General Vincente Filisola's Analysis of Jose Urrea's Military Diary

This long-forgotten eyewitness account of the Texas Revolution has been translated into English for the first time. Gen. Vicente Filisola was second in command of the Mexican army in Texas during the Revolution. After the defeat of Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna by Sam Houston's Texans at San Jacinto, Filisola became commander-in-chief of the 4,000 Mexican soldiers that remained in Texas. The Mexican army eventually retreated to Matamoros, Mexico, and Filisola became the scapegoat for all that went wrong in the campaign in Texas. His chief accuser in this disastrous action was Gen. Jose Cosme Urrea, commander of one of the Mexican divisions in the campaign. In 1838 Urrea published a book he entitled The Military Diary of General Jose Urrea. Filisola published his ultracritical analysis of Urrea's diary that same year. Totally focusing on the actions of the Mexican army, and especially Urrea's division, Filisola critiques Urrea's every move, from his advance into Texas until the disastrous and humiliating trip back to Matamoros in May and June 1836. The true jewels of this work are the multiple details that Filisola gives in making his verbose case against General Urrea--from descriptions of Goliad, Victoria, and Madam Powell's to interesting comments on the Deleons, Phillip Dimmitt, and Jose Maria Carbajal. After reading this fascinating account of the Mexican army in Texas the reader may well need to reevaluate his opinions of the Mexican army's generals. In spite of the fact that the work is extremely biased and at times blantantly unfair, Filisola does make valid points that at least make one wonder if Urrea deserves the high respect that has been generally accorded him by Texanscholars.Dimmick, Gregg J. is the author of 'General Vincente Filisola's Analysis of Jose Urrea's Military Diary', published 2007 under ISBN 9780876112243 and ISBN 0876112246.