GenChat-L Archives

Archiver > GenChat > 1999-04 > 0924207955


From: "Jimmy E. Cooley" <>
Subject: Re: [GenChat-L] Fwd: THE MIER EXPEDITION...1843
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 16:25:55 -0400


What's the purpose for this message ????

Should we know about this expedition for genealogy research ??

JIMMY
----- Original Message -----
From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 1999 3:26 PM
Subject: [GenChat-L] Fwd: THE MIER EXPEDITION...1843

> --part1_1b7d4c0.24479754_boundary
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>
>
> --part1_1b7d4c0.24479754_boundary
> Content-Type: message/rfc822
> Content-Disposition: inline
>
> Return-path:
> From:
> Full-name: Wtynf
> Message-ID: <>
> Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 00:09:52 EDT
> Subject: THE MIER EXPEDITION...1843
> To: ,
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
> X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 10
> Reply-To:
>
>
>
> 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.
>
> --part1_1b7d4c0.24479754_boundary--
>

This thread: