After Mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna's declaration to treat the rebellious Texians as pirates instead of soldiers and to have them executed in accordance with the law, Dillard Cooper, an American farmer and Texas Revolutionary soldier, survived the massacre of 425 men at Goliad, and soon linked up with three other surviving members of Red Rovers.
After Mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna's declaration to treat the rebellious Texians as pirates instead of soldiers and to have them executed in accordance with the law, Dillard Cooper, an American farmer and Texas Revolutionary soldier, survived the massacre of 425 men at Goliad, and soon linked up with three other surviving members of Red Rovers.