The Battle of Gonzales in October 1835 is recognized as the official beginning of the Texas Revolution, even though armed conflict between Texians and the Mexican government had already erupted during the Anahuac Disturbances of 1832 (including the Battle of Anahuac and the Battle of Velasco) and 1835.

The Anahuac Disturbances are not considered the beginning of the Texas Revolution because no others followed immediately after; whereas, after Gonzales, the war proceeded rapidly until it was won by the Texians at the Battle of San Jacinto on 21 April 1836, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Texas. The battles of the Texas Revolution are:

The Battle of Gonzales started over a cannon. In 1831, Green DeWitt, founder of the town, requested a cannon from the Mexican government to defend against raids by Comanche war parties. The cannon was provided with the stipulation that the Texians would return it when the Mexican authorities asked.

In 1835, with tensions rising between Anglo-American settlers and Mexican authorities in Texas, Lieutenant Francisco de Castañeda was sent to Gonzales to ask for the cannon back. Instead of handing it over, the Texians raised the now-famous banner with an image of the cannon and the taunt "Come and Take it!" They fired on Castañeda's party, killing two Mexican soldiers and wounding one. The only Texian casualty was a man who broke his nose falling from his horse. Castañeda retreated and returned to his post without the cannon.

The two main Mexican garrisons in Texas were the Presidio La Bahia near Goliad and the Alamo in Béxar (modern-day San Antonio). Following the victory at Gonzales, a party of around 125 Texian militia under George Collinsworth marched on Goliad, planning on kidnapping General Martín Perfecto de Cos, brother-in-law of the Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna, who had been sent to Texas expressly to deal with the rebellious Anglo-Americans. They also hoped to steal a large quantity of gold said to be held by Cos at the Presidio La Bahia.

Before reaching Goliad, they learned that Cos had left for Béxar, but they continued on. They attacked Presidio La Bahia, chopping through the wooden door in the north wall with axes given them by local residents, and they took the courtyard sometime after 11:00 p.m. The garrison of 50 Mexican soldiers was caught by surprise, although a lookout did raise the alarm before he was shot and killed. After a half hour of exchanging fire, the Texians demanded the garrison surrender to be spared; otherwise, the Texians would take no prisoners.

The garrison surrendered quickly, and they were allowed to leave. Casualty count among the garrison is estimated at 1 to 3 killed and 3 to 7 wounded. The only casualty on the Texian side was Samuel McCulloch, Jr., who was wounded. McCulloch was a former slave of George Collinsworth, who had been freed. Later, when the Texas Constitution of 1836 banned any free Black from living in Texas, McCulloch, his family, and his descendants were excepted because he had been the first to shed blood in the cause of Texas independence. The Texians took weapons, cannon, and provisions from Presidio La Bahia, renamed it Fort Defiance, and garrisoned it with 100 men.

On 13 October, Stephen F. Austin, commanding the Texian militia, marched toward Béxar to engage General Cos. On 27 October, Austin sent Juan Seguin, Jim Bowie, and James Fannin, with 90 men, to find a site for the army to encamp. Bowie and Fannin chose a spot near Mission Concepción. General Cos, learning that the Texians had divided their forces, sent Colonel Domingo Ugartechea against Bowie and Fannin, hoping to scatter them before they were joined by Austin.

The Mexican forces charged the Texian position three times and were repulsed with heavy losses. The Texians had more accurate weapons for long-range shots and held a strong position that was easily defended. Historians estimate the Mexican Army lost around 76 killed and approximately 40 wounded. The Texian casualty count was one man killed and one wounded. The battle lasted 30 minutes before Ugartechea sounded retreat and returned to Béxar. Austin then arrived, joining Bowie and Fannin for the assault on Béxar.

Back in Goliad, Commander Philip Dimmitt had written to Austin requesting permission to attack Fort Lipantitlán on the Gulf Coast. Lipantitlán was now the only garrison of Mexican soldiers in Texas besides those under General Cos at Béxar. The commander of Fort Lipantitlán, Nicolas Rodriguez, had captured two of Dimmitt's men, John Toole and John Williams. Dimmitt argued that his attack would not only free these men – and others held prisoner – but provide the Texians with an asset, weapons, and drive the Mexican garrison from Texas.

Austin rejected the proposal, commanding Dimmitt to remain at Goliad and hold it against any attack. While this was going on, Rodriguez ordered Toole and Williams to be transported to prison in Mexico. Upon hearing of this, Dimmitt was enraged, ignored Austin's orders, and sent Ira Westover with around 70 men to attack Fort Lipantitlán. As Westover was en route, Rodriguez left Lipantitlán to attack Goliad but, hearing that a Texian force had left there, wheeled about and returned to Lipantitlán. Finding no Texians there, they turned around again and headed back toward Goliad.

Westover, meanwhile, had evaded Rodriguez by taking a longer, and unexpected, route to Lipantitlán. His men captured a local man, James O'Riley, who persuaded the Mexican garrison (under 30 men) to surrender. The Texians allowed the garrison to leave, set the prisoners free, destroyed the defenses, and took weapons and cannon. They were preparing to head back to Goliad, but Rodriguez had received news of the fall of Lipantitlán and force-marched his troops back, attacking the Texians at the Nueces River.

As at the Battle of Concepción, the Texians held a strong position (even though only half the force had crossed the river when Rodriguez launched his assault), and the heavily wooded area neutralized the Mexican cavalry. Mexican casualties were around five killed and 17 wounded. The Texians had only one man wounded. Rodriguez retreated to Matamoros, leaving Béxar as the last Mexican garrison in Texas.

Stephen F. Austin had placed Béxar under siege beginning on 12 October. He was already tired of insubordination, such as Dimmitt's, when his call for the men to prepare a full-scale assault on the heavily fortified town was rejected. Austin resigned as commander of the army, and Edward Burleson was elected to replace him.

Burleson and the Texian army were camped near Béxar when their scout Erastus "Deaf" Smith rode in and reported a pack train of mules and around 100 Mexican soldiers heading toward the town. The Texians had been anticipating just such a company, who, they thought, would be arriving with payroll for the Mexican troops at Béxar. Burleson sent Colonel James 'Jim' Bowie and Colonel William Jack to intercept the pack train and take the money and any provisions.

Bowie chose the twelve best marksmen, and Jack around 100 others, and they attacked the pack train about 1 mile (1.6 km) outside of Béxar. General Cos, in the town, was alerted and sent reinforcements. The Texians again had better weapons and secured a better position, driving back Mexican charges three times before the Mexican soldiers retreated to Béxar. Mexican casualties were three killed and 14 wounded. Texians lost only one man, with four wounded.

After the battle, the Texians went through the saddlebags and packs on the mules and found no money, only freshly cut grass for the horses of the Mexican cavalry in Béxar. The engagement was afterwards known as the Grass Fight.

After Austin resigned, he was chosen by the fledgling Texian government to go to the United States to petition for money, men, and provisions for the Texas Revolution. Burleson faced the same insubordination Austin had when he proposed an assault, and so he considered lifting the siege for the winter and allowing the army to go home.

Colonel Ben Milam rejected this proposal and rallied the men. Milam and Colonel Francis W. Johnson led two columns into Béxar on 5 December, securing two houses as bases of operation. The Texians then fought house to house in taking the town. Milam was killed on 7 December, and Johnson took over his command, continuing the steady assault on the Mexican forces.

General Cos withdrew his command into the old Spanish mission, the Alamo, which had been used as a fort in the past. The size of the mission complex and its condition made it hard to defend. As the Texians now held the town, and reinforcements from Mexico – which had not yet even been sent for – would arrive too late to do any good, Cos surrendered on 11 December. He left Béxar on the 14th, and there were now no more Mexican garrisons in Texas. To the majority of Texians, the war had been won.

General Sam Houston, commanding the regular army, was not among these. Houston was certain President Santa Anna would send more troops to retake Texas and so ordered Colonel Jim Bowie to return to the Alamo, take what weapons, artillery, and provisions were there, and destroy the complex so that Santa Anna's forces could not use it to launch attacks throughout Texas.

A small Texian force, under Colonel James C. Neill, held the Alamo after the Siege of Béxar, and when Bowie arrived, they both concluded the Alamo should be held as a Texian fort, not destroyed. As he already knew Houston would be against this idea, he appealed to the provisional government for men, weapons, and provisions for the Alamo.

Colonel Neill left the fort in early February, turning over his command to Lt. Colonel William Barret Travis, who had arrived with around 30 men. Other volunteers began arriving, including David 'Davy' Crockett of Tennessee. On 23 February, a large Mexican force under the direct command of President Santa Anna arrived in Béxar and laid siege to the Alamo. Early in the morning of 6 March, Santa Anna launched a full-scale assault on the fort, breaking through the north wall and killing all the defenders. As he considered the Texians who had taken up arms against Mexico as land pirates, and pirates were executed without trial, he ordered his men to take no prisoners. Texian casualties are estimated at 185 to 250, while Mexican losses could have been as high as 600.

While Santa Anna was in Béxar, laying siege to the Alamo, General Jose de Urrea was marching up the coast. Meanwhile, Colonel Frank W. Johnson and his adjutant, James Grant, were sent by the Texian provisional government to attack Matamoros, a key Mexican port. Johnson and Grant arrived in the area around the Nueces River, near Lipantitlán, with approximately 70 men and paused in the campaign to round up horses to drive back north.

Urrea had already entered Texas on 18 February and was marching toward Johnson's position at San Patricio on the 26th. Johnson and Grant had divided their forces on 21 February, and so there were only a little more than 40 Texians under Johnson in the town.

Early in the morning of the 27th, Urrea's forces entered San Patricio, set fire to the houses where the Texians were sleeping, and when they ran out to surrender, shot them dead. Johnson and five others managed to escape, fleeing to Goliad. In under 15 minutes, 16 Texians were killed and 21 captured. Mexican casualties were 1 killed, 4 wounded. Although Urrea was under orders to take no prisoners, he disagreed with the policy, and the Texian captives were sent under guard to prison in Matamoros.

Johnson and Grant had divided their forces so that Grant could round up more horses. On 27 February, he and his men were driving a herd toward San Patricio and reached the crossing of Agua Dulce on 1 March. They were welcomed by the locals, who then secretly sent word to Urrea of their location. On 2 March (the same day the provisional government of Texas declared independence), Urrea surprised the Texians, killing 15 (including Grant) and capturing six. Others escaped and made their way to Goliad. As before, Urrea sent the captives to Matamoros.

News of the defeats at San Patricio and Agua Dulce reached Colonel James Fannin at Goliad quickly, and, shortly after, Lewis Ayers of Refugio arrived with the news that a Mexican militia had been conducting raids on Refugio, where Ayers' family lived among other Texians. Fannin ordered Captain Amon B. King to go to Refugio, evacuate the Texians, and bring them back to Goliad. King disobeyed these orders when, upon reaching Refugio, he decided to engage members of the Mexican militia under Captain Carlos de la Garza. After King was routed by the militia, he took refuge in the old mission complex at Refugio, which was then surrounded by the militia. King sent word to Fannin for help.

Fannin had been ordered by Houston to leave Goliad and meet up with Houston's army in Victoria, and he was only waiting for King to return with the evacuees. After getting King's message, he sent Lt. Colonel William Ward to Refugio to bring King and the others back. Ward was under orders to only perform this one task, not to engage enemy forces, and so he and his men traveled light with little ammunition.

On finding the Refugio mission surrounded, Ward's men fired on the militia, who dispersed. Ward then began gathering the people inside the mission to return to Goliad, but King refused to recognize Ward's authority and left with his men to again engage the militia. By this time, Urrea's army had reached Refugio and surrounded the mission. King's men, meanwhile, were scattered by a larger Mexican force and took to the woods.

Throughout 14 March, Urrea's forces fired on the mission at Refugio. Ward, running out of ammunition, refused to surrender but led his men out of the mission early on the morning of the 15th, slipping through enemy lines. They were pursued by Urrea's cavalry, surrendered on or around 22 March, and were taken to Goliad, which, by this time, had fallen after the Battle of Coleto. King and his men were executed at Refugio.

Houston had ordered Colonel Fannin to abandon Fort Defiance and Goliad and meet his army at Victoria, but Fannin was delayed in waiting for King and Ward. Finally, on 19 March, he led his garrison out of the fort on the road to Victoria but was met by Urrea's forces. The Texians formed a square on the plain and defended their position near the Coleto Creek until the 20th, when, out of water and running low on ammunition, they surrendered. They were marched back to Fort Defiance and held as prisoners of war. On 27 March, the garrison, including those captured in Refugio, was executed as per Santa Anna's orders. Urrea, again disapproving of this policy, left it to his junior officers to carry out the executions.

After the Alamo had fallen and Fannin's command had been executed, the only army left to face Santa Anna and Urrea was Houston's. Houston retreated north, pursued by Santa Anna, until he reached a spot near the San Jacinto River in modern-day La Porte. Houston fortified a strong position while Santa Anna, when he arrived, camped in an open field, believing the Texians were no real threat.

On 21 April, Houston launched a surprise attack, catching Santa Anna off guard, and defeated him in 18 minutes. Santa Anna was captured, forced to sign the Treaties of Velasco, and Texas became an independent republic. Sam Houston was elected the first president, and at the Convention of 1836, the new nation's Constitution of 1836 was ratified. The Republic of Texas continued as an independent nation until it was annexed by the United States in December 1845, becoming the 28th state of the Union on 19 February 1846.