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Subject: [GenChat-L] Fwd: THE MIER EXPEDITION...1843
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 15:26:12 EDT


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Full-name: Wtynf
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Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 00:09:52 EDT
Subject: THE MIER EXPEDITION...1843
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This Web Page is a tribute to the prisoners of the

MIER EXPEDITION=20

who were executed at Salado, March 25 1843=20

Full List of the Mier Expedition Troops

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Santa Fe expedition, a piece of folly to which the Texas congress refuse=
d=20
its sanction, though the president gave it his approval, took away many good=20
men who were destined never to return, and those who did survive to tell the=20
tale, suffered untold hardships during their enforced sojourn in Mexican=20
prisons, together with their countrymen who were taken at Bexar when General=20
Woll made his descent on that town, taking the court, which happened to be i=
n=20
session, prisoners, and the survivors of the miserable Somerville expedition=
,=20
which cost the struggling republic so many of its bravest and best men.=20

On 20th December 1842, some 300 members of the Somervell force set out to=20
continue raids into Mexico. Captain Thomas Fisher led the raid on Mier=20
because the men were starving and they needed to refresh their horses. About=20
308 men took off, technically against orders and on their own. What they=20
didn't know was that the Mexican Army was laying in wait for them. On=20
Christmas morning they attacked the town. The Mexicans had 1000 men to the U=
S=20
308 (minus 50 left on the other side of the river) men. There was a shoot-ou=
t=20
from the top of the houses and all over the place, which lasted 18 hours. Th=
e=20
men could not stay or leave. The next day, the Mexican's called a truce, and=20
played a trick on the Americans. They told them that thousands of Mexican=20
soldiers were now on their way and that if they didn't surrender within the=20
hour, they would execute them all. The Texans took over 2 hours to consider,=20
as some men did not believe the story. Finally they surrendered. The men wer=
e=20
forced to walk 200 miles in bad weather to the prison at Saltillo.=20

The MIER EXPEDITION was a precursor to the Mexican War of 1845. One Hundred=20
and seventy six prisoners were taken at the Mier Expedition. The Mexicans di=
d=20
not believe in keeping prisoners a lot of idlers, even though they were=20
captives, so they were put to work on the public highways. The first plan=20
adopted was to make them up into pack trains, each man having a bag=20
containing a bushel of sand slung over his shoulders, the sand being obtaine=
d=20
at the river, and used to repair the roads leading into the city. Not=20
relishing the job, some of the party devised a plan whereby the load might b=
e=20
considerably lightened. Slyly collecting scraps of hoop iron, they employed=20
their leisure time in breaking it into small bits, which they could conceal=20
in the palm of the hand, whetting the edge on the stone walls of the prison.=20
Thus armed, they started out almost gaily for the next day's work. They were=20
loaded up at the river and started citywards. On pretence of easing their=20
burdens, they put their hands underneath the sand bags and with the=20
improvised knives cut holes in the bags, so that little streams of sand bega=
n=20
to trickle down, constantly diminishing the load until some of the bags=20
contained less than a quart by the time the town was reached. The officers i=
n=20
charge of the gang eyed the perforated bags suspiciously and instituted a=20
search for the instruments employed to do the mischief. Failing to find=20
anything suspicious, they produced new bags and again went for the sand. But=20
the bags continued to spring leaks, giving the road over which they passed a=20
beautiful coat of sand, but there was none left in the bags by the time they=20
reached their destination. The supply of bags and also the patience of the=20
guards becoming exhausted, they devised another plan to utilise the physical=20
powers of the "brutes". They rigged up rawhide harnesses, composed of breast=20
and shoulder straps, with which they invested the prisoners, and coupling=20
them together in long strings, hitched them to wagons and set out for the=20
mountains to bring in stone for paving the streets. There was no chance to=20
shirk then, as they were accompanied by drivers, who treated them exactly as=20
they did mules, except that the "teams" were made to load and unload the=20
stone. Long suffering, with scarcely a hope of relief, had made them=20
reckless, and they desperately resolved to put an end to the stone hauling,=20
for one day at least, even at the risk of more serious consequences. During=20
the night they arranged their plans. They were driven as usual to the=20
mountains on the following morning, loading up the wagon and starting on the=20
return with remarkable docility. Everything went so smoothly that the guards=20
began to congratulate themselves on having at last found the means of=20
subduing the lively Texans. It was but the calm before the storm. Arriving a=
t=20
the top of the long incline, they were allowed to stop and take breath. When=20
the word was given to start again it was obeyed with an alacrity that=20
astonished the natives. John Taney and his mates were working in the lead.=20
Taney gave a loud snort, and simultaneously the whole team kicked up their=20
heels and started on a mad race down the hill; running over stone in the=20
road, the stone in the wagon were thrown this way and that, making it warm i=
n=20
the vicinity of the road; but on they went, knocking down and running over=20
several of the guards who attempted to stop them, and at length in true=20
runaway style swerving from the road crashed the wagon against a tree,=20
utterly demolishing it.=20

After a short freedom the prisoners were recaptured. When they were brought=20
back to Saltillo they learned that President Santa Anna had ordered everyone=20
executed. General Mejia refused to obey the order and was arrested, removed=20
from his office and replaced by Colonel Domingo Huerta. The prisoners were=20
then marched from Saltillo to El Rancho Salado where they were met with a=20
order from Santa Anna that one-tenth of them were to be shot. On 25th March=20
1843, to carry out the order Huerta had 176 beans put in an earthen pot, of=20
which 159 beans were white and 17 were black. The Texans, chained together i=
n=20
pairs, were blindfolded and ordered to draw beans. The Officers went first.=20
It was done in alphabetical order. The black beans were on top, hoping to ge=
t=20
the Officers first, but the Texans quickly caught on and shouted to their=20
compatriots to dig deep. Those who drew the black beans were immediately=20
separated from the others and given a chance to write home. Then nine of the=
m=20
were bound together, set upon a log and shot within hearing of their=20
companions. One played dead and tried to escape and was shot again. The=20
remaining eight were then executed in the same manner.=20

<Picture: President Santa Anna>President Santa Anna <Picture: State of=20
Texas>State of Texas=20

Back at the Perote Prison, eight men tunnelled under the prison walls and=20
were again retaken. The prison was floored with large flat stones laid in=20
cement: the prisoners managed to remove one of these stones and with only=20
bits of iron and the horn spoons given them to eat with they excavated a=20
tunnel, concealing the dirt under their pallets. When all was in readiness=20
they filed off their irons and got out, but were not enabled to get away.=20
They cut off their irons and hid them under a stone which they had loosened,=20
concealing them so successfully that the Mexicans never found them during=20
their stay.=20

They had again completed a tunnel, but upon learning through the United=20
States minister that there was a prospect of their early release they=20
abandoned the attempt to escape. After their release the Officer in charge o=
f=20
the prison asked as a special favour that they tell where the missing irons=20
were stored, but even this small favour they stubbornly refused to grant,=20
averring that "they would be used on some other poor fellows".

At length, in 1844, the last of the prisoners were set at liberty and allowe=
d=20
to depart to Texas, leaving behind them the bones of many of their comrades,=20
some of whom had fallen in battle, the seventeen who drew the fatal black=20
beans and many who had died of disease and harsh treatment while confined in=20
the foul dungeons of Perote and other prisons. One of the survivor's went=20
back to the area afterwards and made a side trip with some fellow soldiers t=
o=20
kidnap the mayor of the town and demand that they dig the bones up of the me=
n=20
who died in the black bean episode. The soldier brought the bones back to=20
America and there was a hero's funeral for them=85=85 over 100 came to the=20
funeral, even Sam Houston=20

------------------------------------------------------------------------
CASH John LCOCKE James DDUNHAM Robert HEASTLAND William MESTE Edward EHARRIS=20
RobertJONES Thomas LMAHER PatrickOGDEN James MROBERTS ChristopherROWAN=20
WilliamSHEPHERD James L.THOMPSON Joseph N.M.TORREY James NTURNBULL=20
JamesWHALEN HenryWING Martin C=A0=20

The Names of the 17 Prisoners Who Drew The Black Beans and Were=20

Executed

FROM Monument Hill State Historic Site Booklet=20

The Dawson & Mier Expeditions and Their Place in Texas History

------------------------------------------------------------------------

NAMES OF SOME OF THE PRISONERS WHO DREW WHITE BEANS AND THEIR DESCENDENTS=20

ATTWOODWilliam Frome SOM ENGCarolyn HARRIS BROWN=20
died 1893 Rusk Co. Texas RichardPhiladelphia=20

Born 1808=20

Sandra CLOPTONWilliam Anthony Davidson County=20
Tennessee James CLOPTON GOODMANStephen Tennessee Faye COX=20
HENSLEYCharles Billie BRYANT HILLAsaEdgecomb=
e=20
County, North Carolina Marilyn BRIENMIDDLETONBenjamin Donna LONAN=20
MULLENJohn SHAWJames=20
JosephTennesseeMarilyn BRIENSHAWPeter VandykeShelby County, Kentucky Marilyn=20
BRIENSHIPMAN=20
died 21 May 1843John McMinn TexasJeanette Probst TABB=20

Nadine SHIPMAN SINKWITZ

Roy SHIPMAN

=20





THURGOOD Arthur SAllelia Worrall SCOTT VAN DYKE
died 3 August 1881WilsonSouth CarolinaGary=20
A.A.(Bigfoot) Morgan Co. AlabamaJulie=20
COX-WILSON Robert Illogan Cornwall ENG Elwyn=20
RIGBY Box 495 MERBEIN 3505 AUS =20

Charles=20

21-8-1818 YorkshireDavid A WILSONDavid A. Wilson=20
4608 Trail Crest Circle=20
Austin, TX 78735=20
=20

------------------------------------------------------------------------

<Picture: Links>

Lone Star Junction
Cyndi's Texas Links
<Picture: Mier Prison>Mier Prison=20
Eastland - named after William M EASTLAND, Captain B. Company

Sons of DeWitt Colony Texas: http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt.htm.

Here's some descendants with a web site:

http://www.seanet.com/~clopton/d_hist/hamer002.html

James B. Clopton

and Ben M. Clopton, =20

Full List of Mier Expedition Troops

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alan Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, England

Home Page: http://members.tripod.com/~AlanCheshire/index.html=20

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Email me with your name of the prisoner of the Mier Expedition, whether he=20
drew a white or black bean, his State/County and Country of birth, your name=20
and email address.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

<Picture>

WebMaster : Sirrah Computing.
Revised: December 13, 1998.
Copyright =A9 1997 by Tall Trees Family History.
All trademarks or product names mentioned herein are the property of their=20
respective owners.

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