With the use of the Georgia State arsenal, he personally armed, supplied, and booked passage for them to Texas at his own expense.

Ward passed through Georgia to New Orleans adding recruits along the way, numbering 220 by the time they set sail for Texas.

James Fannin, a Georgian himself, personally met the group in Velasco, Texas, on December 20, 1835.

[1] On February 7, 1836, Ward and his troops officially formed the Georgia Battalion at Refugio, Texas and he was elected lieutenant colonel.

Although successful in breaking up the siege on the 13th, the arrival of Ward at Refugio initiated a conflict over command between the two officers.