The battle involved the Republican Army of the North (RAN), which was led by filibusters Samuel Kemper (who had been involved in an 1804 rebellion in Florida), Augustus Magee, and Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara, the expedition's leader, fighting against the Spanish Royalist forces commanded by Manuel María de Salcedo, Governor of the province of Texas, and Simón de Herrera, the governor of Nuevo León.

From November 13, 1812, to February 19, 1813, Goliad was besieged when the Royalist army finally arrived to confront them.

Unable to defeat the Republican Army, however, the Royalists were forced to retreat to San Antonio in March, 1813.

At a cost of six men, the Republican Army killed 100 to 330 Royalists and captured materiel including six cannon and 1,500 horses.

A granite marker was erected in 1936 to commemorate this battle, but a discovery made in 2015 indicates this location may be incorrect.