Editing Texas Revolution (section)

===Mexican Army of Operations===

[[File:Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna 1852.jpg|thumb|right|upright|alt=A lithograph showing the bust of a clean-shaven man. He is in military dress uniform with one medal around his neck and several others pinned at his shoulder.|[[Antonio López de Santa Anna]]]]
News of the armed uprising at Gonzales reached Santa Anna on October 23.<ref name=davis199/>  Aside from the ruling elite and members of the army, few in Mexico knew or cared about the revolt. Those with knowledge of the events blamed the Anglos for their unwillingness to conform to the laws and culture of their new country. Anglo immigrants had forced a war on Mexico, and Mexican honor insisted that the usurpers be defeated.<ref name=davis197>Davis (2006), p. 197.</ref> Santa Anna transferred his presidential duties to [[Miguel Barragán]] in order to personally lead troops to put an end to the Texian revolt. Santa Anna and his soldiers believed that the Texians would be quickly cowed.<ref name=hardin98/> The Mexican Secretary of War, [[José María Tornel]], wrote: "The superiority of the Mexican soldier over the mountaineers of Kentucky and the hunters of Missouri is well known. Veterans seasoned by 20&nbsp;years of wars can't be intimidated by the presence of an army ignorant of the art of war, incapable of discipline, and renowned for insubordination."<ref name=hardin98>Hardin (1994), p. 98.</ref>

At this time, there were only 2,500 soldiers in the Mexican interior. This was not enough to crush a rebellion and provide security{{snd}}from attacks by both Indians and federalists{{snd}}throughout the rest of the country.<ref name=davis200>Davis (2006), p. 200.</ref>  According to author Will Fowler, Santa Anna financed the Texas expedition with three loans; one from the city of [[San Luis Potosí]], and the other two loans from individuals Cayetano Rubio and Juan N. Errazo. Santa Anna had guaranteed at least a portion of the repayments with his own financial holdings.<ref>Fowler (2007), p. 164.</ref> He began to assemble a new army, which he dubbed the Army of Operations in Texas. A majority of the troops had been [[conscript]]ed or were convicts who chose service in the military over jail.<ref name=todish20>Todish ''et al.'' (1998), p. 20.</ref> The Mexican officers knew that the [[Brown Bess]] muskets they carried lacked the range of the Texian weapons, but Santa Anna was convinced that his superior planning would nonetheless result in an easy victory. Corruption was rampant, and supplies were not plentiful. Almost from the beginning, rations were short, and there were no medical supplies or doctors. Few troops were issued heavy coats or blankets for the winter.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Frazier, Ph.D.|first1=Donald S.|title=The U. S. Mexican War: Army Life: Mexican Army|url=https://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/war/army_life_mexican.html|publisher=PBS.org|access-date=February 27, 2017}}</ref>

In late December, at Santa Anna's behest, the Mexican Congress passed the [[Tornel Decree]], declaring that any foreigners fighting against Mexican troops "will be deemed pirates and dealt with as such, being citizens of no nation presently at war with the Republic and fighting under no recognized flag."<ref name=Haynes>Haynes (2015), p. 119.</ref>  In the early nineteenth century, captured pirates were executed immediately. The resolution thus gave the Mexican army permission to take no prisoners in the war against the Texians.<ref name=Haynes/> This information was not widely distributed, and it is unlikely that most of the American recruits serving in the Texian army were aware that there would be no [[prisoner of war|prisoners-of-war]].<ref>Jackson, Wheat (2005), pp. 348–349</ref>

By December 1835, 6,019&nbsp;soldiers had begun their march towards Texas.<ref name=hardin102>Hardin (1994), p. 102.</ref> Progress was slow. There were not enough mules to transport all of the supplies, and many of the [[teamster]]s, all civilians, quit when their pay was delayed. The large number of ''[[soldaderas]]''{{snd}}women and children who followed the army{{snd}}reduced the already scarce supplies.<ref name=hardin103>Hardin (1994), p. 103.</ref> In Saltillo, Cos and his men from Béxar joined Santa Anna's forces.<ref name=davis211>Davis (2006), p. 211.</ref> Santa Anna regarded Cos's promise not to take up arms in Texas as meaningless because it had been given to rebels.<ref name=hardin120>Hardin (1994), p. 120.</ref>

From Saltillo, the army had three choices: advance along the coast on the Atascocita Road from Matamoros to Goliad, or march on Béxar from the south, along the Laredo road, or from the west, along the [[El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail|Camino Real]].<ref name=davis205and11>Davis (2006), pp. 205, 211.</ref> Santa Anna ordered General [[José de Urrea]] to lead 550 troops to Goliad.<ref name=hardin120/><ref name=hardin121>Hardin (1994), p. 121.</ref> Although several of Santa Anna's officers argued that the entire army should advance along the coast, where supplies could be gained via sea,<ref name=hardin102/> Santa Anna instead focused on Béxar, the political center of Texas and the site of Cos's defeat.<ref name=hardin102/>  His brother-in-law's surrender was seen as a blow to the honor of his family and to Mexico; Santa Anna was determined to restore both.<ref name=hardin102/> Santa Anna may also have thought Béxar would be easier to defeat, as his spies had informed him that most of the Texian army was along the coast, preparing for the Matamoros Expedition.<ref name=davis212>Davis (2006), p. 212.</ref>  Santa Anna led the bulk of his men up the Camino Real to approach Béxar from the west, confounding the Texians, who had expected any advancing troops to approach from the south.<ref name=todish34and36>Todish ''et al.'' (1998), pp. 34–36.</ref>  On February 17, they crossed the Nueces River, officially entering Texas.<ref name=davis212/>

Temperatures reached record lows, and by February 13 an estimated {{convert|15|-|16|in|cm}} of snow had fallen. A large number of the new recruits were from the tropical climate of the [[Yucatán Peninsula|Yucatán]] and had been unable to acclimate to the harsh winter conditions. Some of them died of [[hypothermia]],<ref>Calore (2014), p. 57</ref> and others contracted [[dysentery]]. Soldiers who fell behind were sometimes killed by [[Comanche]] raiding parties.<ref name=hardin105>Hardin (1994), p. 105.</ref> Nevertheless, the army continued to march towards Béxar. As they progressed, settlers in their path in [[South Texas]] evacuated northward. The Mexican army ransacked and occasionally burned the vacant homes.<ref name=scott77>Scott (2000), p. 77.</ref>  Santa Anna and his commanders received timely intelligence on Texian troop locations, strengths, and plans, from a network of ''Tejano'' spies organized by de la Garza.<ref>del le Teja (2010), p. 199.</ref>