Author Archives: Mustang
James Wilkinson: Image of Respectability
James Wilkinson (1757-1825) is one of those characters in American history that one seldom hears about. At the end of his life, he had achieved prominence as the senior officer of the U. S. Army, a politician, and one of … Continue reading
The Archive War
Georgian by birth in 1798, Mirabeau Bonaparte Lamar developed into a well-educated young man, an excellent horseman, an expert in firearms, a credible poet and artist, and the editor of a local newspaper. Lamar served the governor of Georgia as … Continue reading
The Guardsmen
There was a time in America when lawmen made people nervous —not because they had anything to hide (maybe they did), but because, for the most part, old west lawmen were no one to trifle with. The fact was that … Continue reading
The Texas Cherokee War
Texas independence was never a simple matter of people refusing to conform to Mexican law. It was, in fact, very complex, unsettling, highly contentious, lasting several years, and, I suspect, many sleepless nights among those who worked tirelessly to effect … Continue reading
At Goliad, 1836
(Continued from last week) One of the first things that General Sam Houston did after being reinstated was ordering Fannin to withdraw his men and stores fromPresidio La Bahia at Goliad to the town at Victoria. He might have complied … Continue reading
The Matamoros Campaign
James Walker Fannin Jr. (d. March 27, 1836) is not one of my favorite characters in Texas history. In fairness to Fannin, however, he was a 32-year old colonel with comparatively no experience as a senior field officer. What happened to … Continue reading
Jim Bowie: The Man Behind the Legend
Was Jim Bowie a hero of Texas, or a man who was simply trapped by his circumstances? Was he a killer, or simply a man of his time who was willing and able to defend himself in a scrape? Was … Continue reading
El Sordo
Erasmus Smith was born on 19 April 1787 in Duchess County, New York. When he was aged ten or eleven, his parents moved to Natchez, Mississippi … then known as the Mississippi Territory. Natchez is located in the far southwest … Continue reading
The Dickinson’s of the Alamo
Almeron Dickinson didn’t fall in love until he was 29-years of age. A Pennsylvanian by birth in the year 1800, he served in the United States Army and was trained in the art and science of artillery. He eventually found … Continue reading
A Western Dragoon
Owing to his participation in the civilization of the American West, I have mentioned James Henry Carleton on several occasions —usually as a backdrop to conflicts with American Indians— as a senior in the chain of command. I thought for this … Continue reading
