Narrative of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition, vol. 1

Great Texas Books offers low-cost downloads of Texas histories, memoirs, biographies, journals, and reports in e-book formats. Our editions are superior to similar texts available elsewhere because we meticulously convert, proof, edit, and design each book. Our books are not mere facsimiles of the original text; they are entirely new editions designed for the 21st century reader of e-books.Not every Texian confrontation with Mexico heaped glory on the forces of the future Lone Star State. Of all the frustrations visited upon the Republic, surely the Texan Santa Fe Expedition stands out as the most ill-conceived, poorly planned, badly executed disaster. Yet the story—as related by George Wilkins Kendall—is so compelling that more than a century later author Larry McMurtry adapted it into his heralded Lonesome Dove series. In June 1841, three hundred men, with a sizable retinue of wagons, pack mules, cattle, and merchandise, set forth from Austin for Santa Fé. They had only a vague idea of the direction to take, and no concept whatsoever of the distance involved. The expedition mixed merchants and soldiers—if one considers an ad-hoc army of volunteers to be soldiers—and was driven by a murky mix of trading and opportunism. Their great hope was that citizens of New Mexico would throw themselves into the arms of Texas and reject Mexican rule; failing that, perhaps the Mexican forces along the northern Rio Grande would flee at their approach, allowing the province to fall. Not an overtly aggressive military advance (though one might wonder why they hauled a cannon with them), the venture was conceived to enter New Mexico armed and peaceful, and to remain that way, exiting quietly if the citizenry declined to join the Texian cause. That is, unless a bit of gunfire could tip the scales.By the time the expedition reached New Mexico—after traversing Palo Duro Canyon and other great chasms, after struggling across the unforgiving Llano Estacado—its members were starving, exhausted, disorganized, still uncertain which way to travel, and confronted by a formidable mountain range. In desperation, the leaders split the expedition so that men on horseback could push forward while heavy wagons waited discovery of a route through the mountains. The Mexicans had advance notice of the expedition. Not only did word arrive from traders venturing east to engage in commerce with Indians, but Texian President Lamar had clearly signaled his intent to launch the expedition as much as a year earlier. When the ragtag Texians finally straggled into the valley of the Rio Grande, all that remained for New Mexico Governor Manuel Armijo was to use a bit of trickery to gather them up and toss them into jail. The story may not be victorious, but it is epic. Kendall, a Louisiana journalist who survived the expedition to raise sheep in Texas, provides an articulate and detailed account of the journey, minutely exploring every adventure and misstep, every joy and every injustice. This is volume one of his two-volume memoir.