The Mier Expedition “The Black Bean Incident”

Background Six years after the Alamo and San Jacinto, Mexico still refused to recognize the independence of the land (Texas) north of the Rio Grande. In September of 1842, the Mexican government sent another army into Texas to reinforce their claim. The force surrounded Bexar (San Antonio), making surrender the only viable option for the Texan officials. 36 Texans died in what would become known as the Dawson Massacre. On Christmas Day, 1842, a force of 261 men crossed the Rio Grande and attacked the town of Mier. Mexican forces surrounded the town, causing the Texans to surrender, mistakenly figuring they would be treated as prisoners of war and released. The Mexican government viewed the Texans as a band of rebels, and it was decided to march the able bodied prisoners deep into Mexico and imprison them.

To teach the Texan rebels a lesson, President Santa Anna ordered that the men be decimated. ( Decimation, a Latin word meaning to select one out of ten, has been used by armies since the time of Julius Caesar.) One tenth of the 176 Texan rebels would be executed by firing squad. A death lottery was organized, and an earthen jar was filled with one hundred fifty nine white beans and seventeen black beans. The prisoners were lined up to draw their own fate. Drawing a black bean meant death. All the officers drew first, and all drew a white bean with the exception of one. The enlisted men then drew the rest of the beans. The executions were carried out and the bodies were left in a pile for four days before being moved to the nearest cemetery in the town of Cedral. Continued …

Monument Hill - La Grange, Texas (between Austin and Houston) Burial tomb for the victims of the “Black Bean Incident”