19. The Mexicans in San Antonio surrendered in December
The Texans attacked San Antonio on December 5. On December 9 the Mexican commander, General Martin Perfecto de Cos, withdrew his men into the Alamo Mission on the outskirts of the town. Faced with additional mouths to feed after the reinforcements arrived, and insufficient supplies with which to continue to resist, Cos asked for terms on December 9. The following day the Mexican Army surrendered. Cos and his men were allowed to leave Texas, the General having given his parole that none of them would fight against Texan factions who supported the Constitution of 1824. Santa Anna later rescinded the parole, and most of the Mexican troops returned to San Antonio later in the winter.
The withdrawal of Cos and his troops meant there were no Mexican forces north of the Rio Grande. The Texans believed the war was over, for the most part. Santa Anna was furious, and vowed to personally retake the lost territory which had rebelled. He also announced that those who fought the Mexicans or otherwise supported the rebellion, were pirates and would be treated accordingly under international law. Santa Anna, though hampered by the corruption rampant in the Mexican government and bureaucracies, recruited and assembled an army of over 6,000 men. They were ill-equipped, ill-clad, and ill fed. Most of their training occurred as they marched to the north.