History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families, Part 3

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing co., 1895
Number of Pages: 1532

USA > Texas > Harris County > Houston > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 3
USA > Texas > Galveston County > Galveston > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 3

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"Nolan- immediately entered his entrench- inent, followed by his men, and I observed that two Mexieans escaped from the rear of said entrenchment. Soon afterward they joined us, stating that they had brought with them Nolan's carbine, which has handed to me. At daybreak Nolan and his men com- menced firing, and. continued until nine o'elock, when Nolan was killed and his men surrendered. They were out of ammunition. His foree was composed of fourteen Americans, one Creole of Louisiana, seven Spaniards or Mexicans, and two negro slaves. Nolan had three men wounded and several horses killed. His men had long boards. Afterthesurrender I learned that they had left Natchez with sup- plies for two months, and had been in the woods and prairies of Texas for over seven months, living on horse-meat. Nolan's negroes asked permission to bury their master, which I granted, after eausing his ears to be cut off, in order to send them to the governor of Texas."

Muzquiz started out on this expedition with 100 men, sixty-eight from the regular army and the rest volunteers.

The precise spot where this little battle took place has ever been a matter of contro- versy, as the data are too indefinite to enable one to be certain. Local tradition in various places is very positive that it was at this, that, or the other place. The preponderance of opinion is that it was in the vicinity of Spring- field or Waco.

HISTORY OF TEXAS.

A list of the names of Nolan's men taken prisoners is published in the Texas Alınanac of 1868. These men were tried by the Span- ish authorities as invaders of the country. The judge ordered their release; but as Gen- eral Salcedo, commanding the provinces, ob- jected, their case was referred to the king of Spain, who ordered one man out of every five to be hung, and the remainder to serve in prison at hard labor for ten years. As one of the ten men convicted died, it was tinally determined by the local authorities that one man from the nine remaining would answer the royal requirement. After due ceremony the men were required to throw dice, and the lot fell upon Ephraim Blackburn. He was accordingly hung at Chihuahua, November 11, 1807. The others were sent to different penal settlements in the provinces, where they remained until 1818. It is believed that Ellis Bean (see sketch elsewhere) returned to the United States, and that the others died in prison.

Nolan was a scholar, especially in geogra- phy and astronomy, and a gentleman in his manners. He made the first map of Texas, which he presented to the Baron de Caronde- let on returning from his first trip to Texas. Had he lived to see his plans carried out, Texas, the land he loved, would have been proud of him.

A river in north central Texas tributary to the Brazos, is named in Nolan's honor.

POLITICAL CHANGES. .

The events just referred to had no political significance; but the time liad now arrived -- the first decade of the present century-when a political move began to inaugurate a dis- turbing wave, involving the possibility of a revolution at some future time, and this move

was the sale of Louisiana to the United States in 1803, by the first Napoleon. When France, in 1762, ceded this territory to Spain, in order to prevent it falling into the hands of the English, the western boundary line between the Spanish and English possessions in North America was clearly defined by the treaty concluded in the following February, at Paris, by the kings of France and Spain of one party, and the king of England of the other party. But in October, 1800, Spain ceded back the territory to France in exchange for Tuscany, with the understanding that its extent should be the same as it had been during the former possession of it by that nation.

The boundary line, however, between Lou- isiana and Texas had never been definitely settled, though Spain had always claimed that Red river, or rather its tributary Arroyo Hondo, was the western limit of the French possessions. This stream was about seven miles west of Natchitoches; bnt for many years a conventional line liad been recognized by both nations, which ran between the rivers Mermenteau and Calcasieu, along the Arroyo Hondo, passing between Adaes and Natchi- toches and terminating in Red river. This line was violated by the French, who en- croached toward the Sabine river.

Upon the cession of Louisiana to the United States, the question of boundary line was raised. Our Government, even at that early date, began to claim all the country east of the Rio Grande. Several propositions of compromise were made and all rejected, and Texas began to be considered disputed ground. Meanwhile adventurous Americans continued to push their way into this coveted region, and Spain continued her old-time inhospitable policy. By 1806 she had 1,500 soldiers in Texas to withstand the American aggression. The famous and infamous scheme of Aaron

HISTORY OF TEXAS.

Burr at this time to set up an independent government somewhere in the Southwest, had also an aggravating tendency in the com- plieation of civil affairs between the two gov- ernments, and served to impel Spain and Mexico to adopt more stringent hostile meas- ures by way of resistance. After some ex- change of correspondence, General James Wilkinson, on the part of the United States, arrived at the Sabine river with a command of soldiers, and succeeded by a short bloodless campaign in establishing that river as the tem - porary boundary line between the nations, and soon returned to New Orleans to resmine operations against the contemplated move- ments of Aaron Burr.

A period of calm followed the last trans- action, more thoroughly established by the diversion of public attention to war in Europe. Agriculture would have made more rapid progress in Texas had there not been the suspicions of unwelcome that naturally lingered in the minds of the immigrants. An unforeseen evil, however, arose out of the late compact. The neutral territory soon became the asylum of a large number of des- peradoes and marauders, who organized themselves into a community under a system similar to that of the old buccaneers, and they preyed upon all who came in their way. Their bravery and audneity were unsur- passed, and their fidelity to each other was inflexible. Traders were couvoyed across the territory of these outlaws by military escorts, which, however, were frequently attacked. The Spanish authorities made every effort to eject them, and twice the United States anthorities drove them off and burned their houses; bnt these measures failed to suppress them.

In 1810 Cordero, the Governor of Texas, was promoted to the governorship of the more populous province of Coahuila. and in

his place as Governor of Texas Manuel de Saleedo was appointed. In September ot that year Hidalgo raised the standard of in- dependence, and, during the long bloody struggle which followed, the province of Texas was made the scene of deeds as horri- fying as Hidalgo's massacre of his prisoners and Calleja's atrocities at Guanajuato.

In Jannary, 1811, Juan Bautista Casas, a captain of the militia, took forcible posses- sion of the Texan government by seizing the governor and other leading officers, and pro- elaiming himself governor, at the same time publicly advocating the cause of Hidalgo; bnt he soon disgusted many of the revolu- tionary party (his own) by his despotie and disorderly administration, and Juan Manuel Zambrano conceived the idea of restoring the old order of things. Concealing his real intention, he hoodwinked those of the dis- satisfied whom he approached on the matter, by giving them to understand that his only object was to depose Casas and correct the disorders of governinent. He was, more- over, favored in his designs by the opportune arrival of the unfortunate Aldama, who, with a large amount of bullion, was proceeding to the United States as envoy of the Independ- ents, there to solicit aid in arms and men. Zambrano cunningly cansed the report to be spread among the lower orders that Aldama was an emissary of Napoleon, -a statement more readily believed on account of his uni- form being similar to that of a Frenchi aid- de-camp. Nothing aroused the indignation of the common people more than the idea of their being surrendered to the French. By casting the gloomy shadow of that danger over the minds of his Indians, Hidalgo had lately eansed the Grito de Dolores to be raised and rung through the land; and now this wily priest nsed the same guile in Texas

HISTORY OF TEXAS.

advance the royalist eanse. Thus the populace and inany in the ranks of the revo- Intionists in San Antonio, and many inside the barracks, were unwittingly on his side.

During the night of March 1, with only five of those compromised to support him, Zambrano sallied forth from his house and raised the signal cry. Possession was im- mediately obtained of the barracks, and be- fore morning dawned Casas was a prisoner, and Aldama confined under guard in his lodging. Zambrano and his party now pro- ceeded with caution; nor did they prema- turely let their real design be known. A governing council of eleven voting members, with Zambrano as president, was elected by the principal inhabitants of San Antonio and vicinity, and measures adopted to secure the province without creating alarm. A force of 500 reliable men was placed in marching order, to be ready for any emer- gency, and commissioners were sent out to solicit aid. Success attended this intrigue, and in a short time the viceregal government was again firmly established in Texas. One writer, in a private letter, mentions that two commissioners were sent to the United States Government to offer Texas to the Union, but the commissioners failed to reach their desti- nation.

During the very next year (1812), how- ever, an expedition organized by a young officer in the United States Army, in con- junction with a Mexican refugee, almost succeeded in annihilating the royalist power in Texas. This Mexican refugee, by the way, was a great character. It was Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara, a wealthy resident of Mexico, who had joined himself to the cause of the revolutionists, and was commissioned by them to visit Washington to obtain aid and sympathy, but his credentials were not

recognized by our Government. Being a fervent patriot, however, he went to New Orleans and began to organize an expedition for the invasion of Texas, which scheme was facilitated by his former commercial relations with that eity. Augustus Magee, who had been stationed on the Natchitoches to break up gangs of outlaws on the nentral ground, enlisted some of these same outlaws and pro- ceeded to New Orleans, where he effected an alliance with Gutierrez, giving him the nomi- nal command, so that the Mexicans would believe the invasion was headed by one of their own countrymen.

During the summer the invasion actually took place, with great success and little loss of blood. By autumn there were 800 men, with Magee as colonel, thongh actually the commander-in-chief. Governor Salcedo of course resisted them, and laid them siege at one place for four months; but they suc- eeeded in gaining other victorios, and cap- turing even San Antonio, the capital, on April 1, 1813. A provisional government was formed, consisting of a council of thir- teen members elected by a popular vote, Gutierrez being appointed generalissimo and governor. Two of these members were Americans. The prisoners, seventeen in number, were all condemned to death; and, as their public condemnation and execution of sentence might be too exasperating to the Americans, they were secretly butchered at night, in the bed of a streamn, April 5! The matter, however, soon leaked out, and truly enough the Americans on the neutral ground lost their enthusiasmn for the new govern- ment, and Gutierrez was arraigned before a tribunal and deposed. The Americans, be- ing greatly reduced in numbers, abandoned themselves to indolence, but were soon aronsed by the news of the approach of an-

HISTORY OF TEXAS.

other army, under the command of Colonel Ignacio Elizondo, the renegade who had be- trayed Hidalgo. Gutierrez was reinstated in command for the emergency, and the inva- sion repulsed. Gutierrez was again deposed, mainly by the influence, of the American element. Factions, attempts at revolution and counter-revolution, and accompanying skirmishes, etc., continued to be the order of the day, Spaniard-like, or rather Mexican- like, until by the spring of 1814 victory was established by the royalists with some degree of permanency, and another " Inll " or period of peace followed; but the condition of Texas was deplorable, on account of the devastations of the many little armies, and desperadoes, who took unusual advantage of the unsettled state of affairs in such times, and the general un- certainty that always attends such a barbar- ous state of public affairs. Many of the inhabitants had fled and taken refuge in other parts of the world, their crops' were destroyed, cattle carried off and their houses burned. The spirit of insurrection was sup- pressed, or perhaps more strictly expressed, had " eaten np its own substance," so that for years the public had the opportunity to settle itself to more peaceable and profitable pur- suits. . But little, however, was done, or would have been done, until a new " race" began again to take the field.

In addition to those already named, the men who most prominently figured in the public affairs of Texas during . the above period were Toledo, Arredondo, Perry, Tay- lor, Bullard, Cayetano Quintero, etc.

Sympathy for the oppressed in this region spread meanwhile throughout the United States, and attempts at further revolutionary measures were made in various places within our domain. Vigilance was exercised by our

government to prevent the organization of armies against Mexico, and to maintain neutral ground.

Conspicuons among these sympathizers with the patriots in Mexico was Colonel Perry, who proclaimed in the New Orleans papers in 1815 that an expedition was in preparation to invade Texas; that 1,000 men were ready to engage in the enterprise; and that the undertaking was a worthy one, in respect to both honor and profit. President Madison prohibited Perry's movement, or anything like it; and during the same year several men were indicted in the United . States District Court for violating the nen- trality laws. Perry, however, elnded the vigilance of our Government, and succeeded in making his way beyond the Sabine with a small body of men. Jose Manuel de Herrera, who had been appointed minister to . the United States by Morelos, and was at the time residing in New Orleans, conceived the idea of establishing, in connection with Perry's movements, a system of privateering from Galveston harbor. He established a complete system of State government, with headquarters at Matagorda, in 1816, and was supported with such a large force of revolu- tionists as to again intimidate the Mexican goverment. Prospect for a successful rev- olution seemed brigliter than ever; Aury, who was commodore of the fleet, at length began to differ from the policy of Perry, of the land forces, and amid other jealousies the cause of the revolutionists was again . much weakened, and l'erry was soon com- pelled to flee back toward the United States with only abont forty men, and, after several repulses of the more numerous band of Mex- icans, were finally compelled either to sur. render or be put to death-which latter

HISTORY OF TEXAS.

alternative they indeed chose, Perry blowing out his own brains with a pistol!

Commodore Aury continued to prey upon the Spanish trade, with some success, making his headquarters for about two months in Matagorda bay, and then he went to Florida.

THE " PIRATE OF THE GULF."

At this time Jean Lafitte, a noted character from France, was established at the little is- laund of Barrataria, about sixty miles west of the delta of the Mississippi, engaged as a sinnggler and probably as pirate. He was joined by a crowd of roughs, and the goods they seized found ready sale in New Orleans. Governor Claiborne, of Lonisiana, seeing the demoralizing effect of this " trade" upon his favorite city-for many large houses there were in collusion with the maranders- issued a proclamation ordering these free- booters to disperse; but as this had no effect, he placed a r vard of $500 on the head of Lafitte, which the latter treated with such contempt as to offer thirty times the amount for the governor's head. Claiborne then tried force, and again was unsuccessful. La. fitte surrounded the troops sent against him, and dismissed them loaded with presents.

This state of affairs being reported to Pres- ident Madison, Commodore Patterson, of the United States Navy, was ordered to destroy this hornet's nest, and in June, 1814, he ar- rived before Barrataria with gnuboats and the schooner Caroline. The pirates, in seven fine armed cruisers and a felucca, manned by nearly a thousand men, at first made a show of resistance; but, finally abandoning their vessels, they made for the land and dis- persed among the swamps. Patterson then took the surrendered vessels and all the spoils of Barrataria to New Orleans.

Lafitte, the " Pirate of the Gulf," was still at large, however, and the gralnally return- ing men again resumed their old nefarious traffie. About this time, war existing be- tween the United States and Great Britain, the latter government approached Lafitte with large offers of position and money if he would assist in their cause; bnt he asked time to consider, and in this time he entered into correspondence with Governor Clai- borne, by which it was finally agreed that the governor would not further molest him if he would espouse the canse of the United States; and, sure enough, at the battle of New Orleans, he rendered such signal service that President Madison pardoned him of his former offences against onr government.

During the next two years Lafitte's mnove- ments were not conspicuous; but his fol- lowers, to the number of about 1,000, joined a politico-piratical government at Galveston island, wlio, for security, swore allegiance to the Mexican government. In consequence Galveston became naturally the asylum of refugees from justice and desperadoes of every nationality. Their depredations on the gulf were carried on to such an extent that Spanish commerce was almost swept from the sea, and even the vessels of other nations suffered at their hands. The United States would have broken up this nest also had it not been for the opposition of the Spanish minister, Onis. The boundary question had not yet been settled, and it was feared that if our government dispersed the buccaneers from Galveston by armed force it would re- tain possession of the island. This for years the "Pirate of the Gulf" remained un- molested. On the site where the city of Galveston now stands he erected a fort and built himself a honse, around which numer- ous other edifices sprung up, forming a

HISTORY OF TEXAS.

busy settlement, which he nained Campeachy.

October 9, 1819, this point was declared a port of entry by the republic of Texas, which had lately been proclaimed as such by the leaders of another expedition into the coun- try, and Lafitte was made governor of the place. This curious man coon afterward hanged a refugee from justice, in satisfaction of the United States authorities, and soon after that again indorsed another man-one of his own party-for committing the crime of seizing property from a subject of our Government; and for the latter the Govern- ment sent an expedition against him, to break up the Galveston establishment, fear- less of war with the Mexican government. Aware of the determination of the Govern- ment at Washington, Lafitte destroyed his fortifications, paid off his men, and sailed away forever from the shores of Texas. Ile ever maintained that he made war only on Spanish vessels. According to one account, he gave a sketch of himself in the following terms:

At cigliteen years of age he was a merchant at Sauto Domingo. Ilaving become rich, he wound up his affairs, bought a ship and freighted hier with a valuable cargo, including a large amount of specie. HIe set sail for Europe, with his wife, was captured when a week out at soa, by a Spanish man-of-war, and robbed of everything he possessed. The Spanish captain had the inhumanity to set him and the crew ashore on a barren sand key, with provisions for a few days only. They were taken off by an American schooner and landed at New Orleans, where his wife died a few days afterward from fever, con- tracted from hardship and exposure. In des- peration, he joined some daring fellows, and they declared eternal vengeance against Spain. "For fifteen years," said he, " I have carried

on a war against Spain. So long as I live I am at war against Spain, but with no other nation. I am at peace with all the world ex- cept Spain. Although they call me a pirate, I am not guilty of attacking any vessel of the English or French."

The above sounds very much like a piece of fiction, which any pirate might conjure up to justify his nefarious career. Lafitte is de- scribed as a stont, rather gentlemanly person- age, about five feet and ten inches in height, dressed very simply in a foraging cap and blue frock of a most villainous fit; his com- plexion, like that of most creoles, olive; his countenance full, mild and rather impressive; his eyes small and black, which flashed in animated conversation like those of an ugly customer. Ilis demeanor was courteous. He was educated and gifted with considerable talent for conversation. Ile continued to cruise on the Spanish main for several years. Occasionally he visited Sisal and the island of Margarita, near the mouth of the Orinoco, and finally died at Dilam, in Yucatan, and was buried there.

POLITIOAL CIIANGES . CONTINUED.

After the fall of Napoleon, two refugees from France, Generals Lallemand and Ri- ganlt, concluded to try Texas as a place of residence, although they received no reply to their request for a permission to do so from the Spanish court. In March, 1818, Lalle- mand, with 120 settlers, sailed from New Orleans, landed at Galveston bay and selected a spot on the Trinity river about twelve miles above its mouth, and began to fortify the post. These colonists issued a proclamation that they liad settled there to remain, earl- ing their livelihood by the peaceable pursuits of agriculture and the chase, and would de-

HISTORY OF TEXAS.

fend themselves by force, if necessary, against any invading party; but professional soldiers make poor agricultorists. The first season their crops were meager on account of the dronth, and they maintained themselves for a time by the prodnets of the chase. While thus weakened, a force was sent against them

Mexico, which they could not resist, and ... ilemand returned to the United States, while the rest of the colonists scattered, a great part of them probably to Barrataria, at that time controlled by the notorious Lafitte.

Old international questions being now re- vived as to the ownership of the Floridas and the boundaries of the Lonisiana Territory, wany propositions and counter propositions were made and refused, with the final result, February 22, 1819, in the form of a treaty signed by the Spanish minister Onis, and the American Secretary of State, by which the Floridas were ceded to the United States and Texas permitted to remain in the hands of Spain. The boundary line between the United States and the Spanish possessions was defined as follows: Beginning at the month of the Sabine river, continne north along the western bank of that river to lati- tnde 32°; thence by a line due north to the degree of latitude where it strikes Red river; then following the course of that river, west- ward to longitude 23° west from Washing- ton; crossing said river, run by a line dne north to the Arkansas, following the south- ern bank of that river to its source in latitude 42º north, and thence by that parallel to the Pacific.

The king of Spain, however, failed to ratify the treaty within the six months prescribed, and when he did ratify it, October 24, 1820, the controversy was renewed, the United States being strongly disinclined to recognize the late convention. From the first the treaty

had caused wide-spread dissatisfaction, and a strong party maintained that valuable terri- tory had been given away by the American government for a very inferior one, while a fundamental principle of the United States was violated in ceding away territory of any kind under any circumstances; but after a year or two of disenssion the United States Congress advised the President to ratify the treaty, and accordingly, February 28, 1821, John Quincy Adams informed the Spanish envoy that President Monroe had accepted the ratification.

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History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families, Part 3

Author: Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing co., 1895 Number of Pages: 1532

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing co., 1895
Number of Pages: 1532