10/02/2026
⚒️ ON THIS DAY | THE BATTLE OF GONZALES
October 2, 1835 | Gonzales, Texas
On this day 191 years ago, a relatively small confrontation helped ignite a revolution.
In 1831, Mexican authorities provided the settlers of Gonzales with a small cannon for frontier defense. As tensions between the colonists and the Mexican government increased, Mexican authorities ordered the cannon returned. The people of Gonzales refused.
Mexican troops under Lt. Francisco de Castañeda were sent to retrieve it. The Texans gathered reinforcements, prepared the cannon for battle, and raised what would become one of the most recognizable banners in Texas history:
“COME AND TAKE IT.”
On the morning of October 2, 1835, the two sides clashed. The engagement itself was brief, and the Mexican troops ultimately withdrew, but Gonzales marked the first battle of the Texas Revolution and a decisive break between the Texian colonists and the Mexican government.
⚒️ THE MASONIC CONNECTION
Among the men at Gonzales was Eli Mitchell, an early Texas settler whom the Handbook of Texas identifies as one of the founders of the Masonic order in Texas.
The famous Gonzales cannon was mounted on Mitchell’s wagon, and the Handbook of Texas credits Mitchell with firing the first shot of the Battle of Gonzales and, consequently, the opening shot of the Texas Revolution.
The Battle of Gonzales was not a Masonic undertaking, but Freemasonry nevertheless has a fascinating connection to this defining moment in Texas history.
191 years later, we remember Gonzales, the men who stood their ground, and the moment that helped set Texas history on a new course.
🇺🇸 COME AND TAKE IT. ⭐
⚒️ Remember the history. Preserve the legacy.
Fraternity Lodge No. 1111 A.F. & A.M.
📍 El Paso, Texas
2B1ASK1
