Why stick to three years, just wondering?
I mean, if you plan on having Texas just continue to exist a a separate nation, why not go for the 4-6 year iteration of Presidential terms, with no chance for reelection.
Lone Star Republic
- Thread starter Kaiser Chris
- Start date
Why stick to three years, just wondering?
I mean, if you plan on having Texas just continue to exist a a separate nation, why not go for the 4-6 year iteration of Presidential terms, with no chance for reelection.
I mainly choose 3 year terms as that's what they decided OTL and i didn't want to stray too far from what would've happened. 4 or 6 year terms are possible but for 4 years i think they would've at least allow Washington's 2 term rule to come into play as no 2 term president has done horribly yet (Jackson fucked up the economy but they don't know that yet). Also i think 6 years is a southern idea and is a bit too long to have one president stay in office even if he is not reelected. If anyone else wants the specific amount of years to change then your more then welcome to comment and if most agree on one set of years then I'll add an amendment in story to follow that rule.
Chapter 7 Forward to Victory
Chapter 7 Forward to Victory
"For the Republic! Remember the Alamo! Vive le Tejas!"- Battle cries of Texans during the Battle of San Jacinto 1836
"I have failed my country, my people, and El Presidente."- Jose de Urrea 1836
"Here lies our Yorktown."- San Jacinto Monument 1939
With the ongoing events of the Mexican Civil War and the Yucatan Revolution it was clear to many that Texas would remain independent for quite a while. One man who didn't get the message was Jose de Urrea. Unlike his counterpart Filisola, Urrea refused to accept the status quo and made it his mission to finish what Santa Anna started, even when word reached of the Mexico City massacre he was still undeterred, as these were his orders and he would follow them to his death. For Houston came the problem of how to take out his enemy Napoleonic style while training his army of American volunteers and Texan farmers, all he needed was one final battle to crush the Mexican army and Texas would be free. After consulting with Travis, Houston decided to head further east near the San Jacinto river where he would train his army. This move had two major reasoning's: first, if Urrea directed his attention to capturing Texan towns then that gave Houston's army additional training time and he could fight the enemy at his own leisure, if Urrea choose to pursue Houston east then his supply runs would be stretched and the Texans would be close to the border where the could receive official or unofficial aid from the United States. Due to Urrea's desire to end the Revolution quickly he choose to pursue Houston East. Historians actually contribute this move to preserving the partial stability of the early Republic as Urrea's attention on the Texan forces prevented any backlash on the civilians, preventing a mass exodus of women and children.
On March 27th Houston and his army made camp 20 miles Northwest of Harrisburg. With word of the Alamo spreading volunteers welled up the Texans ranks so rapidly that by the time the Battle of San Jacinto commenced the Texan forces would number over 2,000. With many of the Alamo veterans training the new troops, morale was high as the the weeks went by and the recruits slowly got more experience. For the Mexican army it was entirely the opposite. After news of the Alamo reached the army morale plummeted immensely as many soldiers felt they had lost the war, talk of Filisola's apparent "desertion" did nothing to help. Like Filisola's troops the men were slowly getting more restless as they had not encountered a single battle whilst in Texas with the exception of bandits and Indians. An opportunity presented itself when a defector presented information that Houston's army was heading towards Lynchburg Crossing near the Buffalo Bayou in order to escort the Texas government to Galveston. With this new information Correa marched east for the final battle. In reality, this information was falsified by Sam Houston as he had Juan Seguin order one of his Tejanos to pretend to defect in order to lure Urrea into a trap. During these crucial weeks the Texas Rangers under Deaf Smith were split between spying on Urrea's movements and scouting the terrain around the Buffalo Bayou to coordinate with Houston in order to plan the attack. The chance to strike at the enemy came when on April 21st Urrea and his men reached Lynchburg's crossing and were waiting there to catch Houston's army by surprise, unaware that Houston was only a few miles away, actively planning the surprise assault upon the enemy. When the Mexican army reached Buffalo Bayou they were in poor condition. Weeks of marching without rest along with low supplies due to the beginning of the civil war, infighitng over the last few days due to which government the soldiers would hold allegiance to once news of the civil war began, and belief spreading that the war was a lost cause, caused the army to become weak and tired with low morale; along with 259 soldiers deserting over the course of the campaign. These forces were replaced with 463 men from Filisola's force on the 14th who chose to continue to fight, bringing Urrea's force to 1694, however the reinforcements were equally in low morale and supplies . Therefore when they man set up camp all they did was prepare tents and enter into a period of much needed rest. Meanwhile, a small camp of 300 Texans was camped about 1 mile east in an area of woods. These men were reinforced by the rest of the army in the nighttime and the Texan force slowly made their way across the grass, setting up artillery and readying positions under the cover of darkness, all according to plan.
"The Battle of San Jacinto," by Henry McArdle.
The attack came upon April 22nd at approximately 7:30 in the morning. The Mexican forces were caught completely by surprised as hundreds of Texans rushed across the field shouting "Remember the Alamo!", a battle cry to show how they had achieved victory with greater odds before and would do it again. After a single volley the Texans then descended upon the Mexican camp doing what they did best, fighting brutally in hand-to-hand. Retreat was difficult to achieve as the battlefield was surrounded by Fannin's 30 cannons while Lamar's cavalry flanked any organized retreat. It took an estimated 18 minutes until any resistance on the Mexican side completely collapsed, hours until the viscous killing stopped. The aftermath was a complete Texan victory in what would be noted as one of the most one sided battles in history. 850 Mexicans were killed in action, 416 wounded, with 277 captured. The Texans only suffered 13 killed along with 35 wounded, among the wounded being Sam Houston who was shot in the ankle. On the 23rd the captured Mexican command along with Urrea were brought to Houston were they officially surrendered the last remnant's of the Mexican military in Texas. For the next few weeks while Texans celebrated the latest victory for the nation talks were ongoing between Urrea and the Texan government over the treatment of prisoners and Texas stance. Both sides reached an agreement under the unsigned Armistice of Velasco, which stated that all prisoners would be allowed to return to Mexico so long as they promised to never take arms against the Republic or cross the Rio Grande, the other important clause stating that both sides would not cross the Rio Grande under the guise of a cease fire until further negotiations between the Mexican and Texan governments could advance. With the Texans stating that their two prerequisite terms for negotiations being a recognition of independence and a respect and restoration of all private property. This was done as due to the current conflict in Mexico there was no legitimate side to negotiate with as neither faction held the upper hand, it was the hope of Governor Smith and President Burnett that by the time an outcome was decided Texas would have more than enough time to prepare for continued conflict and strengthen their positions, resulting in a weakened Mexico being more willing to allow independence. Whatever the outcome the Texas Revolution for now, was at an end.
Surrender of Urrea
As soon as the Armistice of Velasco was drafted preparations were being made for Texas to become its own nation. Elections were being planned in September for the first permanent government while diplomats were sent to Washington to gain recognition and advance possible efforts of annexation. The lives of the Texan people turned to happiness as peace arrived and they were free to live according to their own laws and lifestyle. The future while uncertain looked bright, Texas entering its own destiny for the first time. The future of the young Republic though would not be decided on the field of battle, the heart of Mexico, or the halls of congress in Washington. Rather its course would be altered forever when a young empresario by the name of Stephen F. Austin would walk on the streets of Paris, France. Where an alliance that would forever change the course of Western history was about to be made.
San Jacinto Monument (Right). San Jacinto 70th Anniversary Veterans of the Revolution Reunion 1906 (Left).
A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys but the beginning of the year was rather hectic. As of right now it looks unanimous that the future Presidents will be able to be re-elected. Thank you all for your input as we might very well have Houston continue his presidency to '41. Next update will bring something new as we'll have a Third Person POV of Austin and his aforementioned negotiations. Long live the Republic!
"For the Republic! Remember the Alamo! Vive le Tejas!"- Battle cries of Texans during the Battle of San Jacinto 1836
"I have failed my country, my people, and El Presidente."- Jose de Urrea 1836
"Here lies our Yorktown."- San Jacinto Monument 1939
With the ongoing events of the Mexican Civil War and the Yucatan Revolution it was clear to many that Texas would remain independent for quite a while. One man who didn't get the message was Jose de Urrea. Unlike his counterpart Filisola, Urrea refused to accept the status quo and made it his mission to finish what Santa Anna started, even when word reached of the Mexico City massacre he was still undeterred, as these were his orders and he would follow them to his death. For Houston came the problem of how to take out his enemy Napoleonic style while training his army of American volunteers and Texan farmers, all he needed was one final battle to crush the Mexican army and Texas would be free. After consulting with Travis, Houston decided to head further east near the San Jacinto river where he would train his army. This move had two major reasoning's: first, if Urrea directed his attention to capturing Texan towns then that gave Houston's army additional training time and he could fight the enemy at his own leisure, if Urrea choose to pursue Houston east then his supply runs would be stretched and the Texans would be close to the border where the could receive official or unofficial aid from the United States. Due to Urrea's desire to end the Revolution quickly he choose to pursue Houston East. Historians actually contribute this move to preserving the partial stability of the early Republic as Urrea's attention on the Texan forces prevented any backlash on the civilians, preventing a mass exodus of women and children.
On March 27th Houston and his army made camp 20 miles Northwest of Harrisburg. With word of the Alamo spreading volunteers welled up the Texans ranks so rapidly that by the time the Battle of San Jacinto commenced the Texan forces would number over 2,000. With many of the Alamo veterans training the new troops, morale was high as the the weeks went by and the recruits slowly got more experience. For the Mexican army it was entirely the opposite. After news of the Alamo reached the army morale plummeted immensely as many soldiers felt they had lost the war, talk of Filisola's apparent "desertion" did nothing to help. Like Filisola's troops the men were slowly getting more restless as they had not encountered a single battle whilst in Texas with the exception of bandits and Indians. An opportunity presented itself when a defector presented information that Houston's army was heading towards Lynchburg Crossing near the Buffalo Bayou in order to escort the Texas government to Galveston. With this new information Correa marched east for the final battle. In reality, this information was falsified by Sam Houston as he had Juan Seguin order one of his Tejanos to pretend to defect in order to lure Urrea into a trap. During these crucial weeks the Texas Rangers under Deaf Smith were split between spying on Urrea's movements and scouting the terrain around the Buffalo Bayou to coordinate with Houston in order to plan the attack. The chance to strike at the enemy came when on April 21st Urrea and his men reached Lynchburg's crossing and were waiting there to catch Houston's army by surprise, unaware that Houston was only a few miles away, actively planning the surprise assault upon the enemy. When the Mexican army reached Buffalo Bayou they were in poor condition. Weeks of marching without rest along with low supplies due to the beginning of the civil war, infighitng over the last few days due to which government the soldiers would hold allegiance to once news of the civil war began, and belief spreading that the war was a lost cause, caused the army to become weak and tired with low morale; along with 259 soldiers deserting over the course of the campaign. These forces were replaced with 463 men from Filisola's force on the 14th who chose to continue to fight, bringing Urrea's force to 1694, however the reinforcements were equally in low morale and supplies . Therefore when they man set up camp all they did was prepare tents and enter into a period of much needed rest. Meanwhile, a small camp of 300 Texans was camped about 1 mile east in an area of woods. These men were reinforced by the rest of the army in the nighttime and the Texan force slowly made their way across the grass, setting up artillery and readying positions under the cover of darkness, all according to plan.
"The Battle of San Jacinto," by Henry McArdle.
The attack came upon April 22nd at approximately 7:30 in the morning. The Mexican forces were caught completely by surprised as hundreds of Texans rushed across the field shouting "Remember the Alamo!", a battle cry to show how they had achieved victory with greater odds before and would do it again. After a single volley the Texans then descended upon the Mexican camp doing what they did best, fighting brutally in hand-to-hand. Retreat was difficult to achieve as the battlefield was surrounded by Fannin's 30 cannons while Lamar's cavalry flanked any organized retreat. It took an estimated 18 minutes until any resistance on the Mexican side completely collapsed, hours until the viscous killing stopped. The aftermath was a complete Texan victory in what would be noted as one of the most one sided battles in history. 850 Mexicans were killed in action, 416 wounded, with 277 captured. The Texans only suffered 13 killed along with 35 wounded, among the wounded being Sam Houston who was shot in the ankle. On the 23rd the captured Mexican command along with Urrea were brought to Houston were they officially surrendered the last remnant's of the Mexican military in Texas. For the next few weeks while Texans celebrated the latest victory for the nation talks were ongoing between Urrea and the Texan government over the treatment of prisoners and Texas stance. Both sides reached an agreement under the unsigned Armistice of Velasco, which stated that all prisoners would be allowed to return to Mexico so long as they promised to never take arms against the Republic or cross the Rio Grande, the other important clause stating that both sides would not cross the Rio Grande under the guise of a cease fire until further negotiations between the Mexican and Texan governments could advance. With the Texans stating that their two prerequisite terms for negotiations being a recognition of independence and a respect and restoration of all private property. This was done as due to the current conflict in Mexico there was no legitimate side to negotiate with as neither faction held the upper hand, it was the hope of Governor Smith and President Burnett that by the time an outcome was decided Texas would have more than enough time to prepare for continued conflict and strengthen their positions, resulting in a weakened Mexico being more willing to allow independence. Whatever the outcome the Texas Revolution for now, was at an end.
Surrender of Urrea
As soon as the Armistice of Velasco was drafted preparations were being made for Texas to become its own nation. Elections were being planned in September for the first permanent government while diplomats were sent to Washington to gain recognition and advance possible efforts of annexation. The lives of the Texan people turned to happiness as peace arrived and they were free to live according to their own laws and lifestyle. The future while uncertain looked bright, Texas entering its own destiny for the first time. The future of the young Republic though would not be decided on the field of battle, the heart of Mexico, or the halls of congress in Washington. Rather its course would be altered forever when a young empresario by the name of Stephen F. Austin would walk on the streets of Paris, France. Where an alliance that would forever change the course of Western history was about to be made.
San Jacinto Monument (Right). San Jacinto 70th Anniversary Veterans of the Revolution Reunion 1906 (Left).
A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys but the beginning of the year was rather hectic. As of right now it looks unanimous that the future Presidents will be able to be re-elected. Thank you all for your input as we might very well have Houston continue his presidency to '41. Next update will bring something new as we'll have a Third Person POV of Austin and his aforementioned negotiations. Long live the Republic!
Like it's explained in the post they're yelling Remember the Alamo not as a cry for revenge but as inspiration to show that if they won a decisive victory before against a superior force then they can do it here and win their independence. Noticed how i never posted Remember the Goliad as no massacre occurred. The cry is supposed to support the men to assure them that victory is possible as they're fighting alongside the veterans of the battle as proof of what Texas can do.
Chapter 8 Parisian Nights
Chapter 8 Parisian Nights
"I shall always remain a Patriotic American, a piece of my heart though belongs to Paris."- Benjamin Franklin 1783
July 21st, 1836. Paris, France
If someone were to go back in time and tell a young Stephen Fuller Austin that one day he would be the founding father of a nation and would be playing diplomat for a revolution in Paris, then Austin would call that man a crazy loon. Yet here he was about to enter the court of King Louis Philippe as Texas's official ambassador, in order to gain recognition and aid for the new nation. Originally all Austin wanted in life was to have a simple living as a lawyer, and if he was successful enter into the field of politics as a congressman. All of that changed though when his father Moses died in 1821, leaving in his will the empressario grant that he had received from Mexico to his son Stephen. At first Austin did not want to move to Texas as he was content in Arkansas and had no experience in being a leader, though after spending time in reflection he took the job as he could not ever live with himself by denying his father's dream. So he set out to Texas with 300 American families, the first settlers of Modern Texas. Over the years Austin grew to love his new home. The land was plentiful and ripe and the people all looked to him as their beloved leader, under Austin's guidance the colony grew to become the most successful in all of Texas. Unfortunately, the era of peace would not last as Santa Anna's reign of tyranny began, though Austin tried and tried again to negotiate for more American settlers to come and for his colony to live with their unalienable rights, all attempts however eventually failed and Austin was arrested for supposed dissent and treason in 1834 (rather ironic consider latter events), though he was freed before the end of the year Austin came to believe more and more that only in rebellion can the people of Texas protect their rights. When the Revolution was launched Austin was a stern supporter of the rebels and worked closely with the government to organize the revolution. Austin's until then small role in the revolution would change when he was appointed as commissioner to France by Governor Henry Smith in February 1836. While Austin argued that he would be more effective gaining support in the United States, Smith believed that if the war was to continue indefinitely then the young nation would need the support of the European great powers to their cause, just as the United States had in their revolution. Seeing the logic of the arguement Austin relented and he left on a ship to Bordeaux from New Orleans on March 13th, only a week after the Alamo.
When Austin arrived at Paris he had been taken away with the magnificent city, it truly stood as a monument to the great culture of Western Europe, 'will Texas ever had a capitol like this' he wondered. The first few weeks spent in the capitol were spent settling down in the American embassy due to Jackson's support of the Revolution and his old friendship with Sam Houston. During that time Austin had been touring the city and had attended many meetings with nobles and various national politicians, outlying their plea for nationhood and why it should be supported. Though he had found support most were skeptical about Texas's prospects or tried to talk down to him like he was some backwards redneck. After news of the Alamo and San Jacinto though many were starting to take him very seriously, with some openly expressing support as revolutionary brothers in arms. After talks between Ambassador Livingston and French foreign minister Adolphe Thiers, a meeting was scheduled for Austin to represent his case directly to King Louis on the 21st.
The city of Paris, 1836
To say that Austin was nervous when arriving at the Palace of Versailles was quite the understatement, while he could hold himself up in a courtroom but he never had to present himself for a monarch, it probably didn't help that last time he visited a head of state he was thrown in jail, 'at least that bastard was killed by Crockett, good riddance'. Upon entering he was ushered into a private waiting room where he was to stay until Louis Philippe requested for the audience to begin. For over half an hour Austin sat staring at the various paintings adorning the wall, 'these art pieces are probably worth more than my entire estate'. Finally a servant entered and escorted Austin to the Royal conference room where he would finally get to meet the esteemed French King. Upon entering the room Austin was actually surprised at what he saw. Growing up in a land of republicans and frontiersman Austin expected to be confronted with an air of pompous nobility and have to partake in a number of ceremonies. When he looked at the King he only saw a man who kept to an average military uniform and the room itself was just a plain room with a large table seated in by the King and Thiers. After staring for a few seconds, Austin awkwardly tried to get back into a business manner and presented himself to the King.
Stephen F. Austin (Right), King Louis Phillipe I (Left).
"Your excellency, i am grateful to be in your presence and would like to thank you for taking your precious time in order to hear the plight of my people."
"Thank you for coming, please take a seat. Monsieur Austin i am very curious to know why you believe the people of France should provide their support to your current rebellion." Louis replied in English.
Taken somewhat aback by the Monarch's apparent fluency in his native tongue, Austin then replied with the speech he prepared; "Your excellency for many years the people of Texas only wished to live in peace with freedom and liberty according to their natural rights. However this liberty came under danger when the tyrant Santa Anna denounced our right to representation, banned our families from entering into Texas, and abolished the constitution." He took great care not to mention imposition of Catholicism and banning slavery, as it wouldn't be a good argument to a abolitionist Catholic monarch. "As we sought to defend our natural rights the people of Texas rose up in revolution just as yours did against the rule of Charles X. So far the Texan force has won every single battle and we have achieved two incredible major victories against opposing forces with greater odds. As of right now Mexico has entered into lawlessness with the beginning of a Civil War, it is only a matter of time before other independence movements rise up against the oppressive central government in Mexico City. With your support and recognition Texas can be truly free from Mexico and you will gain a valuable ally in the West."
"Yes these are all valid points for why intervention will succeed, the point is WHY should France commit itself to such a cause, what do we possibly have to gain from this venture." Asked Theirs.
"You see Minister Thiers, Texas is a land full of opportunities. We have vast arable lands which can be used for large amounts of crops that can be traded with France for a fair price. We have lots of opened land that can be opened to French colonists for a cheap price, thereby getting rid of any population problem's for France in the future and allowing potential emigrants to leave France who may be opposed to the countries policies. In addition by having an ally in Texas you will be able to open up a large amount of trade in the America's, while taking action against Mexico, a close friend of Great Britain which i know you would not want to dominate the America's." 'Yes tell him all the benefits for his country and how he'll be sticking the Brits too.'
Louis thought for a few seconds, understanding all the benefits he could gain and the potential glory and prestige from a successful foreign venture. He was already in the midst of taking over Algeria and a few friends in the Western hemisphere couldn't hurt. "How do we know that you will not just stab France in the back like Washington did in 1792?"
'Crap, the Frenchies are still sore about it.' "I assure you your excellency that Washington's only reasons for doing so was because France was very unstable at the time with revolutionary strife, as such even though we are eternally grateful for your role in the revolutionary war, we simply could not agree to an continued alliance with a bloody regime, especially as the Legitimate rulers of France, the Bourbons, were executed and overthrown by the anarchists. We simply could not assist such a nation in any way."
"I still do not see what France can gain in any of this. Mexico is a Catholic nation, as faithful of the Church, France just simply cannot declare war on a fellow nation of faith. What can Texas even be willing to contribute in this alliance. I already hear whispers that many in your so called-Republic wish for Annexation to the United States". Replied Thiers.
"Since the start of Santa Anna's reign Mexico has taken very many actions which can be described as non-Christian, when Santa Anna crushed the Zacatecas revolt he slaughtered hundreds just to get a message across, if our brave fighters had lost the Alamo he would've massacred all the survivors, just recently you have heard of the Mexico City massacre. While it is true that many of my people wish to join the United States that is simply because America is our former nation and we would do so for protection from Mexico, were our independence to be guaranteed by the great nation of France there would be no need of annexation, in addition given time our great nation will be able to flourish and be able to work with France in securing a partnership of liberty and freedom across the West. If you are uninterested in our cause we would be willing to enter talks with Great Britain, the United States, or Spain."
"That will not be necessary," said Louis "I am willing to enter into an alliance with Texas as i have seen what the wonders of Independence can do when i lived in the United States. All i need to know are the exact details of the support you want and what specific guarantees my nation will receive in such an alliance." 'Maybe this my efforts may succeed after all,' thought Austin. Afterwords the men spent the next 3 hours discussing the details of a possible treaty and the role France would play in securing independence. Once evening came Louis dismissed Austin and promised the Texan to speak with his advisors and parliament on the matter, with a promise of an additional meeting later in the week. The two shock hands and then Austin left the palace. Afterwords Louis had a conversation with Thiers.
"So Adolph what is your opinion of the man?"
"Well your excellency he seems like a competent politician who truly does believe in his cause of independence. As a prominent ruler from the nation i trust that much of what he is saying concerning Texas may be true. Over time France may be able too reap many benefits from young republic. Still there are simply too many risks involved. I am wary of Britain's reaction on our approach on what might be considered their influence, or what the Untied States would have to say with their Monroe Doctrine."
"It is precisely because of those nations that i cannot sit back and let America run amuck in expansion or let Britain gain another puppet. If we are not careful then France will be surrounded by enemies with little support, power, or influence. While i do intend to create a great Empire i will not make the same mistakes as Napoleon. That Jackson fellow is too supportive of the Texans to be against our intervention, besides i doubt that Britain will end the last 20 years of peace over us intervening in a backwards nation. Already i hear several reports of new independence movements springing up in Mexico. This is a gold mine for us to create a potential New World Empire. One full of states like Texas that will be entirely dependent on us and help our goals to expand our influence in the region."
"I hope your right my King. Still though, do you really believe this Texas is that significant."
"Adolphe, I have a feeling that in time Texas will be the key to the west." After two months of negotiations the Franco-Texan Alliance was born.
"I shall always remain a Patriotic American, a piece of my heart though belongs to Paris."- Benjamin Franklin 1783
July 21st, 1836. Paris, France
If someone were to go back in time and tell a young Stephen Fuller Austin that one day he would be the founding father of a nation and would be playing diplomat for a revolution in Paris, then Austin would call that man a crazy loon. Yet here he was about to enter the court of King Louis Philippe as Texas's official ambassador, in order to gain recognition and aid for the new nation. Originally all Austin wanted in life was to have a simple living as a lawyer, and if he was successful enter into the field of politics as a congressman. All of that changed though when his father Moses died in 1821, leaving in his will the empressario grant that he had received from Mexico to his son Stephen. At first Austin did not want to move to Texas as he was content in Arkansas and had no experience in being a leader, though after spending time in reflection he took the job as he could not ever live with himself by denying his father's dream. So he set out to Texas with 300 American families, the first settlers of Modern Texas. Over the years Austin grew to love his new home. The land was plentiful and ripe and the people all looked to him as their beloved leader, under Austin's guidance the colony grew to become the most successful in all of Texas. Unfortunately, the era of peace would not last as Santa Anna's reign of tyranny began, though Austin tried and tried again to negotiate for more American settlers to come and for his colony to live with their unalienable rights, all attempts however eventually failed and Austin was arrested for supposed dissent and treason in 1834 (rather ironic consider latter events), though he was freed before the end of the year Austin came to believe more and more that only in rebellion can the people of Texas protect their rights. When the Revolution was launched Austin was a stern supporter of the rebels and worked closely with the government to organize the revolution. Austin's until then small role in the revolution would change when he was appointed as commissioner to France by Governor Henry Smith in February 1836. While Austin argued that he would be more effective gaining support in the United States, Smith believed that if the war was to continue indefinitely then the young nation would need the support of the European great powers to their cause, just as the United States had in their revolution. Seeing the logic of the arguement Austin relented and he left on a ship to Bordeaux from New Orleans on March 13th, only a week after the Alamo.
When Austin arrived at Paris he had been taken away with the magnificent city, it truly stood as a monument to the great culture of Western Europe, 'will Texas ever had a capitol like this' he wondered. The first few weeks spent in the capitol were spent settling down in the American embassy due to Jackson's support of the Revolution and his old friendship with Sam Houston. During that time Austin had been touring the city and had attended many meetings with nobles and various national politicians, outlying their plea for nationhood and why it should be supported. Though he had found support most were skeptical about Texas's prospects or tried to talk down to him like he was some backwards redneck. After news of the Alamo and San Jacinto though many were starting to take him very seriously, with some openly expressing support as revolutionary brothers in arms. After talks between Ambassador Livingston and French foreign minister Adolphe Thiers, a meeting was scheduled for Austin to represent his case directly to King Louis on the 21st.
The city of Paris, 1836
To say that Austin was nervous when arriving at the Palace of Versailles was quite the understatement, while he could hold himself up in a courtroom but he never had to present himself for a monarch, it probably didn't help that last time he visited a head of state he was thrown in jail, 'at least that bastard was killed by Crockett, good riddance'. Upon entering he was ushered into a private waiting room where he was to stay until Louis Philippe requested for the audience to begin. For over half an hour Austin sat staring at the various paintings adorning the wall, 'these art pieces are probably worth more than my entire estate'. Finally a servant entered and escorted Austin to the Royal conference room where he would finally get to meet the esteemed French King. Upon entering the room Austin was actually surprised at what he saw. Growing up in a land of republicans and frontiersman Austin expected to be confronted with an air of pompous nobility and have to partake in a number of ceremonies. When he looked at the King he only saw a man who kept to an average military uniform and the room itself was just a plain room with a large table seated in by the King and Thiers. After staring for a few seconds, Austin awkwardly tried to get back into a business manner and presented himself to the King.
Stephen F. Austin (Right), King Louis Phillipe I (Left).
"Your excellency, i am grateful to be in your presence and would like to thank you for taking your precious time in order to hear the plight of my people."
"Thank you for coming, please take a seat. Monsieur Austin i am very curious to know why you believe the people of France should provide their support to your current rebellion." Louis replied in English.
Taken somewhat aback by the Monarch's apparent fluency in his native tongue, Austin then replied with the speech he prepared; "Your excellency for many years the people of Texas only wished to live in peace with freedom and liberty according to their natural rights. However this liberty came under danger when the tyrant Santa Anna denounced our right to representation, banned our families from entering into Texas, and abolished the constitution." He took great care not to mention imposition of Catholicism and banning slavery, as it wouldn't be a good argument to a abolitionist Catholic monarch. "As we sought to defend our natural rights the people of Texas rose up in revolution just as yours did against the rule of Charles X. So far the Texan force has won every single battle and we have achieved two incredible major victories against opposing forces with greater odds. As of right now Mexico has entered into lawlessness with the beginning of a Civil War, it is only a matter of time before other independence movements rise up against the oppressive central government in Mexico City. With your support and recognition Texas can be truly free from Mexico and you will gain a valuable ally in the West."
"Yes these are all valid points for why intervention will succeed, the point is WHY should France commit itself to such a cause, what do we possibly have to gain from this venture." Asked Theirs.
"You see Minister Thiers, Texas is a land full of opportunities. We have vast arable lands which can be used for large amounts of crops that can be traded with France for a fair price. We have lots of opened land that can be opened to French colonists for a cheap price, thereby getting rid of any population problem's for France in the future and allowing potential emigrants to leave France who may be opposed to the countries policies. In addition by having an ally in Texas you will be able to open up a large amount of trade in the America's, while taking action against Mexico, a close friend of Great Britain which i know you would not want to dominate the America's." 'Yes tell him all the benefits for his country and how he'll be sticking the Brits too.'
Louis thought for a few seconds, understanding all the benefits he could gain and the potential glory and prestige from a successful foreign venture. He was already in the midst of taking over Algeria and a few friends in the Western hemisphere couldn't hurt. "How do we know that you will not just stab France in the back like Washington did in 1792?"
'Crap, the Frenchies are still sore about it.' "I assure you your excellency that Washington's only reasons for doing so was because France was very unstable at the time with revolutionary strife, as such even though we are eternally grateful for your role in the revolutionary war, we simply could not agree to an continued alliance with a bloody regime, especially as the Legitimate rulers of France, the Bourbons, were executed and overthrown by the anarchists. We simply could not assist such a nation in any way."
"I still do not see what France can gain in any of this. Mexico is a Catholic nation, as faithful of the Church, France just simply cannot declare war on a fellow nation of faith. What can Texas even be willing to contribute in this alliance. I already hear whispers that many in your so called-Republic wish for Annexation to the United States". Replied Thiers.
"Since the start of Santa Anna's reign Mexico has taken very many actions which can be described as non-Christian, when Santa Anna crushed the Zacatecas revolt he slaughtered hundreds just to get a message across, if our brave fighters had lost the Alamo he would've massacred all the survivors, just recently you have heard of the Mexico City massacre. While it is true that many of my people wish to join the United States that is simply because America is our former nation and we would do so for protection from Mexico, were our independence to be guaranteed by the great nation of France there would be no need of annexation, in addition given time our great nation will be able to flourish and be able to work with France in securing a partnership of liberty and freedom across the West. If you are uninterested in our cause we would be willing to enter talks with Great Britain, the United States, or Spain."
"That will not be necessary," said Louis "I am willing to enter into an alliance with Texas as i have seen what the wonders of Independence can do when i lived in the United States. All i need to know are the exact details of the support you want and what specific guarantees my nation will receive in such an alliance." 'Maybe this my efforts may succeed after all,' thought Austin. Afterwords the men spent the next 3 hours discussing the details of a possible treaty and the role France would play in securing independence. Once evening came Louis dismissed Austin and promised the Texan to speak with his advisors and parliament on the matter, with a promise of an additional meeting later in the week. The two shock hands and then Austin left the palace. Afterwords Louis had a conversation with Thiers.
"So Adolph what is your opinion of the man?"
"Well your excellency he seems like a competent politician who truly does believe in his cause of independence. As a prominent ruler from the nation i trust that much of what he is saying concerning Texas may be true. Over time France may be able too reap many benefits from young republic. Still there are simply too many risks involved. I am wary of Britain's reaction on our approach on what might be considered their influence, or what the Untied States would have to say with their Monroe Doctrine."
"It is precisely because of those nations that i cannot sit back and let America run amuck in expansion or let Britain gain another puppet. If we are not careful then France will be surrounded by enemies with little support, power, or influence. While i do intend to create a great Empire i will not make the same mistakes as Napoleon. That Jackson fellow is too supportive of the Texans to be against our intervention, besides i doubt that Britain will end the last 20 years of peace over us intervening in a backwards nation. Already i hear several reports of new independence movements springing up in Mexico. This is a gold mine for us to create a potential New World Empire. One full of states like Texas that will be entirely dependent on us and help our goals to expand our influence in the region."
"I hope your right my King. Still though, do you really believe this Texas is that significant."
"Adolphe, I have a feeling that in time Texas will be the key to the west." After two months of negotiations the Franco-Texan Alliance was born.
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Chapter 9 Democracy in Action
Chapter 9 Democracy in Action
"We the People of the Republic of Texas"- Constitutional preamble, Republic of Texas 1836
"I Samuel Houston, do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the Republic of Texas, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Texas. So help me God."- Sam Houston, Presidential Inauguration. 1836
After writing the Deceleration of Independence, the delegates decided under the leadership of provisional president David Burnett to form a Constitutional Convention to determine how they would run their new government. This was due to the conventions desire to avoid a period of disorder similar to that of America under the Articles of Confederation. Due to the majority of delegates being American the Constitution was modeled after the United States in that it included a bill of rights, had a government divided into three separate branches based with an executive, judicial, and bicameral legislature. However due to conflicting situations between 1783 and 1836 there were many differences that had to be included in the constitution:
1. English and Spanish shall be the de jure languages of the Republic. However English shall be the de facto language of government documents and sessions and shall be mandatory for all nationwide education. All other languages shall be protected under freedom of speech.
2. Slavery shall be allowed within all areas of the Republic. A slave can only be set free by the will of its master and a freed slave must seek permission from the govt. to settle with lands in Texas.
3. The President shall serve a 3 year term 3 maximum terms. Upon death of the President secession decrees that the ofice shall be given to the Vice-President.
4. All Presidential elections shall be done under popular vote, Electoral vote will not be accepted.
5. All residents of the Republic shall be able to seek citizenship after six months of residency, they shall then swear an oath and become citizens of Texas.
6. The requirements for political office are as follows. All men 25 or older may be able to seek office of the House of representatives, they must have been a citizen of their represented county or district for at least 6 months. All men 30 or older are allowed to seek the office in the Senate, they must have been a resident of their represented district for 1 year. All men 35 or older are able to seek the office of the Presidency, they must have been a citizen of Texas for at least 3 years.
7. All male citizens over the age of 18 shall be granted the right to vote regardless of ethnicity or race.
8. Each family is entitled to one league of land. All men over seventeen are entitled to 1/3rd league of land.
9. At any time the government may enact the process of decentralization and create new states or provinces. This must be done by a full majority in both houses.
10. They House of Representatives must have a membership between 24 and 40, this shall increase between 40 and 100 once the population reaches 100,000. The senate shall be between 1/3rd and 1/2 of the House.
11. National Elections shall take place on the first Monday of September, all politicians shall be sworn in office on the second Monday of December.
12. Any amendments to the Constitution shall be voted upon with a 2/3rd's majority by both houses.
Once all areas had been agreed to the Constitution was ratified on March 17th, the day the members of the delegation learned about the battle of the Alamo. In the months since then preperations had been made for communities of Texas to heed to the law of the Republic and transition the nation's economy to one that was independent of Mexico. During this time the government was seated in Harrisburg, Texas. Among the interim government there had been great discontent into when elections should truly begin. Half had been wanting elections to take place immediately in order to prove the Republic's legitimacy and to get the issue of governance done before the Texas gained recognition from Mexico. The other half were worried that as in technicality the war had not been officially declared over, to transition the government now would be unstable if the Mexicans were to invade (though highly unlikely due to the fighting between the Federalists and Centralists). Burnett for one hoped that elections would be delayed. That way he could secure his presidency and possibly be elected to office. After news of San Jacinto spread and the Mexican Civil War intesened then a majority agreed for elections to go forward on September 5th. Of the candidates Austin was made as a write-in even though he was finishing negotiations in Paris. This was due to the actions of Fort Bend county as they were firm supporters of the man who lead them into Texas. The second one was Governor Henry Smith, who while uncharismatic had lead the government at the start of rebellion until officially handling power to Burnett. The third one took most Texan politicians by surprise as Sam Houston announced his candidacy on July 25th. Houston believed that as commander in-chief who won San Jacinto it was his duty to lead the country until Texas had obtained peace with Mexico, he also hoped to use his position to move forward with annexation into the United States. Though there was little campaigning done, the efforts would be pointless as Houston was the clear front runner. Like Washington before, Houston had won the respect and love of his men when leading them into battle. As the only man who had fought in the Revolution he was the ideal person to become the nations first leader in the eye's of the people. The results are as follows:
For the members of Congress they would serve one term for the first year until 1837 were they would take official terms if re-elected. Sam Houston would serve his first term from October 22nd until December, 1838, afterwords terms for the Presidents would be the same. For the position of Vice-President Mirabeau B. Lamar was elected due to his courage and valiance during the Revolution. The two men would soon come to form a rivalry that would mimic Adams and Jefferson, though less hateful. With Houston and his faction of Annexationists forming the origins of the Western Union Party. While the idealistic Lamar and his cohort of Nationalists would become the founders of the Republican Party. In his Absence William Barrett Travis was promoted to Brigadier General and head of the Texan Army, training it to be every vigilant in a possible Mexican return and defending the settlers from attacks by Indians, most notably the Comanche. The first Texan Cabinet are as follows:
President of the Republic of Texas: Sam Houston
Vice President of the Republic of Texas: Mirabeau B. Lamar
Secretary of State: Stephen F. Austin
House Speaker: Ira Ingram. Image N/A
Secretary of War: Thomas J. Rusk
Attorney General: Lorenzo de Zavala
Postmaster General: David G. Burnet
Chief Justice: James Collinsworth. Image N/A
"We the People of the Republic of Texas"- Constitutional preamble, Republic of Texas 1836
"I Samuel Houston, do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the Republic of Texas, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Texas. So help me God."- Sam Houston, Presidential Inauguration. 1836
After writing the Deceleration of Independence, the delegates decided under the leadership of provisional president David Burnett to form a Constitutional Convention to determine how they would run their new government. This was due to the conventions desire to avoid a period of disorder similar to that of America under the Articles of Confederation. Due to the majority of delegates being American the Constitution was modeled after the United States in that it included a bill of rights, had a government divided into three separate branches based with an executive, judicial, and bicameral legislature. However due to conflicting situations between 1783 and 1836 there were many differences that had to be included in the constitution:
1. English and Spanish shall be the de jure languages of the Republic. However English shall be the de facto language of government documents and sessions and shall be mandatory for all nationwide education. All other languages shall be protected under freedom of speech.
2. Slavery shall be allowed within all areas of the Republic. A slave can only be set free by the will of its master and a freed slave must seek permission from the govt. to settle with lands in Texas.
3. The President shall serve a 3 year term 3 maximum terms. Upon death of the President secession decrees that the ofice shall be given to the Vice-President.
4. All Presidential elections shall be done under popular vote, Electoral vote will not be accepted.
5. All residents of the Republic shall be able to seek citizenship after six months of residency, they shall then swear an oath and become citizens of Texas.
6. The requirements for political office are as follows. All men 25 or older may be able to seek office of the House of representatives, they must have been a citizen of their represented county or district for at least 6 months. All men 30 or older are allowed to seek the office in the Senate, they must have been a resident of their represented district for 1 year. All men 35 or older are able to seek the office of the Presidency, they must have been a citizen of Texas for at least 3 years.
7. All male citizens over the age of 18 shall be granted the right to vote regardless of ethnicity or race.
8. Each family is entitled to one league of land. All men over seventeen are entitled to 1/3rd league of land.
9. At any time the government may enact the process of decentralization and create new states or provinces. This must be done by a full majority in both houses.
10. They House of Representatives must have a membership between 24 and 40, this shall increase between 40 and 100 once the population reaches 100,000. The senate shall be between 1/3rd and 1/2 of the House.
11. National Elections shall take place on the first Monday of September, all politicians shall be sworn in office on the second Monday of December.
12. Any amendments to the Constitution shall be voted upon with a 2/3rd's majority by both houses.
Once all areas had been agreed to the Constitution was ratified on March 17th, the day the members of the delegation learned about the battle of the Alamo. In the months since then preperations had been made for communities of Texas to heed to the law of the Republic and transition the nation's economy to one that was independent of Mexico. During this time the government was seated in Harrisburg, Texas. Among the interim government there had been great discontent into when elections should truly begin. Half had been wanting elections to take place immediately in order to prove the Republic's legitimacy and to get the issue of governance done before the Texas gained recognition from Mexico. The other half were worried that as in technicality the war had not been officially declared over, to transition the government now would be unstable if the Mexicans were to invade (though highly unlikely due to the fighting between the Federalists and Centralists). Burnett for one hoped that elections would be delayed. That way he could secure his presidency and possibly be elected to office. After news of San Jacinto spread and the Mexican Civil War intesened then a majority agreed for elections to go forward on September 5th. Of the candidates Austin was made as a write-in even though he was finishing negotiations in Paris. This was due to the actions of Fort Bend county as they were firm supporters of the man who lead them into Texas. The second one was Governor Henry Smith, who while uncharismatic had lead the government at the start of rebellion until officially handling power to Burnett. The third one took most Texan politicians by surprise as Sam Houston announced his candidacy on July 25th. Houston believed that as commander in-chief who won San Jacinto it was his duty to lead the country until Texas had obtained peace with Mexico, he also hoped to use his position to move forward with annexation into the United States. Though there was little campaigning done, the efforts would be pointless as Houston was the clear front runner. Like Washington before, Houston had won the respect and love of his men when leading them into battle. As the only man who had fought in the Revolution he was the ideal person to become the nations first leader in the eye's of the people. The results are as follows:
For the members of Congress they would serve one term for the first year until 1837 were they would take official terms if re-elected. Sam Houston would serve his first term from October 22nd until December, 1838, afterwords terms for the Presidents would be the same. For the position of Vice-President Mirabeau B. Lamar was elected due to his courage and valiance during the Revolution. The two men would soon come to form a rivalry that would mimic Adams and Jefferson, though less hateful. With Houston and his faction of Annexationists forming the origins of the Western Union Party. While the idealistic Lamar and his cohort of Nationalists would become the founders of the Republican Party. In his Absence William Barrett Travis was promoted to Brigadier General and head of the Texan Army, training it to be every vigilant in a possible Mexican return and defending the settlers from attacks by Indians, most notably the Comanche. The first Texan Cabinet are as follows:
President of the Republic of Texas: Sam Houston
Vice President of the Republic of Texas: Mirabeau B. Lamar
Secretary of State: Stephen F. Austin
House Speaker: Ira Ingram. Image N/A
Secretary of War: Thomas J. Rusk
Attorney General: Lorenzo de Zavala
Postmaster General: David G. Burnet
Chief Justice: James Collinsworth. Image N/A
Attachments
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Ask and you shall receive. Update coming within the next hour. Will cover the first phase of the Mexican Civil War. Sorry for the delay but real life's a bitch. Will post daily throughout the weekend and I'll have 1837 done by Monday.
Sweet yah I did 1000 miles in 48 hours with only a couple hours sleep so I'm beat by still trying to finish my own new post
Chapter 10 A House Divided
Chapter 10 A House Divided
"I'm trying to keep this country together but the damn Federalists keep pulling it apart."- Presidente Jose Justo Corro 1836
"What do you mean there's a Republic of the Rio Grande?! WE OWN THE RIO GRANDE!!!- President Sam Houston 1836
"Looks like i won't be needing an Austrian Emperor after all."- King Louis Phillipe 1836
Unlike the American Civil War 25 years later, the Mexican Civil War was rather limited in the scale of its conflict. There were many reasons for why full scale warfare didn't commence but they can usually be drawn down to three main reasons. First, almost all of the Mexican army had gone to Texas under Santa Anna, most ending up killed, captured, or wounded. This would cause a severe shortage in trained veterans and officers that made both sides weak in battle. Second, the nation of Mexico was quite large and undeveloped at the time, to properly train and recruit a large army from the peasant population at the time would have taken a massive logistical effort. Third, a majority of the population were apathetic to the causes of the civil war, at that point Santa Anna's reign had little effects on the average Mexican as a whole and while many were alarmed at the centralization of power there was little curtailing of civil liberties (at least not against ethnic Mexicans). Support for the Federalists and Centralists varied among the country as there was no clear unity for the states to choose either side. Generally the support can be drawn from two main areas, the north for the Federalists, and Central Mexico for the Centralists. From April to September of 1836 the war was in a stalemate as both sides organized and political divisions were made. Farias had formed a provisional government in Zacatecas, which they made the center for the Federalist cause, forming the basis of the federal army there. Meanwhile Corro was trying to consolidate his political power within Mexico City while politically maneuvering to make sure that most of Mexico was loyal to him and the military didn't defect to the cause of the rebels. One factor that did immensely help the cause of the Centralists was the arrival of Filisola's army shortly after the war began. While many saw Filisola as a coward for failing to destroy the Texans, he was still loyal to the Central government and brought with him 1400 troops to Corro's cause, the rest having retired to their homes or defected to the Federalist cause. Another boon of reinforcements was the arrival of Urrea and the rest of the prisoners of the Mexican army due to the Armistice of Velasco. Not keeping his word to the Texan government, Urrea reportedly threw a copy of the treaty into the Rio Grande and marched straight to Mexico City to defend Santa Anna's legacy; among his force though were only 200 Mexicans as the rest were too shell shocked from their Texan adventures to want to fight in another war. For both sides though Texas was a rather complicated issue, while Farias sympathized with the revolutionaries he could not recognize their independence as it would drive many potential recruits away from his cause for seeing him as a collaborator with the Anglos. Corro was also inclined to repudiate Texas's claims as his faction was fighting for one centralized, united Mexico. For the time both sides ignored the new state and resolved to deal with the issue later.
Flag of Zacatecas. Heartland and rallying point of the Federalist Cause.
The first major battle of the war that was fought was the First Battle of Mexico City on April 24th. A large group of 2500 farmers and craftsman under the command of Vincente Garcia marched onto Mexico City in a feeble attempt to overthrow the corrupt Centralist government and give Mexico back to the people. This group was mostly made up of the lower class of Mexico who were suffering the last year due to high taxes, low economic progress, and increased stability. Though they were in no way connected directly to Farias they proclaimed themselves to be loyal Federalists. In the morning of the 24th the capitol garrison of 1500 met the band of rebels on the outskirts of the city, the battle resulted in a Centralist victory due to the garrison being well supplied and trained against the peasants who had low ammunition and used pitchforks and axes for some weapons. Over half of the federalists were killed or wounded while the garrison only suffered 119 casualties, for now the capitol was safe. Meanwhile, the Northern campaign was well underway with the northern states governments pledging loyalty to the Federalist cause and taking control over the state garrisons and ammunition depots. For many months this would take place with minor skirmishes where Federalists would rout out Centralist supporters from their territory. The most significant battles of this region were the first and second battles of Satillo. During the First Battle, Filisola and his forces arrived at Satillo, Coahuila on April 30th and forced the state government and city garrison to retreat from the state capitol. There Filisola and his forces lied in wait in order to guard Mexico from a Texan invasion and prepare to reconquer the Republic, they were joined by Urrea and his group on May 18th. Quickly Filisola gathered the federalist forces and on June 5th an army of 1700 Federalists under the command of Antonio Cruz commenced the Second Battle of Satillo when their force met a Centralist patrol west of the city. Tactically the battle was a draw as both sides took heavy losses with the Centralists suffering 636 casualties and the Federalists 710, and neither force retreated from the city. Strategically, it was a Federalist victory with Filisola and the remaining army retreating a week later due to low supplies and morale, the Centralists planned to regroup in Mexico City and contain the Center and Southern Mexico so that they could fully return their attention northward. In the aftermath the North was firmly federalist with a large army being organized to march down to the capitol. Little did both sides know that the Second Battle of Satillo would be crucial in securing Texan independence by forcing a large government force from the border and preventing a possibly planned second invasion into Texas. With the Federalist's under a unofficial cease fire with Texas, the Lone Star Republic was given more time to prepare its young army and secure the nation to be free from all Mexican influence.
Map of Mexican Independence Movements in 1836. Dark Red: Independent Republics. Maroon: Texan claimed territory. Red: Rio Grande claimed territory. Brown previous rebellions
The Yucatan Front
In the Aftermath of the Barbachano coup, the Yucatan peninsula was swiftly undergoing preparations to launch its war for secession. All across the state Centralist garrisons defected en-mass to the Yucatan cause, with what little fighting that happened swiftly due to the large number of Yucatan patriots combating the remaining loyalists. After the Deceleration of Independence on July 4th, the Republic of Yucatan officially mobilized the first Republican army and moved to secure the borders to prevent an hostile invasion (one main benefit of Yucatan versus Texas being its small borders). After hearing of the Yucatan revolt, an outraged Corro ordered a divergence of 2000 forces under Antonio Bustamente to the peninsula, preventing additional reinforcements to fight against the Federalists. The small Mexican Navy captured the Island Carmen, an important strategic base that gave access to Yucatan's waterways. Determined to end the revolution now the Centralist army marched onto the city of Campeche. The next two months would see some of the fiercest fighting in the Yucatan Revolution as multiple attempts were made to take the city from the Yucatan. All of these attempts would end in failure with the Centralists being pushed back due to fierce resistance from the cities defenders. When the assaults were on hold the situation got only worse for the Mexicans as a large group of Mayans waged guerilla warfare in the jungle, constantly attacking Mexican supplies and unsuspecting patrols within the trees. On September 16th (ironically the date for Mexico's independence) the Mexican army retreated from the city and headed across the border into Tabasco. A larger force would later be formed with the intent on capturing the capitol city of Merida.
Miguel Barbachano, Father of the Yucatan. Map of the Republic of Yucatan and its 5 districts.
Rio Grande
In the aftermath of the Orevena Ranch meeting many were still unsure if this so called Republic of the Rio Grande would actually work. Many of the local populace were mainly pro-federalist and there was little regional desire to form a new nation from among the Rio Grande states. In addition all other filibuster movements in the past two decades had failed to create a new country for the rebels. Many representatives wondered what would make them succeed. Still many of the inner circle of insurgents under the leadership of Jesus de Cardenas were confident that they could succeed given the right opportunity. This opportunity presented itself in the aftermath of the Second Battle of Satillo, where the Centralists retreated from Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and Nuevo Leon; meanwhile the federalists were organizining there forces to leave the area on march onto Mexico city. These developments combined with Yucatan's revolution firmly convinced the insurgent leadership. The time for independence was now. Slowly over the coming months the rebels gathered up resources and spread recruitment throughout the states, promising the offer of glory in a revolution to free their people from the Central government. The Republic of the Rio Grande officially declared independence on August 10th. In a quick move the capitols of all three states were captured under the combined revolutionary army led by Antonio Canales. These successes were possible due to the low federalist and centralist forces in the region, combined with the dream of a new nation, few would initially resist this uprising. The state governments all fled to Zacatecas where they affirmed their loyalty for Farias and forced the Federalists to recognize the Rio Grande as a rebellious state. Unfortunately for both sides of Mexico the worse was about to come, the French were heading west.
The Republic of Rio Grande and Republic of Texas. Contemporarily referred to as the "Bloody East" (Left). Image of the Museum of the Republic of the Rio Grande, site of the first executive office in Laredo, at the time also a part of Texas
"I'm trying to keep this country together but the damn Federalists keep pulling it apart."- Presidente Jose Justo Corro 1836
"What do you mean there's a Republic of the Rio Grande?! WE OWN THE RIO GRANDE!!!- President Sam Houston 1836
"Looks like i won't be needing an Austrian Emperor after all."- King Louis Phillipe 1836
Unlike the American Civil War 25 years later, the Mexican Civil War was rather limited in the scale of its conflict. There were many reasons for why full scale warfare didn't commence but they can usually be drawn down to three main reasons. First, almost all of the Mexican army had gone to Texas under Santa Anna, most ending up killed, captured, or wounded. This would cause a severe shortage in trained veterans and officers that made both sides weak in battle. Second, the nation of Mexico was quite large and undeveloped at the time, to properly train and recruit a large army from the peasant population at the time would have taken a massive logistical effort. Third, a majority of the population were apathetic to the causes of the civil war, at that point Santa Anna's reign had little effects on the average Mexican as a whole and while many were alarmed at the centralization of power there was little curtailing of civil liberties (at least not against ethnic Mexicans). Support for the Federalists and Centralists varied among the country as there was no clear unity for the states to choose either side. Generally the support can be drawn from two main areas, the north for the Federalists, and Central Mexico for the Centralists. From April to September of 1836 the war was in a stalemate as both sides organized and political divisions were made. Farias had formed a provisional government in Zacatecas, which they made the center for the Federalist cause, forming the basis of the federal army there. Meanwhile Corro was trying to consolidate his political power within Mexico City while politically maneuvering to make sure that most of Mexico was loyal to him and the military didn't defect to the cause of the rebels. One factor that did immensely help the cause of the Centralists was the arrival of Filisola's army shortly after the war began. While many saw Filisola as a coward for failing to destroy the Texans, he was still loyal to the Central government and brought with him 1400 troops to Corro's cause, the rest having retired to their homes or defected to the Federalist cause. Another boon of reinforcements was the arrival of Urrea and the rest of the prisoners of the Mexican army due to the Armistice of Velasco. Not keeping his word to the Texan government, Urrea reportedly threw a copy of the treaty into the Rio Grande and marched straight to Mexico City to defend Santa Anna's legacy; among his force though were only 200 Mexicans as the rest were too shell shocked from their Texan adventures to want to fight in another war. For both sides though Texas was a rather complicated issue, while Farias sympathized with the revolutionaries he could not recognize their independence as it would drive many potential recruits away from his cause for seeing him as a collaborator with the Anglos. Corro was also inclined to repudiate Texas's claims as his faction was fighting for one centralized, united Mexico. For the time both sides ignored the new state and resolved to deal with the issue later.
Flag of Zacatecas. Heartland and rallying point of the Federalist Cause.
The first major battle of the war that was fought was the First Battle of Mexico City on April 24th. A large group of 2500 farmers and craftsman under the command of Vincente Garcia marched onto Mexico City in a feeble attempt to overthrow the corrupt Centralist government and give Mexico back to the people. This group was mostly made up of the lower class of Mexico who were suffering the last year due to high taxes, low economic progress, and increased stability. Though they were in no way connected directly to Farias they proclaimed themselves to be loyal Federalists. In the morning of the 24th the capitol garrison of 1500 met the band of rebels on the outskirts of the city, the battle resulted in a Centralist victory due to the garrison being well supplied and trained against the peasants who had low ammunition and used pitchforks and axes for some weapons. Over half of the federalists were killed or wounded while the garrison only suffered 119 casualties, for now the capitol was safe. Meanwhile, the Northern campaign was well underway with the northern states governments pledging loyalty to the Federalist cause and taking control over the state garrisons and ammunition depots. For many months this would take place with minor skirmishes where Federalists would rout out Centralist supporters from their territory. The most significant battles of this region were the first and second battles of Satillo. During the First Battle, Filisola and his forces arrived at Satillo, Coahuila on April 30th and forced the state government and city garrison to retreat from the state capitol. There Filisola and his forces lied in wait in order to guard Mexico from a Texan invasion and prepare to reconquer the Republic, they were joined by Urrea and his group on May 18th. Quickly Filisola gathered the federalist forces and on June 5th an army of 1700 Federalists under the command of Antonio Cruz commenced the Second Battle of Satillo when their force met a Centralist patrol west of the city. Tactically the battle was a draw as both sides took heavy losses with the Centralists suffering 636 casualties and the Federalists 710, and neither force retreated from the city. Strategically, it was a Federalist victory with Filisola and the remaining army retreating a week later due to low supplies and morale, the Centralists planned to regroup in Mexico City and contain the Center and Southern Mexico so that they could fully return their attention northward. In the aftermath the North was firmly federalist with a large army being organized to march down to the capitol. Little did both sides know that the Second Battle of Satillo would be crucial in securing Texan independence by forcing a large government force from the border and preventing a possibly planned second invasion into Texas. With the Federalist's under a unofficial cease fire with Texas, the Lone Star Republic was given more time to prepare its young army and secure the nation to be free from all Mexican influence.
Map of Mexican Independence Movements in 1836. Dark Red: Independent Republics. Maroon: Texan claimed territory. Red: Rio Grande claimed territory. Brown previous rebellions
The Yucatan Front
In the Aftermath of the Barbachano coup, the Yucatan peninsula was swiftly undergoing preparations to launch its war for secession. All across the state Centralist garrisons defected en-mass to the Yucatan cause, with what little fighting that happened swiftly due to the large number of Yucatan patriots combating the remaining loyalists. After the Deceleration of Independence on July 4th, the Republic of Yucatan officially mobilized the first Republican army and moved to secure the borders to prevent an hostile invasion (one main benefit of Yucatan versus Texas being its small borders). After hearing of the Yucatan revolt, an outraged Corro ordered a divergence of 2000 forces under Antonio Bustamente to the peninsula, preventing additional reinforcements to fight against the Federalists. The small Mexican Navy captured the Island Carmen, an important strategic base that gave access to Yucatan's waterways. Determined to end the revolution now the Centralist army marched onto the city of Campeche. The next two months would see some of the fiercest fighting in the Yucatan Revolution as multiple attempts were made to take the city from the Yucatan. All of these attempts would end in failure with the Centralists being pushed back due to fierce resistance from the cities defenders. When the assaults were on hold the situation got only worse for the Mexicans as a large group of Mayans waged guerilla warfare in the jungle, constantly attacking Mexican supplies and unsuspecting patrols within the trees. On September 16th (ironically the date for Mexico's independence) the Mexican army retreated from the city and headed across the border into Tabasco. A larger force would later be formed with the intent on capturing the capitol city of Merida.
Miguel Barbachano, Father of the Yucatan. Map of the Republic of Yucatan and its 5 districts.
Rio Grande
In the aftermath of the Orevena Ranch meeting many were still unsure if this so called Republic of the Rio Grande would actually work. Many of the local populace were mainly pro-federalist and there was little regional desire to form a new nation from among the Rio Grande states. In addition all other filibuster movements in the past two decades had failed to create a new country for the rebels. Many representatives wondered what would make them succeed. Still many of the inner circle of insurgents under the leadership of Jesus de Cardenas were confident that they could succeed given the right opportunity. This opportunity presented itself in the aftermath of the Second Battle of Satillo, where the Centralists retreated from Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and Nuevo Leon; meanwhile the federalists were organizining there forces to leave the area on march onto Mexico city. These developments combined with Yucatan's revolution firmly convinced the insurgent leadership. The time for independence was now. Slowly over the coming months the rebels gathered up resources and spread recruitment throughout the states, promising the offer of glory in a revolution to free their people from the Central government. The Republic of the Rio Grande officially declared independence on August 10th. In a quick move the capitols of all three states were captured under the combined revolutionary army led by Antonio Canales. These successes were possible due to the low federalist and centralist forces in the region, combined with the dream of a new nation, few would initially resist this uprising. The state governments all fled to Zacatecas where they affirmed their loyalty for Farias and forced the Federalists to recognize the Rio Grande as a rebellious state. Unfortunately for both sides of Mexico the worse was about to come, the French were heading west.
The Republic of Rio Grande and Republic of Texas. Contemporarily referred to as the "Bloody East" (Left). Image of the Museum of the Republic of the Rio Grande, site of the first executive office in Laredo, at the time also a part of Texas
Chapter 11 Treaty of Paris
Chapter 11 Treaty of Paris
"Well I'll be, he hasn't even had one day as Secretary of State and yet Austin's got me a treaty."- President Sam Houston 1836
"By entering an alliance with the great Kingdom of France we shall be able to liberate ourselves from the oppressive British and step forward into the great nations of the world"- General George Washington 1778
"Why would the French be interested in Texas? Where is Texas anyway?"- Queen Victoria 1837
After two months of negotiations and appeals to the French parliament an alliance between the Republic of Texas and the Kingdom of France was created. The treaty of Paris, which was formally drafted on September 3rd, officially made France the first nation to recognize Texas's independence and made the European nation the chief benefactor to the young republic through troops and financial aid. The main terms of the treaty were:
When the treaty arrived into Galveston on October 24th, Houston had barely set up quarters and congress had not even begun session. At the moment Columbia was the current capitol of the Republic and there was much speculation that it would change soon, however there were few ideal towns to be fit for the national government so therefore the Congress and the President were a bit disorganized. So when Congress officially began session on October 30th the first issue brought before the legislature was the fight to ratify the treaty. Among the congressmen a few radicals rejected the treaty as they called it becoming no more than Louis's lapdogs, they asserted that Texas had won its independence without foreign assistance and could remain so for the future, therefore following in the ideals of Washington. Others while accepting of an alliance were wary of the effects this could have of possible annexation of Texas into the Union. The pro-alliance camp would win in the end however after Mirabeau Lamar gave a grand speech before the Texas senate. In it he stated how the war was not yet won and Texas could come under threat at any moment, proclaiming that while Mexico may be divided today, tomorrow they may rise up and take back all that Texas had achieved. Lamar reminded these men how the French had helped their grandfathers during their time of need against the British, and that by rejecting their offer now it would be a disgrace to their memory. When the Treaty came to a vote the final tally was 11-3 within the Senate. Houston would soon sign the Texan copy of the treaty on November 10th. For now Texas had an ally in one of the world's most powerful nations. It's independence all but secured.
Texan Embassy in Paris (Right). French Legation in Austin (Left)
January 16th, 1837. Galveston, Texas
It was on a cold southern winter morning that Brigadier General William Barrett Travis stood on the port of Galveston. His reason for being there was to greet the arriving French forces as they were about to embark onto their tour of Texas. While Travis was at first reluctant to have a foreign army within the borders of his land, he later grew warm to the idea as he realized how much of an immense help one of Europe's largest professional armies would be for the Republic. While for the second half of last year Travis had turned the Texan army into a good fighting force, he knew that they could not keep up their large numbers forever without a strong treasury, even the number of recruits slowly died down as the ever present phantom danger of the Mexicans died down. Fortunately, it was a time of peace within the borders as Houston had managed to negotiate several treaties with the surrounding Indian tribes, oh sure the Comanche would probably be on the warpath in a few years, though when that happened Travis knew he and his men would be ready. It was around 11:00 that sailors on the shore reported the sight of a French flag. Eagerly, Travis rushed to the dock to greet his new allies. When he arrived at the docks though he noticed several details that were off about the French force, instead of a small transport squadron to ferry French troops there looked to be a large armada full of several frigates, ships of the line, and a few capitol ships. In addition from the number of troops transports there looked to be 30,000 French troops entering into Texas, not the mere 6000 that they were promised. 'Could the French have been planning to take over our nation all along? No that's impossible, Austin assured us that he secured a fair deal for our alliance, yet here it looks like Napoleon himself is preparing to do battle.' Quickly, Travis ran to the nearest group of infantrymen to find out what was going on. Luckily there was a group of officers conversing with the local portsman that he could get answers from.
"What the hell is the meaning of this?!"
" Who might you be that you dare raise your tongue against esteemed officers of the French military?"
"I'm Brigadier General William Travis, head of the Texan army. And i want to know exactly why you people look like your about to invade Britain."
"Oh i assure you sir if we were to invade the damn British we would've come in a much larger force than this. Forgive my manners though, I am Captain Jacques Gautier, head of the frigate Bordeaux. As to answer your question we are here according to the terms of our alliance. To bring aid to the Republic in order to secure its recognition from the Mexican state."
"But we only asked for 6000 troops and yet you brought this massive fleet along with 24000 more men. Does this mean that you intend to force your way with us?"
"Oh no General you misunderstand, we do have 6000 troops here that will be stationed within Texas along with a small squadron to defend the coast. The rest are to achieve our other objectives."
"What could that possibly be?"
"Why to win your war and secure independence for the neighboring republics through the only solution possible. By conquering Mexico, of course."
French Forces portrayed in the Battle of Constantine. At the time France had one of the most powerful military's in the world. Second only to Britain in the Navy.
"Well I'll be, he hasn't even had one day as Secretary of State and yet Austin's got me a treaty."- President Sam Houston 1836
"By entering an alliance with the great Kingdom of France we shall be able to liberate ourselves from the oppressive British and step forward into the great nations of the world"- General George Washington 1778
"Why would the French be interested in Texas? Where is Texas anyway?"- Queen Victoria 1837
After two months of negotiations and appeals to the French parliament an alliance between the Republic of Texas and the Kingdom of France was created. The treaty of Paris, which was formally drafted on September 3rd, officially made France the first nation to recognize Texas's independence and made the European nation the chief benefactor to the young republic through troops and financial aid. The main terms of the treaty were:
1. The Republic of Texas shall have its independence officially recognized by the Kingdom of France
2. 6000 French troops shall be stationed within the Borders of the Republic of Texas to protect settlers from hostile Indians and the Republic from foreign invasion. Fort locations shall be decided in coordination between the two parties.
3. A defensive pact shall be made where in the event of a deceleration of war both parties shall aid each other against belligerent nations.
4. A free trade agreement shall be created between the Republic of Texas and the Kingdom of France. This is non-negotiable and shall remain in place for the duration of the treaty.
5. All french mercantile and naval ships shall be welcomed at all Texan ports without any payment . The French Navy shall have the right to construct a port of their choosing.
6. 10000 French settlers shall immigrate to Texas over a 15 year period. If the number is not reached by 1851 then the French government shall pay $5 per each missing person.
7. The French military shall have the right of free access through Texas in the events of military conflict within the Western hemisphere.
8. A loan of $2 million dollars shall be given to Texas and paid with 7.75% interest over the next 20 years.
While some saw these terms as entirely one sided for Texas there were actually many benefits for France. The main one being the free trade agreement where France would have a secure market for their manufactured goods and in return receive large amounts of agricultural products for a cheap price. With the large amount of colonists the French monarchy could use the opportunity to "encourage" liberals, protestants, republicans, Germans/Italians, and other anti-establishment groups to leave France and settle in a new country, never to plague France again. In addition France would have virtual military control over Texas and be given a free reign to use its army within the new world, where they can divert British attention from mainland Europe or the colonies in a possible war, meanwhile having a strong force in the region to provide a check on American or British rise in power. With these many benefits for the nation being argued it didn't take too long for the French nobility to come around to support the cause. Another surprisingly large area of support was among the Republican faction, many French Republicans saw Texas as fighting in a noble cause against an oppressive regime similar to its fight for liberty over 40 years prior. These people were filled with romantic ideals from propaganda on how the Texans had made an heroic stand at the Alamo and were simply a group of proud frontiersmen who wanted their families to live free in peace and liberty. Support was so widespread that for a while there was a small movement to form volunteer regiments to aid the cause, though Austin assured them that it wasn't necessary at the current moment. This large support in addition to patriotic fervor in the aftermath of the Algerian campaign, all but ensured the French people were behind their Texan friends. Now the treaty was sent off to Texas.2. 6000 French troops shall be stationed within the Borders of the Republic of Texas to protect settlers from hostile Indians and the Republic from foreign invasion. Fort locations shall be decided in coordination between the two parties.
3. A defensive pact shall be made where in the event of a deceleration of war both parties shall aid each other against belligerent nations.
4. A free trade agreement shall be created between the Republic of Texas and the Kingdom of France. This is non-negotiable and shall remain in place for the duration of the treaty.
5. All french mercantile and naval ships shall be welcomed at all Texan ports without any payment . The French Navy shall have the right to construct a port of their choosing.
6. 10000 French settlers shall immigrate to Texas over a 15 year period. If the number is not reached by 1851 then the French government shall pay $5 per each missing person.
7. The French military shall have the right of free access through Texas in the events of military conflict within the Western hemisphere.
8. A loan of $2 million dollars shall be given to Texas and paid with 7.75% interest over the next 20 years.
When the treaty arrived into Galveston on October 24th, Houston had barely set up quarters and congress had not even begun session. At the moment Columbia was the current capitol of the Republic and there was much speculation that it would change soon, however there were few ideal towns to be fit for the national government so therefore the Congress and the President were a bit disorganized. So when Congress officially began session on October 30th the first issue brought before the legislature was the fight to ratify the treaty. Among the congressmen a few radicals rejected the treaty as they called it becoming no more than Louis's lapdogs, they asserted that Texas had won its independence without foreign assistance and could remain so for the future, therefore following in the ideals of Washington. Others while accepting of an alliance were wary of the effects this could have of possible annexation of Texas into the Union. The pro-alliance camp would win in the end however after Mirabeau Lamar gave a grand speech before the Texas senate. In it he stated how the war was not yet won and Texas could come under threat at any moment, proclaiming that while Mexico may be divided today, tomorrow they may rise up and take back all that Texas had achieved. Lamar reminded these men how the French had helped their grandfathers during their time of need against the British, and that by rejecting their offer now it would be a disgrace to their memory. When the Treaty came to a vote the final tally was 11-3 within the Senate. Houston would soon sign the Texan copy of the treaty on November 10th. For now Texas had an ally in one of the world's most powerful nations. It's independence all but secured.
Texan Embassy in Paris (Right). French Legation in Austin (Left)
January 16th, 1837. Galveston, Texas
It was on a cold southern winter morning that Brigadier General William Barrett Travis stood on the port of Galveston. His reason for being there was to greet the arriving French forces as they were about to embark onto their tour of Texas. While Travis was at first reluctant to have a foreign army within the borders of his land, he later grew warm to the idea as he realized how much of an immense help one of Europe's largest professional armies would be for the Republic. While for the second half of last year Travis had turned the Texan army into a good fighting force, he knew that they could not keep up their large numbers forever without a strong treasury, even the number of recruits slowly died down as the ever present phantom danger of the Mexicans died down. Fortunately, it was a time of peace within the borders as Houston had managed to negotiate several treaties with the surrounding Indian tribes, oh sure the Comanche would probably be on the warpath in a few years, though when that happened Travis knew he and his men would be ready. It was around 11:00 that sailors on the shore reported the sight of a French flag. Eagerly, Travis rushed to the dock to greet his new allies. When he arrived at the docks though he noticed several details that were off about the French force, instead of a small transport squadron to ferry French troops there looked to be a large armada full of several frigates, ships of the line, and a few capitol ships. In addition from the number of troops transports there looked to be 30,000 French troops entering into Texas, not the mere 6000 that they were promised. 'Could the French have been planning to take over our nation all along? No that's impossible, Austin assured us that he secured a fair deal for our alliance, yet here it looks like Napoleon himself is preparing to do battle.' Quickly, Travis ran to the nearest group of infantrymen to find out what was going on. Luckily there was a group of officers conversing with the local portsman that he could get answers from.
"What the hell is the meaning of this?!"
" Who might you be that you dare raise your tongue against esteemed officers of the French military?"
"I'm Brigadier General William Travis, head of the Texan army. And i want to know exactly why you people look like your about to invade Britain."
"Oh i assure you sir if we were to invade the damn British we would've come in a much larger force than this. Forgive my manners though, I am Captain Jacques Gautier, head of the frigate Bordeaux. As to answer your question we are here according to the terms of our alliance. To bring aid to the Republic in order to secure its recognition from the Mexican state."
"But we only asked for 6000 troops and yet you brought this massive fleet along with 24000 more men. Does this mean that you intend to force your way with us?"
"Oh no General you misunderstand, we do have 6000 troops here that will be stationed within Texas along with a small squadron to defend the coast. The rest are to achieve our other objectives."
"What could that possibly be?"
"Why to win your war and secure independence for the neighboring republics through the only solution possible. By conquering Mexico, of course."
French Forces portrayed in the Battle of Constantine. At the time France had one of the most powerful military's in the world. Second only to Britain in the Navy.
A little late to the party, but I wanted to say you have an interesting timeline here Chris. I'm going to watch and see where you take it.
*With Mexico falling apart and with France invading, I wouldn't be surpised if America doesn't try to make some kind of play for at least California north of the 36th parallel. We'll see what happens though.
With Texas (and possibly the whole of the south west*) out of the Union it will be interesting to see how the run up to TTL's civil war differs from OTL. No matter what I doubt it will be pretty.
I'll be honest, this line made me smile, but I do wonder what plans France has for Mexico after this is over.
*With Mexico falling apart and with France invading, I wouldn't be surpised if America doesn't try to make some kind of play for at least California north of the 36th parallel. We'll see what happens though.
Chapter 12 The Eagle's Gaze
Chapter 12 The Eagle's Gaze
"Did those idiots really think they could've won by dividing their votes?"- President Andrew Jackson 1836
"If we do not act now then Texas will be forever lost to the Union."- Speaker of the House James K. Polk 1837
One question that various Americans who are reading this book might ask is "Where were we during this time?", the answer for that is quite simple, playing politics. 1836 was the final year of the Jackson administration and was a tense time for one of the first major two party elections. In the previous year not only did Jackson remove all Indians tribes east of the Mississippi to present-day Sequoyah, against Supreme court mandate, but he also vetoed any renewal to the Bank of America's charter, a situation that would later result in one of the worst recessions in 19th century America. This created many enemies against Jackson and huge anti-democratic resentment among the Whig party, leading to precarious situation for the Democratic nominee Martin Van Buren to become elected. The main reason that Jackson choose not to intervene in Texas directly was an issue that was just starting to take root and could've cause the north to turn against the Democrats, slavery. In the Texas Constitution slavery was guaranteed as a right throughout the Republic, meaning that any possible intervention for independence would be a war to help a slave nation against one that was strictly abolitionist. And while the Missouri-Arkansas line explicitly guaranteed slavery in almost all territory that Texas claimed, to possibly annex Texas would've ruined the current slave vs. free state balance within the senate. Therefore, while Jackson was deeply pro-Texan and a close former friend of President Sam Houston, he took the cautionary route and made an official neutral stance on the Revolution. Unofficially he raised private support among the American elite to send financial aid to Texas and used government resources to set up volunteer groups to head west and either settle or fight for the Republic. As fate would have it, it turned out that all of these measures for Jackson to protect his vice-president's chances of re-election were unnecessary. As the Whigs would create the cause of their own defeat.
Andrew Jackson, one of the most popular yet controversial figures in American history.
With two prior defeats against the charismatic Jackson, the Whig party knew that they had to try new tactics to gain the presidency. At the Whig National convention there was much disagreement on who exactly would lead the new crusade against the Democrats. The northern states drew their support to William Henry Harrison, a charismatic frontiersman who was a war hero due to his victory over Tecumseh in the Battle of the Thames during the War of 1812. The south meanwhile choose to support their candidate Hugh L. White, a man who was very pro-nullification and promised when elected to be a firm supporter of state's rights. With these regions having very different reasons for the presidency and the leadership northern faction being pro-abolition, a schism in the party occurred. Eventually the leadership under Henry Clay actually encouraged for the Whig party to have separate candidates according to each region. Their goal was to divide the electoral votes so that in a situation where no one candidate would be able to get a majority then the vote would go to the House of Representatives, where the Whig dominated house would vote the next president (even though this direct process led to Adams unpopularity and Jackson's direct rise to power). Two other candidates from the Whig party joined the fray, Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and Willie Person Mangum of North Carolina. Oddly one man John Taylor was on the vice-presidential ticket for both White and Mangum. Unfortunately for the Whigs this strategy turned out to be their undoing as the divided ticket served to only secure Van Buren's election in several states while both the North and the South served to only draw votes away from the two other major candidates. Indeed evidence suggests that if the Whigs united by one candidate then they easily could've won by both electoral and popular vote. However, while Van Buren and the Democrats would claim victory for the third time in a row, what would come next would prove that Van Buren should've stayed out of politics and retire as a competent vice president, the same can only be stressed more importantly for vice president elect Richard Mentor Johnson.
As for Texas, with his vice president claiming victory Jackson was now secure to move forward with official recognition of its independence. Unfortunately for him France was able to beat the United States as the first nation to recognize Texas's independence. Even more importantly they had secured an alliance with Texas and now had a firm sphere of influence within North America. While many nationalists expected Jackson to defend the Monroe doctrine and dispute France's interference, he instead welcomed it. Jackson saw this as an opportunity for Texas to win its independence without America having to be dragged into a war with Mexico and he expected the United States to annex it in the future anyway as his friend Houston assured him in a letter that the people of Texas would love to join the Union. Besides with Mexico delving further into bloodshed America could easily sweep in later and claim the Southwest. Had Jackson realized France's true intentions though, he would've immediately ordered the American army to march into Mexico to preserve America's interests and limit France's actions. By the time anyone realized what was going on in the southwest it was too late. America wouldn't be expanding to the Pacific south of Oregon.
A/N: I know that this post is mostly OTL developments but it was necessary as America does play an important role in this TL as Texas's most powerful neighbor. Next post will be the second/middle phase of the Mexican Civil war and then its off to 1837. Stick around for more and as always be sure to leave a comment for input.
"Did those idiots really think they could've won by dividing their votes?"- President Andrew Jackson 1836
"If we do not act now then Texas will be forever lost to the Union."- Speaker of the House James K. Polk 1837
One question that various Americans who are reading this book might ask is "Where were we during this time?", the answer for that is quite simple, playing politics. 1836 was the final year of the Jackson administration and was a tense time for one of the first major two party elections. In the previous year not only did Jackson remove all Indians tribes east of the Mississippi to present-day Sequoyah, against Supreme court mandate, but he also vetoed any renewal to the Bank of America's charter, a situation that would later result in one of the worst recessions in 19th century America. This created many enemies against Jackson and huge anti-democratic resentment among the Whig party, leading to precarious situation for the Democratic nominee Martin Van Buren to become elected. The main reason that Jackson choose not to intervene in Texas directly was an issue that was just starting to take root and could've cause the north to turn against the Democrats, slavery. In the Texas Constitution slavery was guaranteed as a right throughout the Republic, meaning that any possible intervention for independence would be a war to help a slave nation against one that was strictly abolitionist. And while the Missouri-Arkansas line explicitly guaranteed slavery in almost all territory that Texas claimed, to possibly annex Texas would've ruined the current slave vs. free state balance within the senate. Therefore, while Jackson was deeply pro-Texan and a close former friend of President Sam Houston, he took the cautionary route and made an official neutral stance on the Revolution. Unofficially he raised private support among the American elite to send financial aid to Texas and used government resources to set up volunteer groups to head west and either settle or fight for the Republic. As fate would have it, it turned out that all of these measures for Jackson to protect his vice-president's chances of re-election were unnecessary. As the Whigs would create the cause of their own defeat.
Andrew Jackson, one of the most popular yet controversial figures in American history.
With two prior defeats against the charismatic Jackson, the Whig party knew that they had to try new tactics to gain the presidency. At the Whig National convention there was much disagreement on who exactly would lead the new crusade against the Democrats. The northern states drew their support to William Henry Harrison, a charismatic frontiersman who was a war hero due to his victory over Tecumseh in the Battle of the Thames during the War of 1812. The south meanwhile choose to support their candidate Hugh L. White, a man who was very pro-nullification and promised when elected to be a firm supporter of state's rights. With these regions having very different reasons for the presidency and the leadership northern faction being pro-abolition, a schism in the party occurred. Eventually the leadership under Henry Clay actually encouraged for the Whig party to have separate candidates according to each region. Their goal was to divide the electoral votes so that in a situation where no one candidate would be able to get a majority then the vote would go to the House of Representatives, where the Whig dominated house would vote the next president (even though this direct process led to Adams unpopularity and Jackson's direct rise to power). Two other candidates from the Whig party joined the fray, Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and Willie Person Mangum of North Carolina. Oddly one man John Taylor was on the vice-presidential ticket for both White and Mangum. Unfortunately for the Whigs this strategy turned out to be their undoing as the divided ticket served to only secure Van Buren's election in several states while both the North and the South served to only draw votes away from the two other major candidates. Indeed evidence suggests that if the Whigs united by one candidate then they easily could've won by both electoral and popular vote. However, while Van Buren and the Democrats would claim victory for the third time in a row, what would come next would prove that Van Buren should've stayed out of politics and retire as a competent vice president, the same can only be stressed more importantly for vice president elect Richard Mentor Johnson.
As for Texas, with his vice president claiming victory Jackson was now secure to move forward with official recognition of its independence. Unfortunately for him France was able to beat the United States as the first nation to recognize Texas's independence. Even more importantly they had secured an alliance with Texas and now had a firm sphere of influence within North America. While many nationalists expected Jackson to defend the Monroe doctrine and dispute France's interference, he instead welcomed it. Jackson saw this as an opportunity for Texas to win its independence without America having to be dragged into a war with Mexico and he expected the United States to annex it in the future anyway as his friend Houston assured him in a letter that the people of Texas would love to join the Union. Besides with Mexico delving further into bloodshed America could easily sweep in later and claim the Southwest. Had Jackson realized France's true intentions though, he would've immediately ordered the American army to march into Mexico to preserve America's interests and limit France's actions. By the time anyone realized what was going on in the southwest it was too late. America wouldn't be expanding to the Pacific south of Oregon.
A/N: I know that this post is mostly OTL developments but it was necessary as America does play an important role in this TL as Texas's most powerful neighbor. Next post will be the second/middle phase of the Mexican Civil war and then its off to 1837. Stick around for more and as always be sure to leave a comment for input.
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Thanks for the support. Stick around and we'll be able to see how much our Lone Star Republic will change the world.
Texas staying independent is going to change the entirety of the Civil War. With slavery basically halted at the Mississippi the South is going to have even more resentment towards the north leading to a deeper divide. Certain events in America will change the war so much that its going to get either bloodier or more complicated than OTL. Expect Oklahoma to play a bigger role TTL.
Let's just say that France is going to change regional politics for the next third of the century. Mexico will never be the same.
America will make some plays at the Southwest. Though various events by France as well as slavery politics will result in some failed attempts as well as Texas rejecting annexation.
Chapter 13 Growing Wounds
Chapter 13 Growing Wounds
"Within my country 1836 is a year of independence, freedom, and liberty.To the Mexicans it was a year of hell and chaos."- Juan Seguin 1886
"If we are to preserve Mexico then the rebel scum must be exterminated."- General Antonio Bustamente on the eve of the Battle of Guanajuanto 1836
"While i did wish for our people to stay in union with Mexico, the revolution brought me great hope that my people can finally live in a nation where their children may not be judged on their native origin." Andres Quintana Roo 1848
For the Centralists and Federalists each had two different agendas that needed to be completed in order to take control of Mexico. For Farias, in order for the Federalists to have any form of legitimacy then Mexico City would have to be captured, then the Federalists could easily claim victory and get the remaining states to surrender under their rule. Since the Centralists had control of Mexico City then all they had to do was buy time and crush the Federalist armies in open battle. Since most of the regular army (or what remained of it after Texas) was loyal to Corro then this plan should have been easy to undertake. Unfortunately for both sides there were now three independence movements growing in Mexico, each day meant one more territory was in open risk of rebellion and that by the end of the day whoever won wouldn't have mattered as there would be no more Mexico to govern. This didn't already take into effect that neighboring powers might come down in and intervene in Mexico at any time of their leisure (as Mexico would unfortunately learn at the beginning of next year). With time running out Farias had the whole of the Federal army, a grand total of 8000 men (mostly untrained peasants), march onto Mexico City to "liberate" the capital from the Corro regime. Corro meanwhile stood would make one last gamble with 5000 of his best regulars. He planned to take out the source of the rebellion in Zacatecas. With the Republic of the Rio Grande being popped up the Federalist home front would start to crumble and their territories start to decay into anarchy. By wiping out the rebel armies there was no chance that they could rise back up. With Bustamente leading the Centralists and the Federalists under Pedro de Ampudia, the fate of the war would be decided in the Battle of Guanajuanto, located in a state that was midway between Zacatecas and Mexico City. The two sides met each other on August 16th when both scouting patrols trading fire approximately 7 miles south east of the city. Both sides raced to be able to become the first to reach the city and on the morning of the 17th an artillery barrage from positions near the nearby mines started from both the North and the South in order to make the city undefendable to the other side. Both sides rushed in and a deadly battle of street fighting ensued between the two sides. Eyewitness accounts from the surviving civilians detail of the chaos that took place as the central regulars unleashed wave after wave of firepower upon the rebels, while the rebels overwhelmed loyalists with sheer numbers and beat many to death with handcrafted weapons or nearby objects. The situation was rather sad to say the least considering that Father Hidalgo made the city the start of his revolution over 25 years prior. The tide of the battle turned when a loyalists artillery position struck a church and caused it to collapse, entraping dozens of civilians inside who had sought sanctuary from the bloodshed. As news of this action spread the people of Guanajuanto rose up in collusion with the Federalist and attacked the loyalist groups in mass mobs, eager to take vengeance on the wrongdoings the central government had committed. Due to orders by Bustamente the loyalist army was saved from total annihlation as snipers were placed among the rooftops providing covering fire for the retreating soldiers as the cavalry jumped in and protected the infantry. Meanwhile the artillery camps on the mountainside diverged their fire on the entire city to lay it to rubble and prevent any chance of a rout. While this can be described today as a heinous war crime it did manage to save what was left of the Central Mexican army from being obliterated. The end of what would become the bloodiest battle in the civil war showed that in many ways both sides had lost. On the rebels side 5328 casualties were taken with 4000 civilians dead from the fight. The Loyalists had no right to claim any victory as 2489 were killed with 568 wounded and 241 taken prisoner. For now this group retreated back to Mexican City to prepare for a siege and try to recuperate from the horrible loss. While this presented the rebels with the perfect opportunity to follow there would be no chance for the capitol to be conquered. The best veterans of the army perished during the fighting and many of the survivors were either too wounded or filled with PTSD to fight. What made the situation worse was that the day before the army would move out on the 31st, word had arrived of the Rio Grande's deceleration of independence. So Ampudia decided to send 1000 men to Mexico city while the rest would be sent back either to Zacatecas or to the east to quell the Rio Grande rebellion. While both sides strategies had been achieved with the Federalists taking a huge blow to their millitary capacity, and a federal force being sent to Mexico City. The Battle of Guanajuanto caused a quick solution to the war to be made impossible. This would take Mexico down to new lows as the French were just months away before arriving.
The Battle of Guanajuanto, also known in Mexico as La Tragedia Gran
Yucatan Front
After the failed assaults on Campeche the Yucatan leaders were divided on what strategy to proceed on. Some of the nationalists under Barbachano advocated for the rebels to go on the offensive by gaining Tabasco as well as Chiapas in order for the country to have access to the pacific (gaining these states would also reunite the Mayan peoples of Mexico), the liberal faction under Santiago Mendez wished for the rebels to stay within Yucatan so that the Republic could be protected from further attacks. Once word of Guanajuanto reached Merida however, the army then decided to march west to Tabasco in order to expand the Republic. Intellegence also indicated that the remnants of the Centralists were also in Tabasco so in a way it would be killing two birds with one stone. When the Yucatan reached the city of villahermosa on October 2nd, they were shocked to find only a small band of Tabascan loyalists left behind that offered minimal resistance. When questioning local authorities the army would learn that the remaining centralists forces under Nicolas Bravo Rueda had actually escaped to sea with a force of 2500 men (1500 being recruits from the surrounding states), the Centralists using their limited naval superiority landed their forces at Telchac Puerto On October 3rd and then proceeding to Telchac Pueblo, Motul, and Tixkokob. After conquering these cities easily due to the army staying in Tabasco the group then marched directly onto Merida, expecting a quick capitulation. What they were suprised to find was a large 12000 Mayan force being stationed within Merida, preparing the city with high defenses. The reason for the heavy Mayan concentration was that within the Yucatan and Southern Mexico emerged a Pan-Mayan movement, the Pan-Mayans expressed a desire to be free from the rule of Creole politicians in Mexico and live together as one people in a Mayan dominated or coexisting society. With the Mayan forces already having made several substantial contributions the the Yucatan independence movement, the Mayans decided that the Yucatec would become the flag that they would rally under and under the leadership of Andres Quintana Roo would become a major force of Yucatan society. Seeing the impossibility of conquering Merida as well as the possibility of encirclement from reinforcements in the west, Rueda called a cease fire and managed to negotiate for his force to withdraw from the Yucatan. The Centralist army would proceed to escape to Veracruz and remain there for the rest of the war. With all primary resistance being wiped out the Yucatan army would proceed to conquer Tabasco and Chiapas by mid-November, their task would be made much easier with the uprising of the Mayan natives. Like Texas the Yucatan would remain in peace for the rest of the war, consolidating their gains as well as trying to balance of power between the two peoples.
Map of the Republic of the Yucatan during the war. Gains highlighted in Red
Rio Grande Front
With the Federalists focused on the South there was relatively little conflict within the Rio Grande. Most of the population were rather confused as until that point they had been fighting for the sake of de-centralization and greater autonomy. Now a group of men suddenly decided that they were their own country apparently based around the Rio Grand river. While many Federalists in the area were against separation there was little they could do to stop them as most of the available manpower had been sent off to Zacatecas. Indeed the Rio Grande army was primarily rather focused with quelling dissidents than fighting in open conflict. The only major battle of note took place on October 14th when a small federal force of 600 men had been sent to try and rally the states against the traitors and return them back to the federalist camp. They camped out at Morelos, Coahuila, where they planned to march into Laredo. Unfortunately this group was made up of the weakest and lowly trained of the federalist reserves and expected little fighting. When a Rio Grande force under Colonel Jose Antonio de Zapata met them on the 16th, a battle ensued where the ill-prepared Federalists were caught off guard and surrounded by Zapata while personally leading the cavalry. After taking losses of up to 100 men the Federalist leader Major Juan Gonzales surrendered and agreed to withdraw to Zacatecas. After the battle the Republic faced their most unexpected enemy yet, Texas. 1000 men lead directly by Brigadier General Travis had received orders from Houston to march directly to Laredo and force all Rio Grande forces out of Texas. The main issue was that the two countries had claims that overlapped each other where Texas was directly on the Rio Grande whereas the Rio Grande Republic claimed lands to the Nueces. In the battle of Laredo on November 1st the far more experienced Texan force crushed the local garrison and held the government of the Republic captive. While Cardenas and his cabinet feared that this was the end of their venture, Houston had other plans. The Texan government was never against the direct existence of the Rio Grande but actually encouraged it, by setting up another country from the ashes of Mexico, the border would be further secured with a friendly nation and there would be no chance of reconquest. Therefore Travis laid out these terms to Cardenas:
Laredo, Texas. One time capitol of the Rio Grande and currently one of the largest trade cities in North America
With 1836 approaching its end it appeared to be the worst year in existence for Mexico. The country was torn apart in civil strife with thousands dead and three new nations springing up from their territories. No matter what both sides agreed the war would end next year. The federal forces established a "siege" upon Mexico City (in reality just an encampment a few miles from the capitol), preparing for reinforcements to conquer the capitol and bring the Corro regime down. Corro also planned to scrap whatever men he had left that could be spared from the cities defense and task them to capture the lightly defended Zacatecas before the rebels assaulted. It was a race against time that would decide which path the nation would take. Ultimately it would prove to be fruitless. The French landed at Veracruz on February 1st.
"Within my country 1836 is a year of independence, freedom, and liberty.To the Mexicans it was a year of hell and chaos."- Juan Seguin 1886
"If we are to preserve Mexico then the rebel scum must be exterminated."- General Antonio Bustamente on the eve of the Battle of Guanajuanto 1836
"While i did wish for our people to stay in union with Mexico, the revolution brought me great hope that my people can finally live in a nation where their children may not be judged on their native origin." Andres Quintana Roo 1848
For the Centralists and Federalists each had two different agendas that needed to be completed in order to take control of Mexico. For Farias, in order for the Federalists to have any form of legitimacy then Mexico City would have to be captured, then the Federalists could easily claim victory and get the remaining states to surrender under their rule. Since the Centralists had control of Mexico City then all they had to do was buy time and crush the Federalist armies in open battle. Since most of the regular army (or what remained of it after Texas) was loyal to Corro then this plan should have been easy to undertake. Unfortunately for both sides there were now three independence movements growing in Mexico, each day meant one more territory was in open risk of rebellion and that by the end of the day whoever won wouldn't have mattered as there would be no more Mexico to govern. This didn't already take into effect that neighboring powers might come down in and intervene in Mexico at any time of their leisure (as Mexico would unfortunately learn at the beginning of next year). With time running out Farias had the whole of the Federal army, a grand total of 8000 men (mostly untrained peasants), march onto Mexico City to "liberate" the capital from the Corro regime. Corro meanwhile stood would make one last gamble with 5000 of his best regulars. He planned to take out the source of the rebellion in Zacatecas. With the Republic of the Rio Grande being popped up the Federalist home front would start to crumble and their territories start to decay into anarchy. By wiping out the rebel armies there was no chance that they could rise back up. With Bustamente leading the Centralists and the Federalists under Pedro de Ampudia, the fate of the war would be decided in the Battle of Guanajuanto, located in a state that was midway between Zacatecas and Mexico City. The two sides met each other on August 16th when both scouting patrols trading fire approximately 7 miles south east of the city. Both sides raced to be able to become the first to reach the city and on the morning of the 17th an artillery barrage from positions near the nearby mines started from both the North and the South in order to make the city undefendable to the other side. Both sides rushed in and a deadly battle of street fighting ensued between the two sides. Eyewitness accounts from the surviving civilians detail of the chaos that took place as the central regulars unleashed wave after wave of firepower upon the rebels, while the rebels overwhelmed loyalists with sheer numbers and beat many to death with handcrafted weapons or nearby objects. The situation was rather sad to say the least considering that Father Hidalgo made the city the start of his revolution over 25 years prior. The tide of the battle turned when a loyalists artillery position struck a church and caused it to collapse, entraping dozens of civilians inside who had sought sanctuary from the bloodshed. As news of this action spread the people of Guanajuanto rose up in collusion with the Federalist and attacked the loyalist groups in mass mobs, eager to take vengeance on the wrongdoings the central government had committed. Due to orders by Bustamente the loyalist army was saved from total annihlation as snipers were placed among the rooftops providing covering fire for the retreating soldiers as the cavalry jumped in and protected the infantry. Meanwhile the artillery camps on the mountainside diverged their fire on the entire city to lay it to rubble and prevent any chance of a rout. While this can be described today as a heinous war crime it did manage to save what was left of the Central Mexican army from being obliterated. The end of what would become the bloodiest battle in the civil war showed that in many ways both sides had lost. On the rebels side 5328 casualties were taken with 4000 civilians dead from the fight. The Loyalists had no right to claim any victory as 2489 were killed with 568 wounded and 241 taken prisoner. For now this group retreated back to Mexican City to prepare for a siege and try to recuperate from the horrible loss. While this presented the rebels with the perfect opportunity to follow there would be no chance for the capitol to be conquered. The best veterans of the army perished during the fighting and many of the survivors were either too wounded or filled with PTSD to fight. What made the situation worse was that the day before the army would move out on the 31st, word had arrived of the Rio Grande's deceleration of independence. So Ampudia decided to send 1000 men to Mexico city while the rest would be sent back either to Zacatecas or to the east to quell the Rio Grande rebellion. While both sides strategies had been achieved with the Federalists taking a huge blow to their millitary capacity, and a federal force being sent to Mexico City. The Battle of Guanajuanto caused a quick solution to the war to be made impossible. This would take Mexico down to new lows as the French were just months away before arriving.
The Battle of Guanajuanto, also known in Mexico as La Tragedia Gran
Yucatan Front
After the failed assaults on Campeche the Yucatan leaders were divided on what strategy to proceed on. Some of the nationalists under Barbachano advocated for the rebels to go on the offensive by gaining Tabasco as well as Chiapas in order for the country to have access to the pacific (gaining these states would also reunite the Mayan peoples of Mexico), the liberal faction under Santiago Mendez wished for the rebels to stay within Yucatan so that the Republic could be protected from further attacks. Once word of Guanajuanto reached Merida however, the army then decided to march west to Tabasco in order to expand the Republic. Intellegence also indicated that the remnants of the Centralists were also in Tabasco so in a way it would be killing two birds with one stone. When the Yucatan reached the city of villahermosa on October 2nd, they were shocked to find only a small band of Tabascan loyalists left behind that offered minimal resistance. When questioning local authorities the army would learn that the remaining centralists forces under Nicolas Bravo Rueda had actually escaped to sea with a force of 2500 men (1500 being recruits from the surrounding states), the Centralists using their limited naval superiority landed their forces at Telchac Puerto On October 3rd and then proceeding to Telchac Pueblo, Motul, and Tixkokob. After conquering these cities easily due to the army staying in Tabasco the group then marched directly onto Merida, expecting a quick capitulation. What they were suprised to find was a large 12000 Mayan force being stationed within Merida, preparing the city with high defenses. The reason for the heavy Mayan concentration was that within the Yucatan and Southern Mexico emerged a Pan-Mayan movement, the Pan-Mayans expressed a desire to be free from the rule of Creole politicians in Mexico and live together as one people in a Mayan dominated or coexisting society. With the Mayan forces already having made several substantial contributions the the Yucatan independence movement, the Mayans decided that the Yucatec would become the flag that they would rally under and under the leadership of Andres Quintana Roo would become a major force of Yucatan society. Seeing the impossibility of conquering Merida as well as the possibility of encirclement from reinforcements in the west, Rueda called a cease fire and managed to negotiate for his force to withdraw from the Yucatan. The Centralist army would proceed to escape to Veracruz and remain there for the rest of the war. With all primary resistance being wiped out the Yucatan army would proceed to conquer Tabasco and Chiapas by mid-November, their task would be made much easier with the uprising of the Mayan natives. Like Texas the Yucatan would remain in peace for the rest of the war, consolidating their gains as well as trying to balance of power between the two peoples.
Map of the Republic of the Yucatan during the war. Gains highlighted in Red
Rio Grande Front
With the Federalists focused on the South there was relatively little conflict within the Rio Grande. Most of the population were rather confused as until that point they had been fighting for the sake of de-centralization and greater autonomy. Now a group of men suddenly decided that they were their own country apparently based around the Rio Grand river. While many Federalists in the area were against separation there was little they could do to stop them as most of the available manpower had been sent off to Zacatecas. Indeed the Rio Grande army was primarily rather focused with quelling dissidents than fighting in open conflict. The only major battle of note took place on October 14th when a small federal force of 600 men had been sent to try and rally the states against the traitors and return them back to the federalist camp. They camped out at Morelos, Coahuila, where they planned to march into Laredo. Unfortunately this group was made up of the weakest and lowly trained of the federalist reserves and expected little fighting. When a Rio Grande force under Colonel Jose Antonio de Zapata met them on the 16th, a battle ensued where the ill-prepared Federalists were caught off guard and surrounded by Zapata while personally leading the cavalry. After taking losses of up to 100 men the Federalist leader Major Juan Gonzales surrendered and agreed to withdraw to Zacatecas. After the battle the Republic faced their most unexpected enemy yet, Texas. 1000 men lead directly by Brigadier General Travis had received orders from Houston to march directly to Laredo and force all Rio Grande forces out of Texas. The main issue was that the two countries had claims that overlapped each other where Texas was directly on the Rio Grande whereas the Rio Grande Republic claimed lands to the Nueces. In the battle of Laredo on November 1st the far more experienced Texan force crushed the local garrison and held the government of the Republic captive. While Cardenas and his cabinet feared that this was the end of their venture, Houston had other plans. The Texan government was never against the direct existence of the Rio Grande but actually encouraged it, by setting up another country from the ashes of Mexico, the border would be further secured with a friendly nation and there would be no chance of reconquest. Therefore Travis laid out these terms to Cardenas:
1. The Republic of the Rio Grande will surrender all lands east of the Rio Grande to the Republic of Texas and give up any claims to the territory.
2. The Republic of Texas will recognized the Republic of the Rio Grande's independence.
3. In the future should either party wish to expand upon further Mexican territory then the opposite side shall support said endeavor.
Seeing this choice as the best option Cardenas signed the Treaty of Laredo where it would head unto the Texas Senate and be ratified on December 3rd. Travis and his men would withdraw from the former capitol of the Rio Grande and spend Christmas in San Antonio. While the Rio Grande suffered a large defeat their existence was still intact and they would proceed to cement further control over their territory.2. The Republic of Texas will recognized the Republic of the Rio Grande's independence.
3. In the future should either party wish to expand upon further Mexican territory then the opposite side shall support said endeavor.
Laredo, Texas. One time capitol of the Rio Grande and currently one of the largest trade cities in North America
With 1836 approaching its end it appeared to be the worst year in existence for Mexico. The country was torn apart in civil strife with thousands dead and three new nations springing up from their territories. No matter what both sides agreed the war would end next year. The federal forces established a "siege" upon Mexico City (in reality just an encampment a few miles from the capitol), preparing for reinforcements to conquer the capitol and bring the Corro regime down. Corro also planned to scrap whatever men he had left that could be spared from the cities defense and task them to capture the lightly defended Zacatecas before the rebels assaulted. It was a race against time that would decide which path the nation would take. Ultimately it would prove to be fruitless. The French landed at Veracruz on February 1st.