After purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France, there were many disputes over the western boundary between Spanish Texas and the United States. Some within the United States claimed the Rio Grande to be the Western boundary, but more serious claims considered the Sabine River to be the boundary. While the Spanish claimed that it should remain the same as when France had owned the territory, at the Calcasieu river about forty miles to the East. In 1805, while Congress was out of session, diplomatic relations between Spain and the United States broke down and there were escalating skirmishes around the Sabine river. There were rumors that both sides were amassing troops near the disputed area. Neither side wanted war, so to avoid further escalation, U.S. General James Wilkinson and Spanish Lt. Col Simón de Herrera signed an agreement declaring the area between the Calcasieu and Sabine rivers to be Neutral ground.
In 1806, Thomas Jefferson opened his annual address to Congress with a regret that our foreign relations had not gone well since the last meeting with Congress. While negotiations with Great Brittan had been delayed, Spain was advancing "in considerable force, and took post at the settlement of Bayou Pierre, on the Red River". Bayou Pierre was well East of the Sabine river and as Jefferson explained, "this village was originally settled by France, was held by her as long as she held Louisiana, and was delivered to Spain only as a part of Louisiana". Spain had never actually given up control of Bayou Pierre. In fact, Spain left a "guard of half a dozen men" stationed there. So, it was that Jefferson in his opening paragraph of his sixth annual address to Congress, announced to Congress that there would be a "Neutral Strip" between Spanish Texas and the United States.
"A proposition, however, having been lately made by our commander in chief to assume the Sabine River as a temporary line of separation between the troops of the two nations until the issue of our negotiations shall be known, this has been referred by the Spanish commandant to his superior, and in the mean time he has withdrawn his force to the western side of the Sabine River. The correspondence on this subject now communicated will exhibit more particularly the present state of things in that quarter."In the next paragraph, Jefferson then outlined the use of military at Sabine river. Given the nature of the Louisiana country, an unusual proportion of the force was to be Calvary or mounted infantry. And as needed, the President authorized the commanding officer to call on the governors of Orleans and Mississippi for a corps of 500 volunteer Calvary, which the people of those territories responded with great honor and willingness to defend the country.
"The nature of that country requires indispensably that an unusual proportion of the force employed there should be cavalry or mounted infantry. In order, therefore, that the commanding officer might be enabled to act with effect, I had authorized him to call on the governors of Orleans and Mississippi for a corps of 500 volunteer cavalry. The temporary arrangement he has proposed may perhaps render this unnecessary; but I inform you with great pleasure of the promptitude with which the inhabitants of those Territories have tendered their services in defense of their country. It has done honor to themselves, entitled them to the confidence of their fellow citizens in every part of the Union, and must strengthen the general determination to protect them efficaciously under all circumstances which may occur."http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29448
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral_Ground_(Louisiana)
http://www.knowla.org/image/1414/&ref=entry&refID=754
http://reynoldbrown.com/images0302a-presidents/president03%20Thomas%20Jefferson%208x8%2072.jpg
Today this area of Louisiana is still known as the Neutral Strip or No Man's land. For more on the people, culture and it's legends visit http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/nslejeune1.html
No comments:
Post a Comment