Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez de President Santa Anna was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Mexican Army of Operations in November 1835 by President pro-tem Miguel Barragan. In December he joined Vicente Filisola at San Luis Potosi and began to organize the army for the Texas Campaign. On January 2, 1836, he began his march for Texas, crossing the Rio Grande on February 16. On February 23, his army joined the force commanded by Ramirez y Sesma, and by the afternoon, Santa Anna occupied San Antonio and had begun besieging the Texan army in the Alamo. At dawn on March 6, he began the assault of the fortress, which was subdued by 8 a.m. On March 31, he left San Antonio for San Felipe de Austin. A surprise attack on April 7 failed to reduce the town. On April 9 he left San Felipe and began a forced march for the river crossing at Marion, hoping to surprise the Texan army. His army did cross the river at Marion, but failed to capture any Texans. From there, his army was transported to Thompson’s Crossing on a captured flat boat. Santa Anna reached Harrisburg on the night of April 15, only to find it deserted. On the following day, after burning Harrisburg, his army marched on to Lynchburg. Waiting for reinforcements commanded by Cos, aware of the nearness of the Texan army, Santa Anna decided to make camp on the west bank of the San Jacinto River. There, on April 20, the army fought a skirmish with Sidney Sherman’s cavalry detachment, but full battle was not engaged until the following day. Captured by Texan soldiers on April 22, Santa Anna ordered General Filisola to begin a retreat across the Rio Grande. On May 14, he signed the treaties of Velasco and prepared to be returned to Mexico. But on June 1, Texans under the leadership of Thomas J. Green interfered, threatening to capture or to kill the Mexican leader. Finally, at the end of November, President Houston sent him under guard to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Andrew Jackson. Seguin, Juan Nepumoceno Seguin and his recruits joined Austin near San Antonio in October 1835. He participated in the capture of Concepcion Mission, the siege of Bexar, and was on duty in the Alamo in 1836. He escaped death only because he had been sent out of the Alamo as a messenger. Seguin was in charge of the rear guard of the army in its retreat east from Gonzales, and he helped Moseley Baker in his attempt to prevent Santa Anna’s crossing the river at San Felipe. Seguin rejoined Houston’s army and fought in the battle of San Jacinto. He was ordered, along with Henry Karnes, to follow the Mexican Army during its retreat in order to protect the property of Texans.