Talk:Dawson Massacre

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[edit] Discussion on appropriateness of the term "massacre"

If the Texans (or Texians) killed in the battle were combatants, can the event be construed as a "massacre"? "A massacre shall be considered the execution of five or more people, in the same place, as part of the same operation and whose victims were in an indefensible state." (See Massacre) - Kguirnela 03:53, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

History has come to refer to the event as a massacre. Perhaps it was because of the overwhelming odds against the Texans (54 vs 400-500 hundred) or the fact the Mexican Army had cannon or the Texans were killed while under a white flag of surrender or that the bodies were found the next day, stripped of clothing with wounds inflicted after death. Whatever the reason, it sounds like a pretty horrific event, which I'm sure the propaganda media of the day would want to portray to their best interest by using a term such as massacre. I would have no problem renaming the the article "Dawson Expedition" (with a redirect from "Dawson Massacre") and using massacre in quotes when referring to the battle. -Nv8200p talk 16:11, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps it is best to rename it to the "Dawson Expedition" (with a redirect from "Dawson Massacre") and using massacre in quotes when referring to the battle, as you have put forward. I, of course, submit to your discretion as the primary author. - Kguirnela 03:27, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

"Massacre" is how it's always been known and refers to the killing of several of Dawson's men after they tried to surrender. The actual casualty figures reflect this; 36 killed with only 18 survivors, not all of them wounded, is definitely not a normal combat figure. In a genuine battle the wounded will typically outnumber the dead by at least 2 to 1. In any case, Wikipedia shouldn't be renaming historical events unless there is unusually compelling reason to depart from the standard phrase. I don't think that exists here. "Expedition," for that matter, strikes me as misleading; this was not an incursion into foreign territory like the Mier Expedition or Pershing's 1916 march into Mexico. This was just a company defending its own territory that got caught by itself during a battle. 69.227.126.47 16:46, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Under no military circumstances would this be considered a "massacre", it's texican POV.Awotter (talk) 23:14, 17 February 2008 (UTC)