In 1819, King Fernando VII refused to ratify the Adams–Onís Treaty because of accusations made by his Minister José García de León y Pizarro. One of the accusations Pizarro made was that the United States had allowed an unauthorized expedition against the Province of Texas. Pizarro was most likely referring to an attempt by filibusters (irregular soldiers without authority of the government) to take Spanish Texas. This attempt was led by a Mississippi doctor and former surgeon in the War of 1812 named James Long. Long was one of the most vocal voices against the Adams-Onís Treaty which established the boundary of the Louisiana purchase at the Sabine River, leaving Texas to Spain. That the United States would abandon any claim of Texas outraged many Americans and behind Colonel James Long, they gathered their own military and planed for an invasion of Texas.
In June of 1819, a total of 200 men crossed the Sabine River to Nacogdoches in Texas. Eli Harris led an advance force of 120 followed by Jams Long and an additional 75 men. Once across the river, they established Camp Freeman and declared a new government making Long the first president along with a 21-member Council. On June 23, they issued a declaration of Independence for Texas from the "odious tyranny" of Spain. The declaration was modeled after the United States declaration penned some 44 years earlier and promised freedom of religion, press and trade. Each member of the expedition was granted 10 square miles, and additional land was sold to raise money for the newly formed government called the Republic of Texas. The expedition was the first in Texas to display a flag with red and white stripes and the first to display a single Lone Star on their flag. By mid-July the expedition grew to 300 members and even began publishing the first English-language newspaper in Texas.
It is likely that Pizarro heard about the expedition from a spy named Jean Lafitte who was running a large smuggling operation at Galveston Island. Long had reached out to Lafitte to establish jurisdiction rights on the seas in the form of an admiralty court and even promised to bring Galveston Island into the new republic making Lafitte the governor. Lafitte gathered information about the expedition and passed it on to Spain, most likely to the Spanish Minister José García de León y Pizarro. Long's expedition soon ran low on provisions and discipline began to break down forcing many of the men to return home. In late fall, 500 Spanish troops arrived in Texas and marched on Nacogdoches capturing over 40 of Long's men and driving the other out. As President Monroe stated in his 1819 State of the Union "the project, whatever it might be, has utterly failed". Monroe was outraged that Spain would accuse his administration and himself as commander in chief of authorizing such an outlandish expedition. Monroe responded that any accusation that the government of the United sates "had tolerated or protected an expedition against Texas, it is utterly without foundation".
"WRT the other act alleged, that this Government had tolerated or protected an expedition against Texas, it is utterly without foundation. Every discountenance has invariably been given to any such attempt within the limits of the United States, as is fully evinced by the acts of the Government and the proceedings of the courts. There being cause, however, to apprehend, in the course of the last summer, that some adventurers entertained views of the kind suggested, the attention of the constituted authorities in that quarter was immediately drawn to them, and it is known that the project, whatever it might be, has utterly failed."It does need to be pointed out though, that according to author Ed Bradley in his book, "We Never Retreat", several American newspapers echoed the suspicions of the Spanish Minister. These newspapers predicted that the Monroe administration would not obstruct Long's expedition nor interfere in what the Mississippi Republican called "this most holy effort". The Baltimore Federal Republican also mused that it seemed odd that while Aaron Burr had been tried for his "filibustering efforts", "this General James Long" was not. The Baltimore Federal Republican than concluded with "by the silence of our government, [filibusters have] carte blanch to go where they please and to do what they please in a foreign country". Thus, while the project was an utter failure, it may be a bit of a stretch to say that Pizarro's accusation was "utterly without foundation".
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29461
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qyl01
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Expedition
"We Never Retreat" by Ed Baily (2015) pg. 213
http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/ccbn/dewitt/adp/history/republic/flags/long.html
No comments:
Post a Comment