4/7/1817: Mina Expedition sails from Galveston Island

[Craig Tx]

On this day in 1817, Francisco Xavier Mina and his men set sail from Galveston, with the intent of driving the forces of Spanish king Ferdinand VII from Mexico.

The revolutionary Mina was in cahoots with Louis Michel Aury and Henry Perry. His expeditionary force, which comprised eight ships and 235 men, reached the mouth of the Santander River on April 11. Mina soon captured Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas, and led his troops to a series of minor victories, but was defeated and captured at Venadito on October 27. He was taken to Mexico City and executed with twenty-five companions at Fort San Gregorio on November 11. He was twenty-eight years old at the time of his death.