5. The Republic of Texas: Part A (June 1836-1839)
(Back to Republic of Texas Table of Contents)
Suggestion: One might also find it useful to consult the list of documents and collections of documents at List 2, "Texas in the Nineteenth Century: General."
George P. Garrison, ed. The
Diplomatic Correspondence of the Republic of Texas. Vol.
II, Part 1 of the Annual
Report of the American Historical Association, 1907 (1908). The documents in this volume are correspondence with the United
States. The inclusive dates are December 7, 1835 to December 30,
1842. Almost all of the documents listed in the Table
of Contents are linked to the documents themselves. [As of 6-27-2007, only Part 1
had been scanned. Also, the last two documents in the volume were not
scanned, and the third document from the end was only partially
scanned.] Link
to document
Anson Jones. Memoranda and Official Correspondence Relating to the Republic of Texas, Its History and Annexation. 1859.Consists of an autobiography (written in 1849), a series of memoranda relating to events, 1838-1854, in which Jones played a part (written in the 1850s), and an extensive collection of correspondence to and from Jones, covering the period, 1836-1857. Some of the correspondence and other material deal with Jones' service during the period covered by this list, both as a member of the Texas Congress and as Texan minister to the United States. Link to document
"Correspondence from the British Archives Concerning Texas, 1837-1846." In this series, which was published in The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, there are five letters pertaining to the period covered by this list. The correspondence is from British diplomats in Mexico, the United States, and Texas to officials in the British Foreign Office in London. They shed light on political, social, and economic conditions in the Republic of Texas and deal with various diplomatic issues, including Texan-Mexican relations, and the issue of Texas annexation to the U.S. [Scroll down for the first document.] Link to documents
Herman V. Ames, ed. State Documents on Federal Relations: The States and the United States. Number V: Slavery and the Constitution, 1798-1845 (1904). See the section, "Annexation of Texas, 1837-1845." The material relevant to this list is on pp. 33-36. It consists of resolutions passed by state legislatures having to do with the proposed annexation of Texas to the United States. Link to document
George W. Morgan. Reminiscences, [1836-1837]. Morgan came to Texas in late 1836 to join the Texas Army. The narrative covers events of the first several months of his military service. He was an eyewitness to the duel between Felix Huston and Albert Sidney Johnston, February 7, 1837. [Note: The editor of the document, as printed, states at the beginning of a paragraph: "General Morgan's narrative breaks off abruptly at this point and the writer will have to insert extracts from other fragments . . . ." The "narrative" is in the first person. All of the extracts, except the last, are in the third person, so it is impossible to be sure that Morgan wrote all of the material extracted near the end.] [Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the beginning of the document.] Link to document
Nathan Boone Burkett. "Early Days in Texas." This unpublished account deals with the author's Texas Ranger experiences during the era of the Republic. Link to document
John C. Duval. The Adventures of Big-Foot Wallace, the Texas Ranger and Hunter. Collaborative effort between Wallace and the author, who were close friends. Contains dramatizations and some fictional material. Account of the Mier Expedition is generally reliable. [The Internet collection of which this document is a part is the University of Michigan's "Making of America" website.] [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Constitution of the Republic of Texas, 1836. Link to document
Elijah Stapp to Thomas J. Rusk, June 1836. Writer participated in the Runaway Scrape earlier in the year. Asks for an order to draw on the public stores to obtain provisions, etc. for his large family. [Scroll down to document.] Link to document
T. J. Green. Description of his dealings at Velasco with prisoner Santa Anna, June 1, 1836. An appendix in the author's Journal of the Texian Expedition against Mier, written in 1845. [This document is from the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies website.] Link to document
Memucan Hunt to "His Excellency the President [David G. Burnet] and the Honorable the Members of the Cabinet," June 3, 1836. Disagrees strongly with the plan to remove General Santa Anna from Texas. Predicts that such action will cause "civil excitement," even violence against persons in the government. States that almost all Texans want the Mexican president executed. Link to document
Lorenzo de Zavala. Letter of resignation as ad interim vice president of the Republic of Texas, June 3, 1836. This is the second of three such letters. States that the government "has lost the moral confidence of the people." Link to document
Henry Teal to [Thomas J. Rusk], June 9, 1836. Teal and H.W. Karnes had been sent to Matamoros as commissioners to negotiate for the exchange of prisoners with Mexico. This letter, which had to be smuggled out of Mexico, tells of the two learning that General Jose de Urrea was preparing in Matamoros for a massive invasion of Texas. Gives specific details about the proposed thrust and offers suggestions about how to meet it successfully. Link to document
David G. Burnet to James Collinsworth and Peter Grayson, July 8, 1836. Ad interim president writes about the military situation in Texas, negotiations with prisoner Santa Anna for Mexican recognition of Texan independence, and communication with U.S. General E. P. Gaines [in western Louisiana] regarding the possible use of his force to deal with Indian problems in eastern Texas. Link to document
Edmund P. Gaines to "the officer commanding the U.S. troops at or near Nacogdoches, near Texas," July 10, 1836. General Gaines, from his headquarters at Camp Sabine in Louisiana, gives specific orders about the officer's mission in Texas, which had to do with Indians from the United States possibly raiding into eastern Texas. [It may be necessary to scroll down to the document.] Link to document
George A. McCall. Order No. 29, July 11, 1836. Acting assistant adjutant general to Major General Edmund P. Gaines, issues, from Camp Sabine in Louisiana, an order from the general relating to the effect of the "present posture of affairs in Texas" on the Indians "on the western and southwestern borders of the United States." Link to document
James Collinsworth and Peter Grayson to David G. Burnet, July 15, 1836. The two Texan commissioners, recently arrived in Washington, report on their conversation with President Jackson and another government official about prospects for Texas' annexation to the United States. Jackson is sending a secret agent to Texas. Details. Link to document
M. B. Lamar to [David G.] Burnet, July 19, 1836. Secretary of war writes to the president ad interim of Texas of the "dreadful state of affairs" of the army. The troops will not recognize him as commander-in-chief. Thomas Rusk and Thomas Greene especially oppose him. Asks that a congress be called to deal with Santa Anna. More details. Link to document
A Mitchell to "Dear Father" [Hugh Mitchell], July 20, 1836. Matagorda resident writes to his father in New York state of his family's difficulties during the past few months, including the death of a child. Reports also that the Texan army is at Victoria and that there is a Mexican force near Matamoros awaiting reinforcements so that it can "advance again upon Texas." Texan army is confident. Details. [To access the document, scroll down the page and click on the link, "first letter." This will take you to a pdf file transcript of the document.] Link to access page
Army and Navy Chronicle, July 21, 1836. Document relating to proposals in the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize Texas' independence, July 21, 1836. [The material was copied from the Congressional Globe.] The material for July 2 reports an unsuccessful effort by John Quincy Adams to derail consideration of a measure regarding the issue. That for July 4 gives the text of two resolutions Rep. John Young Mason, chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, had presented to the House on the same issue. Both were adopted. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
David G. Burnet to "T. Toby and brother," July 22, 1836. President Burnet writes to Texas agents in New Orleans, stating that his participation in the recent revolution has resulted in the loss of "almost every Article necessary to Comfortable Subsistence." Orders various goods as replacements. Link to document
Stephen F. Austin to unnamed recipient, August 4, 1836. States that he favors the annexation of Texas to the United States and will work hard to accomplish that end if elected president of Texas. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Unnamed U.S. army officer to unnamed recipient, August 4, 1836. [Excerpt] The author, writing from camp outside Nacogdoches, reports on the march to that location from Fort Towson on the upper Arkansas River, and on the demeanor, the behavior of the local settlers, his perception of the danger there of Indian attack, and the arrival the previous day of Sam Houston. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
British Parliament. House of Commons. Debate about Texas, August 6, 1836. Had to do with slavery in Texas and Mexico. [Scroll down to the document titled, "PROCEEDINGS BRITISH HOUSE OF COMMONS-August 6 1836 TEXAS."] Link to document
Thomas J. Rusk to Jose Miguel de Arciniega, August 15, 1836. Texan army commander writes to a San Antonio official about persons there who are stealing cattle from persons "friendly to the cause of Texas" and driving them toward Mexico. Has detached troops to stop this practice. [If necessary, scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Bowl to Sam Houston, August 16, 1836. Principal chief of the Cherokees reports rumors that he [Bowl] and his people in eastern Texas "must be killed." Link to document
Unnamed author to unnamed recipient, August 17, 1836. [Excerpt.] The author writes from Camp Sabine, Louisiana, about U.S. troop deployment in western Louisiana and eastern Texas, plus details about expected reinforcements, the Indian situation in Texas, the climate of the area, and the difficultly of obtaining accurate information about the Mexican army. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Sam Houston to Edmund Pendleton Gaines, August 24, 1836. Houston writes to the U.S. commander in western Louisiana that he has learned of a planned movement of the Texas army on Matamoros, Mexico. Explains why he is opposed and mentions that if the invasion takes place and fails, Pendleton's force may be needed to prevent a massacre of the people of Texas. Link to document
Sam Houston to Edmund Pendleton Gaines, August 29, 1836. Texan military commander reports danger of a Mexican invasion that would include a linkup with dissident Cherokees. Asks U.S. Major General Gaines, stationed in nearby Louisiana, for assistance. Link to document
Lorenzo de Zavala to David G. Burnet, September 11, 1836. Zavala has been ill but now informs the president ad interim that he is better and ready to resume his duties as vice president. Link to document
Lorenzo de Zavala to the members of the Senate and of the House of Representatives [of the Congress of Texas], October 17, 1836. Resigns as vice president ad interim of the Republic of Texas because of ill health. Link to document
Memucan Hunt to Mirabeau B. Lamar, October 17, 1836. Hunt, along with William Wharton, had just been to Washington, D.C., to lobby for Texan annexation to the U.S. Recounts interview with President Andrew Jackson on the subject. Jackson was friendly but stated that as president he must remain neutral in the conflict between Texas and Mexico. Hunt goes on to comment to the new Texan vice president more generally about differing attitudes in the U.S. about the annexation issue. Includes the problem of slavery. Adds his own opinions. Link to document
Sam Houston to John Linney, September 18, 1836. Texan military commander authorizes the Shawnee chief to raise a company of rangers from among his own men to protect the central part of Texas from depredations by "wild" Indians. Link to document
Sam Houston to the Texas Congress, October 22, 1836. In his inaugural address as president, Houston urges a policy of fairness and friendship toward Indians. [Excerpt from the address.] Link to document
James G. Fanning to Mirabeau B. Lamar, December 3, 1836. Fanning, visiting in New Orleans, reports a lessening of interest in Texan affairs there. Predicts that the U.S. will recognize Texan independence in a short time but reports resistance in both the North and the South to immediate annexation. Explains why. Link to document
Treasurer, Republic of Texas. Statement of payment of funds to the estate of David Crockett, December 5, 1836. This was for Crockett's sale of two rifles to the Provisional Government of Texas, January 15, 1836, in Nacogdoches. Link to document
Andrew Jackson. State of the Nation Message, December 5, 1836. Speaks of U.S./Mexican relations with respect to Texas, etc. Link to document
Andrew Jackson. Message to the U.S. House of Representatives relative to the recognition of the Republic of Texas, December 21, 1836. Taken from Abridgement of the Debates of Congress, 1789-1856, Vol. XIII (1859) pp. 233-235. [Scroll down to the document. Note: The date on p. 233 refers to the date the message was considered, not the date of the message.] [The Internet collection of which this document is a part is the University of Michigan's "Making of America" website.] Link to document
William Fairfax Gray. The Diary of William Fairfax Gray, from Virginia to Texas, 1835-1837. In early 1837,the author journeyed to Texas to take up residence. The material covering his arrival there on February 21and the ten weeks that followed is found in Vol. BI, p. 201 and following; and BII, p. 212 and following. [Pages are numbered consecutively through all of the volumes. Use the "Go to Page" link to reach the desired pages.] Link to document
Benjamin Lundy. The War in Texas; a Review of Facts and Circumstances, Showing that This Contest Is a Crusade against Mexico, Set on Foot and Supported by Slaveholders, Land Speculators, &c. . . . 2nd ed., 1837. Link to document
Jose Maria Tornel. Comments on slavery in the United States and Texas, 1837. Excerpt from Relations between Texas, the United States of America and the Mexican Republic. Quotes Lorenzo de Zavalla. Link to document
Jose Maria Tornel. Comments on U.S. support of Anglo-Texans in their rebellion against Mexico. [1837] Excerpt from Relations between Texas, the United States of America and the Mexican Republic. [Excerpt begins with the paragraph beginning "From the state of Maine . . . ." Link to document
Sam Houston to Catherine Duane Morgan, January 31, 1837. Reports to the mother of two soldiers in the Texas army on the good condition of the army and comments on the release of Santa Anna by U.S. President Andrew Jackson and upon efforts to obtain Texas' recognition as a sovereign state by the U.S. and other nations. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Juan N. Seguin. Oration at the ceremony at which the remains of the Alamo defenders were reburied, [February 25, 1837]. Text as appeared in the Columbia Telegraph and Texas Register, April 4, 1837. Link to document
U.S. Congress. House of Representatives. Debate on an amendment to a civil and diplomatic appropriation bill which would fund sending a diplomatic agent "to the independent Government of Texas" and also pay for running a boundary between the two countries, February 27, 1837. Taken from Abridgement of the Debates of Congress, 1789-1856, Vol. XIII (1859) pp. 233-235. Note: The House passed the amendment the following day. [Scroll down to the document.] [The Internet collection of which this document is a part is the University of Michigan's "Making of America" website.] Link to document
U.S. Congress. Senate. Debate on a resolution to recognize the independence of Texas, March 1, 1837. Includes the positive result of the vote on the resolution and a record of how each senator voted. Taken from Abridgement of the Debates of Congress, 1789-1856, Vol. XIII (1859) p.202. [The Internet collection of which this document is a part is the University of Michigan's "Making of America" website.] [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
W. H. Secrest to Sam Houston, March 1, 1837. Soldier reports that Caddo Indians, upset about wrongs done to them, are taking revenge upon Texans. Link to document
Andrew Jackson to the Senate of the United States, March 3, 1837. U.S. president nominates a Louisiana politician to be the first U.S. charge d'affaires to the Republic of Texas. Details. Link to document
Juan N. Seguin to Captain Pratt, March 26, 1837. Commander of San Antonio area was then at Camp Houston near Gonzales. Orders Pratt at San Antonio to scour the countryside for horses to keep Seguin's men mounted. Link to document
James W. Robinson to Sam Houston, April 23, 1837. Recommends that the Texas president name Joseph Baker as register of the land office in San Antonio and Juan N. Seguin as the receiver of monies in the same office. Lauds Seguin's service to the Republic and sees his appointment as a model of loyalty for other Tejanos to follow. Notes that locals are not happy with the military government in San Antonio, want the speedy establishment of a civil regime. Link to document
William Kidd to Sam Houston, April 27, 1837. Houston friend reports that he has learned how the Mexican government has reacted to news that the U.S. has recognized Texan independence. It views the action as part of a long-standing effort by the U.S. to take Texas from Mexico. Kidd states that Mexico will formally protest to the U.S. and is preparing to invade Texas by sea and land and will utilize Indians in the process. Link to document
Peter Ellis Bean to Sam Houston, May 1, 1837. Reports on Cherokee Chief Bowl's unsuccessful mission to the Comanches. Link to document
Sam Houston to the Texan Congress, May 5, 1837. Reports credible evidence of some "northern Indians" making alliance with Mexico in support of a possible invasion by the latter in Texas. Also reports violence on the part of Caddos against settlers, etc. [Excerpt from a longer document. Scroll down to find it.] Link to document
Texas. Congress. Report of the Joint Committee on Indian
Affairs, May 20, 1837. Recommends action against hostile Indians and
the authorization of a company of friendly Indians to take part in that
action. Link
to document
A. Mitchell to "My Father"" [Hugh Mitchell], May 23, 1837. Matagorda
resident writes to his father in New York state that a Mexican fleet
had recently blockaded the coast but only for three weeks. Refers to
the fleet's defeat but is not clear about the circumstances. The U.S.
navy seems to have been involved; no specific mention of the Texas
navy's possible involvement. As a result of the defeat, "our country is
in a State of Tranquility." Details. Mentions a "commotion" in the
Texas congress about the land law. Is disappointed that the land office
will probably not be open in June as specified by that legislation.
Details. [To access the document, scroll down to the bottom of the page
and click on "second letter." This will take you to a pdf file
transcript of the document.] Link to
access page
J. H. Davis to "My Dear," May 31, 1837. A soldier writes to a person in the United States that no enemy is expected in Texas that summer. The land office is closed, so immigrants cannot obtain grants, but "they can purchase the best "land in the world" from settlers. Urges people to come do so. Link to document
James W. Parker to Sam Houston, June 6, 1837. The father of Cynthia Ann Parker writes to President Houston, lamenting the latter's refusal to take action to recover family members captured the previous year in a Comanche raid. He tries to shame Houston into changing his mind. Link to document
Joseph Crawford to Sam Houston, June 7, 1837. British diplomat, in New Orleans while on his way to Tampico, Mexico, writes that he has sent a report to London about Texan-British relations. Mentions tariff matters, projected Texan bond sales in England, and the difficult issue of slavery. Predicts that Mexico will not invade Texas that year or afterward. Explains why. Link to document
Company A, First Regiment of Artillery [at Galveston] to Samuel Houston, June 11, 1837. The men detail grievances they have against their officers, whom they characterize as unfit and tyrannical, and deny that they are guilty of mutiny. Details. Link to document
Isaac N. Moreland to Robert Anderson Irion, [probably mid-1837]. Request to the secretary of state of the Texas Republic that a passport be granted to Emily West so that she could return to her home in New York. [West is the same person as Emily Morgan of "The Yellow Rose of Texas" fame.] Link to document
Andrew Jackson to Samuel Houston, July 19, 1837. Letter of introduction in which the former U.S. president recommends to the Texan president's "kind attention" a Methodist missionary, sent by that denomination to Texas. Also states that he [Jackson] is in feeble health, and that he would welcome a visit by Houston to the Hermitage. Wishes Houston and Texas well. Link to document
K. H. Douglass to Minerva Douglass, September 4, 1837. Nacogdoches merchant and member of the Texan Congress complains to his wife about poor lodging at Houston and about the course currently being pursued by the government of the Republic. [Click on "A132B1FD4Sep1837p1" for the document.] Link to access page
Fairfax Catlett to Sam Houston, September 5, 1837. The author served on the staff of the Texas legation in Washington. Provides a detailed analysis of why efforts to obtain Texan annexation to the U.S. had failed. States that President Martin Van Buren favored it but was "afraid of the consequences." Explains. Link to document
Thomas J. Rusk and K. H. Douglass to Jesse Watkins, September 14, 1837. Two Texas congressmen, representing Nacogdoches County, instruct Indian Commissioner Watkins to meet with leaders of the Kichai, Caddo, and Tawakoni tribes to negotiate a treaty of peace. Link to document
Sam Houston to the Texan Congress, November 21, 1837. Reports better relations between the government and the Indians of Texas. Is still optimistic about peace and friendship between the two. [Excerpt from a longer document. Scroll down to find it.] Link to document
K. H. Douglass to Minerva Douglass, November [?] 27, 1837. [The author forgot to include the month in the date. The Internet source, "Texas Tides," gives the month as November in one place and August in another. The best evidence points to November.] Nacogdoches merchant and member of the Texan Congress from Nacogdoches complains to his wife about the town of Houston and about expenses. "We live like hogs." Hopes that the capital will move to another place. Link to document
S. H. Elliott and ten other signatories to Mirabeau B. Lamar, December 1, 1837. The signatories were eleven of the fourteen members of the Senate of the Congress of Texas. They state that they consider Lamar the most appropriate person to succeed Houston as president and want to know if he will be a candidate. [Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the introduction to the document which is printed on the following page.] Link to document
Mirabeau B. Lamar to Thomas J. Rusk, December 7, 1837. Lamar refers to the letter he has received from the eleven senators urging him to be a candidate for president. Wants to meet that day with Rusk to converse about the matter. Link to document
Thomas J. Rusk to Mirabeau B. Lamar, December 7, 1837. Rusk cannot meet with Lamar that day but assures him that he does not plan to be a candidate for president himself and, in effect, endorses Lamar for the office. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
K. H. Douglass to Minerva Douglass, December 10, 1837. Nacogdoches merchant and member of the Texan Congress complains to his wife about not having a fire in his room at Houston. Has done well speculating in military scrip. Congress is to adjourn on the 15th. Says that "all is confusion hear [sic]." Everyone trying to get something from the government. "Drinking[,] fighting and rangling [sic] are the order of the day . . . ." Link to document
William Mervine to the Merchants Exchange of New Orleans, December 15, 1837. [Extract.] Commander of a U.S. naval ship writes that he has it on good authority that in late November some Mexican troops had entered Texas and that others are on their way. Thinks that merchants in New Orleans who are interested in the trade of Texas should know that. [Scroll down for the document.] Link to document
John Hunter Herndon. Diary, 1838. The author, an educated, well-to-do
lawyer from Kentucky, arrived in Texas early in 1838. He wrote this
four-month journal while living in Houston, then a rough frontier
village. He writes of the inconveniences of travel, the poor quality of
food, the violent nature of society, etc. Link to document
Juan Seguin to Sam Houston, January 2, 1838. [Text is in Spanish.] Writing from New Orleans, Seguin relays the latest news from Washington, D.C. The southern delegation has walked out of the capitol and has vowed to depart for their respective states if the issue of slavery is brought up again in Congress. Is sure that Mexico will experience a change of government very soon, resulting in an invasion of Texas sometime this year. Link to document
Francisco Pizarro Martinez to John Forsyth, January 27, 1838. Mexican diplomat, visiting in New Orleans, writes to the U.S. secretary of state that he has learned that an extract of a letter from a naval officer, seeming to warn merchants about alleged Mexican troop movements into Texas, has been published in a local newspaper. Asks that the extract and his note be forwarded to President Martin Van Buren. Link to document
Robert A. Irion to Sam Houston, March 14, 1838. Texan secretary of state reports to the president about relations with the Comanches, especially with respect to a proposal by them of a boundary between their lands and those open to settlement. Also, reports friendly visit of a Lipan Apache chief. Link to document
William Mervine to Marlon Dickerson, April 10, 1838. Naval officer writes to the U.S. secretary of the navy in reply to a request from Dickerson that he state his motives in writing to New Orleans merchants the previous December about Mexican troop movements into Texas. He does so here. Link to document
John Forsyth to Francisco Pizarro Martinez, April 25, 1838. States that he is enclosing a copy of a letter from William Mervine to the U.S. secretary of the navy which Forsyth hopes will be satisfactory to Mexican diplomat Martinez. [Scroll down to the document] Link to document
John Quincy Adams. Speech of John Quincy Adams, of Massachusetts, upon the Right of the People, Men and Women, to Petition; on the Freedom of Speech and of Debate in the House of Representatives of the United States, on the Resolutions of Seven State Legislatures, and the Petitions of More than One Hundred Thousand Petitioners, Relating to the Annexation of Texas to This Union. Delivered in the House of Representatives of the United States, in Fragments of the Morning Hour, from the 16th of June to the 7th of July, 1838, Inclusive. 1838. For the background of the speech, read the preface to this publication. The effect of this speech was to delay and defeat efforts at that time to annex Texas to the United States. Details. Link to document
Vicente Cordova to Manuel Flores, July 19, 1838. Writer holds a commission to recruit Texas Indians as auxiliaries to the Mexican army. Says that Cherokees and others have promised to "unite as soon as possible for action." Link to document
Sam Houston to T. J. Rusk, August 13, 1838. The Texan president writes from Nacogdoches to the commander of the militia there, telling of his experiences in the town and giving details relating to the recent Cordova rebellion in the area. Link to document
J. M. Henrie to Mirabeau B. Lamar, August 17, 1838. Writes from Nacogdoches, telling of an uprising by some local Mexicans and some Indians. General Thomas Rusk dispersed them. Vicente Cordova and a small party are reportedly heading for Matamoros. Link to document
Mirabeau B. Lamar. Text of a political campaign address, August 1838. [No information provided about where the speech was delivered.] Lamar, in his campaign for the presidency of Texas, advocates "republican simplicity, economy & frugality, honesty and independence and plain dealing" in government. Link to document
Thomas J. Rusk to Mirabeau B. Lamar, August 24. 1838. Rusk writes from Nacogdoches about the recent Cordova rebellion. [Scroll down to "Dear Genl."] Link to document
Anson Jones. Excerpt from his journal, [October 1838]. Texan minister to the U.S. writes in Washington, D.C. of reasons for the failure of Texas annexation to the Union, including "the blind spirit of the Abolition." States his opinion that Texas might purchase Mexican recognition of its independence for about one million dollars. Link to document
[Anson Jones] to John Forsyth, October 1838. The Texan minister to the U.S. announces to the U.S. secretary of state the formal withdrawal of Texas' application for annexation to the United States. Some detail. [The source for this document, an online exhibit of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, says that the addressor is Sam Houston. Internal evidence contradicts that assertion. The letter was written in Washington, D.C. Anson Jones was the Texan minister to the U.S. at that time. Houston was in Texas in the month of October.] Link to document
United States of America and the Republic of Texas. Convention for marking the boundary between them, October 13,1838. Link to document
Sam Houston. Proclamation ratifying the boundary convention between the United States and the Republic of Texas, October 4, 1838. Link to document
United States of America and the Republic of Texas. "Convention . . . to Terminate the Reclamations of the Former Government for the Capture, Seizure, and Detention of the Brigs Pocket and Durango and for Injuries, July 6, 1838." Link to document
Anson Jones to John Forsyth, October 1838. Original draft of the letter from the Texan minister to the United States to the U.S. secretary of state, in which Jones, acting upon President Houston's orders, formally withdraws Texas' request to be annexed to the U.S. Link to document
Thomas J. Rusk to Chief Bowl, October 20, 1838. The Texan secretary of war warns Bowl to keep his Cherokees out of an uprising of Mexicans and Indians in the Nacogdoches area. Link to document
Hugh McLeod to Mirabeau B. Lamar, October 22, 1838. In this letter to incoming President Lamar, the writer discusses his first-hand knowledge of Indian problems in the Nacogdoches area and of Houston's disavowal of a plan to form a political faction in opposition to Lamar. Link to document
J. Pinckney Henderson to Mirabeau B. Lamar, October 28, 1838. The Texan minister to Great Britain and France writes from Paris that he believes that France will recognize Texan independence once an agent sent to Texas reports his findings. Has learned that the British are not yet ready to grant recognition, but if France does so, Henderson will press Britain to follow suit. Link to document
Bole {Cherokee Chief Bowl] to Alexander Horton, October 31[?], 1838. The author has raised a body of Cherokee men to guard Horton as he runs a line of demarcation between the Indian territory and that of the whites. Is sorry to learn that some whites oppose this. [Scroll down to "Mr. Horton Dear Sir."] Link to document
Mirabeau B. Lamar. Address to the Texas Senate, November 5, 1838. [Excerpt.] Retiring from the Senate prior to his assuming the presidency, Lamar speaks of the interplay between domestic and foreign issues facing Texas. [Scroll down to the paragraph beginning, "If we will but maintain . . . ."] Link to document
James Ogilvy. Diary, November 26, 1838-January 20, 1840. [
Note: The source location of this document, Southwestern
Historical Quarterly, XXX, Nos. 2 and 3, incorrectly shows
Adolphus Sterne as the author of this material. For a discussion of
this, see John H. Jenkins, Basic Texas Books, rev. ed. (1988), p. 522.] The text seems to show that Ogilvy was a
Galveston lawyer.
Part
I
Part
II
Part
III
Sam Houston to the Texan Congress, November 28, 1838. Reports incursion by settlers into Indian hunting grounds and the violent reaction that resulted. Had tried to prevent such incursion but was unsuccessful. [Excerpt from a longer document. Scroll down to find it.] Link to document
Martin Van Buren. State of the Union Message, December 3, 1838. Mentions the convention for marking the boundary between the U.S. and the Republic of Texas and Texas' withdrawal of its application to join the Union. Link to document
Archibald Hotchkiss to Mirabeau B. Lamar, December [?], 1838. [Excerpt.] The author, a resident of Nacogdoches, writes of his efforts, beginning in 1833 and unsuccessful so far, to get the Indians removed from his part of Texas. Calls the Cherokees "dangerous neighbors." [Scroll down to the paragraph beginning, "In the year 1833 . . . ."] Link to document
Mirabeau B. Lamar to the Texas Congress, December 20, 1838. Strongly displays his antipathy toward Indians; calls for retaliation against their violent behavior. Link to document
Anson Jones to John Forsyth, December 31, 1838. Texan minister to the United States reports proof to the U.S. secretary of state that Mexico is trying to recruit Indians in the areas of the U.S. adjacent to Texas to help restore Mexican rule in Texas. Urges final determination of the border between the two nations. Link to document
William Kennedy. Account of a tour of Canada, the United States, and Texas, 1838-1839. Constitutes the "Personal Narrative and Introductory Remarks" of the author's Texas: The Rise, Progress, and Prospects of the Republic of Texas., Vol. I. 1841. Kennedy, a British diplomat, was an enthusiastic supporter of the Republic. Link to document
(Note: The Miles Bennet documents that follow overlap in the material that they cover. Emphasis is on fighting Indians and Mexicans during the period 1838-1842.)
Miles S. Bennet. "Reminiscences of Western Texas," 1838-1848. Brief notes about author's life during that period. Link to document
Miles S. Bennet. "The Narrative Diary of Miles Squier Bennet," 1848-1843. Link to document
Miles S. Bennet. Letter about the San Antonio area between 1838 and 1842. The letter was written to the San Antonio Express, August 12, 1900. Link to document
Miles S. Bennet. "Experiences on the Western Frontier, Republic of Texas, 1838-1842." From a series of articles in the Cuero Star and the Houston Post in 1898. Coverage extends only to mid-1839. Link to document
Republic of Texas. State Department. Passport issued to Sam Houston, February 1839. Link to document
William Jefferson Jones to M. B. Lamar, February 8, 1839. [Somewhat excerpted.] Writes from Bastrop about the importance of the New Mexico trade into Texas via the Colorado River Valley. Suggests an expedition of traders and soldiers to Santa Fe. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Charles A. Sewell to George Aldrich, February 22, 1839. Writes from Shreveport, asking a friend to locate some land for him in Texas. States that he is unpopular in Texas because he has advocated "the cause of the poor Caddos." As their agent, he is bound to defend them against false charges. Has not supplied them with arms to use against Anglos in Texas. Details. Link to document
Mirabeau B. Lamar. Presidential address, February 28, 1839. Calls for volunteers to defend the northwest frontier of Texas against Indian [meaning Comanche] attacks. Details. Link to document
Valentin Canalizo to five chiefs of Indian tribes in Texas, [early 1839, perhaps in March]. Mexican general seems [indirectly] to promise that, if the tribes aid Mexico in retaking Texas, they will have a secure possession of the lands they occupy. [Among the chiefs addressed was Cherokee chief Bowl.] [Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the introduction to the document, the text of which is on the following page.] Link to document
James Wilson Nichols. Account of Texas Rangers (including the author) fighting with Vicente Cordova and his band of Mexicans, Indians, and runaway slaves in central Texas, March 1839 [perhaps into early April]. Written much later. Link to document
Albert Sidney Johnston to Cherokee Chief Bowl, April 10, 1839. Warns the Cherokees that, although President Lamar "grants peace to them," they must cease all intercourse with those Indians who are at war with Texas. [Scroll down to the paragraph beginning, "The President grants peace . . . ."] Link to document
T. Jefferson Jones to [Mirabeau B. Lamar], April 15, 1839. He and Edward Burleson have just visited Waterloo, "the new seat of government." Writes in glowing terms of the beautiful scenery there. States that the frontier is "quiet and perfectly safe," largely owing to Burleson's efforts. Predicts that the impending Santa Fe expedition "will be the most glorious event" in Lamar's political life. Link to document
Mirabeau B. Lamar to John Linney, May, 1839. States to the Shawnee chief that the Cherokees must leave Texas because of their alliance with Mexico; urges Shawnees to remain neutral. Link to document
Mirabeau B. Lamar to Chief Bowl and other Cherokees, May 26, 1839 [Excerpts]. The president states that the Cherokees have no sovereign power over the lands they occupy and that the Indians of the area will be removed from Texas before long. Explains why. [Scroll down to the paragraphs beginning ""The action of Bowl . . . ." and "I therefore feel it my duty . . . ." Link to document. There is another excerpt from this letter from another online collection. In it, Lamar states that because of contacts and likely collusion with Mexican officials, the Texas government considers the Cherokees to be secret enemies or, at best, suspicious friends. Link to document,
David G. Burnet to M. B. Lamar, May 29, 1839. Vice President Burnet responds to President Lamar's written request of that day that he temporarily take charge of the department of state. Link to document
David G. Burnet to "The County Surveyor or his Deputy of the County of Bexar," May 29, 1839. Pursuant to provisions of recent legislation appropriating certain lands to support a system of education, the acting Texan secretary of state calls on the official to locate and survey lands in that county for that purpose. Details. Link to document
Mirabeau B. Lamar.Proclamation, June 3, 1839. Calls on all civil and military authorities in Texas to refrain from trying to exercise jurisdiction over certain lands then in dispute between Texas and the United States. Details. [Click on the image to enlarge.] Link to document
Mirabeau B. Lamar to David G. Burnet, Albert Sidney Johnston, Thomas J. Rusk, I. W. Burton, and James S. Mayfield, June 27, 1839. Texan president names the recipients as commissioners to effect the immediate removal of the Cherokees from Texas. Link to document
Kelsey Douglass to Albert Sidney Johnston, July 17, 1839. Report of battle with the Cherokees near the upper Neches River on the 15th and 16th. Chief Bowl was among the dead. Attached is a list of soldiers killed or wounded. Link to document
John Scoble. Texas, Its Claims to be Recognised as an Independent Power by Great Britain: Examined in a Series of Letters. London, 1839. Addressed "to the abolitionists of Great Britain." British abolitionist writes an introduction followed by three letters he had written to the London Morning Chronicle. He opposes Texan independence on the ground that it is a step toward expanding the territory open to slavery in the U.S. Link to document
J. W. Benedict. Diary, September 15-November 10, 1839. Journal of a campaign against Comanches by a company of volunteer mounted riflemen from Galveston County. Describes their journey westward to San Antonio and then northwestward into the Llano River Valley, where there was one skirmish with a Comanche band. Link to document
Texas. Republic. "Treaty of Amity, Navigation and Commerce" with France, September 25, 1839. [Text is contained in a proclamation by President Mirabeau B. Lamar, February 15, 1840.] Link to document
Martin Van Buren. State of the Union Message, December 2, 1839. U.S. president mentions the convention for marking the boundary between the U.S. and the Republic of Texas and also the Texas' government's showing a desire to cultivate friendly relations with the U.S. Link to document
Richard Pakenham to James Hamilton, December 12, 1839. [Somewhat excerpted.] The British minister to Mexico writes from that country's capital to a financial agent for Texas concerning the negative attitude of the Mexican government about recognizing the independence of Texas. [Scroll down to the paragraph beginning "It is some time since I received . . . . ."] Link to document
Mirabeau B. Lamar to Viscount Palmerston, December 21, 1839. Letter of credence relating to Lamar's appointment of James Hamilton as a confidential agent to seek the United Kingdom's aid in obtaining Mexican recognition of Texan independence. Link to document
Mirabeau B. Lamar. Appointment of James Hamilton as commissioner for the Republic of Texas to negotiate peace with Mexico, December 23, 1839. Link to document
David G. Burnet to James Hamilton, December 23, 1839. Burnet, as acting secretary of state of the Republic of Texas, gives instructions to the newly appointed commissioner to negotiate peace with Mexico. Link to document
William M. Rozier. Account of his service as a Texas Ranger between 1839 and 1842. Written in 1873. Part of Rozier's request for a pension for that service. Link to document
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