The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 36, July 1932 - April, 1933 Page: 293
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Daniel Webster and Mexican Relations 293
One of the citizens of the United States who accompanied the
Santa Fe expedition in the sole capacity of a tourist was Franklin
Combs, the seventeen-year-old son of General Leslie Combs of
Lexington, Kentucky. During the spring of 1841 this young man
was in Texas transacting business for his father. The expedi-
tion, he believed, offered him an excellent opportunity to take a
trip which he thought would be beneficial to his health. It was
reported, moreover, that, having heard that his father had re-
ceived the appointment as United States Minister to Mexico,
young Combs expected to join his parents in Mexico City, going
by way of Santa Fe. Needless to state, he did not intend to en-
gage in hostilities against Mexico. Combs was one of the eight
civilians who proceeded in advance of the main body of the ex-
pedition on September 1st. He was captured in the party un-
der Colonel Cooke, and reached Mexico as a captive in that group
on December 26th. Although slightly ill at the time, he was
placed in chains along with some of his fellow prisoners.5
States. It appears that after having decided on the trip to Santa Fe
he engaged in the service of Texas, although there is but scanty evi-
dence on which to base this conclusion. As in the spring of 1841, how-
ever, Kendall records having "met with Major George T. Howard, then
in New Orleans purchasing goods for the Texan Santa Fe Expedition."
Narrative of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition, I, p. 14. (This work will
be cited hereafter simply as Narrative.)
'The facts relating to Combs' connection with the expedition are de-
rived from a number of sources. On March 2, 1843, he signed a lengthy
affidavit certifying to his capture and subsequent experiences. This is
on file 'in the archives of the United States Department of State, to-
gether with a draft, dated October 31, 1841, in the amount of $192, pay-
able to W. L. Messory, drawn on Leslie Combs, and signed by Franklin
Combs. This represents a sum of money which Messory advanced to
his friend's son who, according to his affidavit, used it to alleviate his
own suffering and that of some of his fellow prisoners. These docu-
ments are enclosures in Leslie Combs to Webster, March 2, 1843, MSS.,
Department of State, Miscellaneous Letters, March, April, May, 1843.
See also Messory to Leslie Combs, Chihuahua, October 25, 1841, and
J. A. Swett [?] to Leslie Combs, Mexico City, January 8, 1842, enclo-
sures in Leslie Combs to Webster, February 9, 1842, MSS., Dept. of
State, Misc. Letters, January-February, 1843; Leslie Combs to President
John Tyler, same to Honorable J. F. Marshall, same to General Winfield
Scott, all dated December 19, 1841, MSS., Dept. of State, Misc. Letters,
November-December, 1841; The Daily Picayune, December 21, 1841; and
National Intelligencer, January 4, 1842.
The letter written by Messory on October 25, 1841, as cited above, was
addressed to General Combs as "U. S. Minister to Mexico." The writer
stated that when he was in the United States the previous May it was
generally believed that the elder Combs would be assigned to that post.
In view of the son's case it is interesting to note that as late as October
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 36, July 1932 - April, 1933, periodical, 1933; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101093/m1/319/: accessed May 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.