Two forgotten weeks in 1836 and one of the most consequential 
events of the entire Texas Revolution have been missing from the 
historical record—the tale of the Mexican army's misfortunes in 
the aptly named "Sea of Mud," where more than 2,500 Mexican 
soldiers and 1,500 female camp followers foundered in the muddy 
fields of what is now Wharton County, Texas.

    In 1996 a pediatrician and "avocational archeologist" living in 
Wharton, Texas, decided to try to find evidence in Wharton 
County of the Mexican army of 1836. Following some preliminary 
research at the Wharton County Junior College Library, he focused 
his search on the area between the San Bernard and West Bernard 
rivers. Within two weeks after beginning the search for artifacts, a 
Mexican army site was discovered, and, with the help of the 
Houston Archeological Society, excavated. Then began the archival 
exploration of the history behind the archeology, the contacting of 
historians with expertise in that period, and even the learning of 
Spanish so that the original source documents could be studied. 
The result is an amazing tour de force for a doctor who was "adept 
at circumcisions, spinal taps, and treating asthma but . . . knew 
next to nothing about Texas history."

    One of those consulted in the course of this work was noted 
historian Professor James E. Crisp of North Carolina State 
University, who calls the author a "natural historian" and 
describes Dimmick's findings as "a story which rivals the miracle 
of San Jacinto in importance . . . a remarkably complete account 
of what happened to the main force of the Mexican army between 
April 21 and the second week of May, 1836 . . . a few days [within 
which] an orderly Mexican withdrawal to a defensive position 
within Texas turned into an unmitigated disaster which sealed the 
fate of the Mexican campaign."

    The movements of the Mexican army during the two-week period 
from April 21 to May 9, 1836, are followed in meticulous detail, 
based on the full scope of published and unpublished sources,
many of which appear here in English, and in their entirety, for the 
first time. The actions of Mexican generals Vicente Filisola and 
José de Urrea and the bitter rivalry between them are presented in 
their own words, from their letters and diaries. And this is only 
half the story. The author and his "digging buddies" have located 
many actual artifacts dropped or discarded in the mud by Mexican 
soldados more than 165 years ago. Thousands of hours excavating
in the Sea of Mud (El Mar de Lodo) have produced hundreds of items 
(many pictured and described in the book) along with the army's 
trail—munitions, arms, uniform fragments, and personal items—all 
serving to paint a more accurate picture than we have heretofore had 
of Santa Anna's army and its response to his order to retreat.

    All in all, this is a breathtaking accomplishment in historical
and archeological investigation and a book that will henceforth 
be a standard reference for those studying the 1836 campaign in 
Texas.

_________________________________________________________

GREGG J. DIMMICK is a pediatrician with the South Texas Medical 
Clinics in Wharton, Texas. He did his undergraduate work at Texas 
A&M University and received his M.D. in 1977 from the University 
of Nebraska Medical School. He was born and raised in Wyoming.
He has worked closely with the Houston Archeological Society in 
the research for this book and has coauthored two previous 
monographs, published by the Society, on the Mexican Army's 
retreat in the 1836 campaign.



What people are saying about this book

"Maps, appendices, notes, and index, along with Dimmick's 
engaging style, keep the reader afloat in a sea of history."
—Reese Vaughn, Books at the Crossroads and Victoria 
Advocate

"A breathtaking accomplishment in historical and archeological 
investigation."—Texas Aggie

"Dimmick's detailed study in archives and archaeological digs 
show that any hope of striking at Houston drowned in what Filisola 
called El Mar de Lodo—the Sea of Mud."—Richard Dillon, True 
West

"Most historians have been content to chronicle the Texas 
Revolution through the decisive battle of San Jacinto and leave 
it at that. Gregg Dimmick follows the Mexican retreat step-by-step 
through a Sea of Mud and explains why what should have been 
only a temporary setback for Mexican forces on April 21, 1836, 
resulted in Texas independence with a boundary at the Rio 
Grande. Essential reading for anyone interested in the complex 
chain of events after Santa Anna's defeat and capture at San 
Jacinto."—Jack Jackson, author of Almonte's Texas: Juan N. 
Almonte's 1834 Inspection, Secret Report & Role in the 1836 
Campaign