation of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

during the era of

Mexican Texas Mexican Texas is the historiographical name used to refer to the era of Texan history between 1821 and 1836, when it was part of Mexico. Mexico gained independence in 1821 after winning its Mexican War of Independence, war against Spain, whi ...

, the

Mexican Congress The Congress of the Union (, ), formally known as the General Congress of the United Mexican States (''Congreso General de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos''), is the legislature of the federal government of Mexico. It consists of two chambers: t ...

passed the

Law of April 6, 1830 Law of April 6, 1830 was issued because of the Mier y Terán Report to counter concerns that Mexican Texas, part of the border state of Coahuila y Tejas was in danger of being annexed by the United States. Immigration of United States citizens, s ...

, which halted legal immigration by

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...

and established

military occupation Military occupation, also called belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is temporary hostile control exerted by a ruling power's military apparatus over a sovereign territory that is outside of the legal boundaries of that ruling pow ...

. Initially, sporadic efforts were made to establish a customs post at this location in 1830 and then again in 1831, but these efforts were less than successful. As a result, "Fortaleza de Velasco" was erected in April to May 1832 by the order of

General Terán A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED Online. Ma ...

to enforce the customs and immigration provisions of the new law for the

customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...

port of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border control, border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not impo ...

. The original Fort Velasco has been briefly described in several first-hand or contemporaneous accounts. William J. Russell wrote “… The plan and structure of the fort were well understood, of circular form, of logs and sand, with strong stakes, sharpened, and placed close together, all around the embankment. In the center, stood a bastion, in height considerably above the outer wall, on top of which was mounted a long nine-pounder, worked on a pivot, and around which, on top of the bastion, was a parapet made of wood, about two feet in height.” Edwin Waller described it as "… fort of circular form, having in the center a mound or raised platform of earth, whereon the artillery was placed en barbette, so as to fire over the outer wall, and command a range on every side. This outer wall was surrounded by a fosse or ditch, and perhaps something intended for chevaux de frize or abattis." John H. Brown (whose father was in the Battle of Velasco) wrote “… The fort at Velasco stood about a hundred and fifty yards both from the river and the Gulf shore which formed a right angle. It consisted of parallel rows of posts six feet apart, filled between with sand, earth and shells, for the outer walls, Inside of the walls was an embankment on which musketeers could stand and shoot over without exposing anything but their heads. In the center was an elevation of the same material, inclosed by higher posts, on which the artillery was planted and protected by bulwarks." Soon after its construction, the fort was the site of a skirmish called the Battle of Velasco in the period of June 25–29, 1832, as one episode of the Anahuac Disturbances, which was an early indication of unrest leading up to the

. After an overnight battle, the Mexican forces inside the fort surrendered (primarily due to lack of ammunition) to the Texian forces besieging the fort, and an armistice was signed on June 29, 1832, with the Mexican forces being allowed to return to Matamoros. Although the armistice agreement called for them to be transported by sea to Matamoros, the lack of a seaworthy vessel resulted in the troops marching overland via San Felipe de Austin and La Bahia back to Matamoros. After the battle, the fort was abandoned, and was probably scavenged for materials as the new town of Velasco grew up around its location. In the period of late 1835 and early 1836, as the

began, a new fort was constructed nearby mounting several large cannon, known as the best protected location on the coast. The Treaties of Velasco which recognized Texas Independence from Mexico were signed at this location on May 14, 1836. This fort was occupied for an extended period, at least through 1840. After the Battle of San Jacinto resulted in the independence of Texas on April 21, 1836, the "interim" government chose to establish itself at Velasco, due to available accommodations (as many other towns had been destroyed in the Runaway Scrape or during the Revolution), and the protection offered by this fort and the newly built and robust Republic Of Texas Navy, in the period of May to Oct-1836. The government's records were kept at Velasco for a short period, and the fort was occupied with a small garrison. Financial warrants, notes and pay certificates were issued by the government from Velasco. Elections were held in Sep-1836, after which the government moved to a new capital at Columbia, as the first "democratically-elected" government. This second Fort Velasco was eventually abandoned after 1840 and was longer in existence by 1852. During the early part of Civil War, an early fort (also named as Fort Velasco) was built near the location of the Republic Of Texas fort, mounting two 18-pound cannon, but was augmented in the winter of 1863-1863 by a larger stacked-earth emplacement with five gun platforms known as Fort Sulakowski or Fort Velasco, at a point nearer the existing town. Armament consisted of one 30-pound Parrot gun, one 32-pounder Navy gun, one 24-pound and one 18-pound Sea coast guns, and one 12-pounder.

Texas Historical Commission Site

Velasco received a historical marker in 1965 by the

Texas Historical Commission The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the U.S. state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas. The commission also identifies Recorded Texas Histor ...

acknowledging the 1832 conflict between the

Mexican Monarchy Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

forces and the Texian colonists. The strife for Texas independence was confirmed on May 14, 1836, in Velasco debilitating the Mexican territorial

boundary dispute A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of territories (land, water or airspace) between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the po ...

and subsequently creating the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

Gallery

, Captioned> Fort Velasco Mural 1.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 1 Fort Velasco Mural 2.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 2 Fort Velasco Mural 3.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 3 Fort Velasco Mural 4.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 4 Fort Velasco Mural 5.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 5 Fort Velasco Mural 6.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 6 Fort Velasco Mural 7.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 7 Fort Velasco Mural 8.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 8 Fort Velasco Mural 9.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 9 Fort Velasco Mural 10.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 10 Fort Velasco Mural 11.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 11 Fort Velasco Mural 12.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 12 Fort Velasco Mural 13.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 13 Fort Velasco Mural 14.jpg, Fort Velasco Mural 14 Velasco Mexican Texas Texas Revolution Buildings and structures in Brazoria County, Texas 1831 establishments in Mexico