[Texas]. [Santa Fé Expedition]

Secretaria de la Comandancia General del Departamento de Durango. Por Comunicacion oficial Que Acaba de Recibir el Sr. Comandante General de Esta Departamento... "Cuartel General de Operaciones Sobre los Rebeldes Tejanos..." [caption title and first lines of text]

Victoria de Durango: Imprenta del Gobierno a cargo de Manuel Gonzalez, 1841. Broadsheet, approximately 13 x 9 inches. Printed in two columns. Old horizontal fold; small chip at upper left edge. Otherwise, only minor edge wear and very light toning. In a custom cloth slipcase and chemise. Very good plus. Item #3675

An extremely rare broadside that provides an account of the initial capture of the Texan Santa Fé Expedition in New Mexico to the citizens of Durango by Manuel Armijo, the military commander of the Mexican state. The expedition was an overly optimistic endeavor whose goal was to establish a trade route through Texas to New Mexico and, if possible, to establish Texas jurisdiction over Santa Fé, a right that had been claimed since the revolution. To this end, a motley group of 321 traders, merchants, soldiers, and politicians, the "Santa Fé Pioneers," were assembled and departed Austin in June 1841. The party struggled through the deserts of west Texas and New Mexico for several months before being captured en masse by provincial Mexican forces at the beginning of October.

"The Texans had expected to be welcomed by the citizens of New Mexico and certainly had not anticipated armed resistance, but Governor Manuel Armijo of New Mexico had learned of the expedition and had detachments out awaiting the arrival of the Texans. Capt. William G. Lewis, one of the first of the advance party to reach the settlements, turned traitor and persuaded his comrades to lay down their arms on September 17. He was again used by the New Mexicans in securing the surrender of the main force, which had crossed the Llano Estacado and was encamped at Laguna Colorada near present Tucumcari, New Mexico, on October 5. Thus without the firing of a single shot, the entire expedition passed into Mexican hands" - Handbook of Texas.

The account printed here, dated September 22, 1841, gives an extensive and detailed report from Manuel Armijo on the events surrounding his capture of the first hundred men of the expedition. The entire letter is a dynamic and fascinating composition, but the most salient passage reads as follows:

"Con estas noticias que provocan a ecsasperacion al mas insensible mexicano, activé mis providencias en términos que en menos de cuarenta y ocho horas tuve fuerzas regulares para poner en temor al enemigo, el cual se introdujo en la primera poblacion de la frontera de este Departamento S. Miguel del Vado, en el punto llamado Antonchico á cuya plaza plaza entraron sin ser sentidos, dos de los tres comisionados del gobierno de Tejas y su secretario, cuya mision es la de darnos sus leyes y agregar la parte Este del Rio del Norte y sus habitantes al territorio y gobierno que usurparon sus predecesores. Estos comisionados trageron hasta el punto de Antonchico una escolta de cien dragones de caballeria al mando del coronel Cooke, capitanes y officials subalternos, los cuales se rindieron á discrecion ya sitiados por las partidas volantes que anticipé tan luego como se me dió parte de su llegada á Antonchico, el dia 17 del corriente mes á la una de la tarde; despojándoseles en seguida de quedar desarmados, de su remonta, montura, equipaje y algunos vestidos que traian en maletas y cantinas, valioso en mas de quatro mil pesos; cuyo botin hice repartir á los indviduos que compusieron el sitio, escepto los veteranos, y de cuyos pormenores daré el detall correspondiente...."

A much shorter announcement of the capture to the people of Chihuahua by its military commander, José María Elias Gonzales, dated September 28, and a brief address by an official in Durango celebrating the victory, dated October 8, follow the printing of Armijo's report. "This is the earliest printing which has survived of the account by Armijo of his capture of the vanguard of the Texas Santa Fé Expedition" -- Streeter. Streeter knew only of his own copy, now at Yale; OCLC concurs, and does not add any further institutional copies to this count, nor is there any new information in the second edition of Streeter Texas. Very rare, and one of the few contemporary Mexican printed documents relating to the Texan Santa Fé Expedition.
Streeter Texas 964.

Price: $22,500.00