The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 50, July 1946 - April, 1947 Page: 58
582 p. : ill. (some col.), maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
surrendered and in the course of time were sent to prisons in
Mexico. George Wilkins Kendall, editor of the New Orleans
Picayune, and other American citizens were among the pris-
oners and became a subject of diplomatic correspondence be-
tween Daniel Webster, then American secretary of state, and
the Mexican government. This correspondence in itself was
sufficient to arouse great public interest. Eventually the pris-
oners were released by Santa Anna's intervention.
The Mexicans retaliated for the Santa Fe expedition by a
raid on San Antonio, Goliad, and Refugio in March, 1842, and
by a second invasion the following fall. There was considerable
bloodshed in this second expedition. A volunteer Texan army
followed the retreating Mexicans to the Rio Grande. There
some two hundred men separated from the main Texan force
when General Alexander Somervell ordered a retreat. The
aggressive minority, led by Colonel William S. Fisher, attacked
the town of Mier, was defeated, and surrendered to a superior
Mexican force in December, 1842. On the march to Mexican
prisons, the captives escaped south of Saltillo. After great
suffering in the barren mountains, they were recaptured, and
Santa Anna decreed that one-tenth should be executed. The
victims were selected by lot, drawing black beans from an urn.
Meantime, public interest ran high in the United States.
Mass meetings adopted resolutions, encouraged "emigrants" to
go to Texas, and raised money to purchase arms and ammuni-
tion to enable the "emigrants" to support themselves by "hunt-
ing" until they could harvest crops. Such meetings were not
confined to southern cities. Some of the most enthusiastic were
held in Philadelphia and New York City.
VII. FEAR OF BRITISH DESIGNS IN TEXAS
Throughout the period of Texan independence American
statesmen were uneasy about British designs in Texas, and
their fears leaked out to the newspapers and aroused the people.
As early as May, 1836, a debate in the United States Senate
brought out warnings of Britain's plans for Texas. The debate
was started by the introduction of numerous petitions asking
Congress to recognize Texan independence. Daniel Webster, of
Massachusetts, declared that Texas ought to be recognized as
soon as the American government had official information of
the fact that Texas was independent and possessed resources
adequate to maintain independence. He was convinced that a
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 50, July 1946 - April, 1947, periodical, 1947; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101117/m1/74/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.