The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 88, July 1984 - April, 1985 Page: 130
476 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
In the meantime, not a little had been happening on the military
front in Texas. In February, 186o, United States brevet Colonel
Robert E. Lee had been assigned to temporary command of the De-
partment of Texas, headquartered in San Antonio. He held that com-
mand during the rising tension of 186o. Lee, however, would not have
the responsibility of facing the crisis in Texas, for in December, 86o,
he was returned to his regular regimental command at one of the sev-
eral remote posts of the department. He was succeeded in the depart-
mental command by General David E. Twiggs.10
Even as Twiggs assumed command he was sure that the secession of
Texas was imminent, and he asked Washington what should be done
with the public property under his charge. He received no clear in-
struction, and in mid-January he asked Washington to relieve him of
the command. In late January an order was mailed him to turn over
his command to his next senior in the department, Colonel Carlos A.
Waite, but that order was not received in San Antonio until February
15. Since Waite was then at a post some sixty miles away the order
could not be executed for several days. Already, while the secession
convention was meeting in late January, Twiggs had written Wash-
ington that, since he had received no instruction, he proposed peace-
fully to surrender his public property to the state were that to be
demanded."
On January 20, the eve of the convention, Houston had written
Twiggs that he had information that there would be an effort "by an
unauthorized mob to take forcibly and appropriate the public stores
and property to uses of their own, assuming to act on behalf of the
State." So he was sending an officer to Twiggs to learn whether he
would "consider it [his] duty" to turn over the public property to an
officer of the state "on the order of the [state] Executive." Twiggs re-
plied that he had no pertinent instruction from Washington and that,
were the state to secede and the state's executive to make a demand,
ton in Austin on March 31); Speech at Brenham, Mar 31, 1861, ibid., 299-300 n. (shows
Houston en route from Austin and at Brenham before end of March 31); Friend, Sam
Houston, 338-34o; William Seale, Sam Houston's Wife: A Biography of Margaret Lea
Houston (Norman, 1970o), o207-o208; Edward R. Maher, "Sam Houston and Secession,"
Southwestern Historical Quarterly, LV (Apr., 1952), 456 (the Quarterly is cited hereafter
as SHQ).
10Douglas Southall Freeman, R. E. Lee: A Biography (4 vols; New York, 1934-1935),
I, 4o4-418.
11Catton, The Coming Fury, 228.130
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 88, July 1984 - April, 1985, periodical, 1984/1985; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101210/m1/164/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.