Augustus William Magee (also McGee); (1789 – February 6, 1813) was a U.S. Army

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

and later a military

filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out ...

who led the

Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition The Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition was an 1812–1813 joint filibustering expedition by Mexico and the United States against Spanish Texas during the early years of the Mexican War of Independence. Background In 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Cos ...

into

Spanish Texas Spanish Texas was one of the interior provinces of the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1690 until 1821. The term "interior provinces" first appeared in 1712, as an expression meaning "far away" provinces. It was only in 1776 that a lega ...

in 1812.

Early life and military career

Augustus Magee was born in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1809, he graduated third in his class at

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

. Magee served as an artillery officer under

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

James Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American soldier, politician, and double agent who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, b ...

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

, and then at

Fort Jesup Fort Jesup, also known as Fort Jesup State Historic Site or Fort Jesup or Fort Jesup State Monument, was built in 1822, west of Natchitoches, Louisiana, to protect the United States border with New Spain and to return order to the Neutral Strip ...

under future president

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

. He was effective but harsh in his treatment of settlers and outlaws, in the disputed Neutral Ground between the Arroyo Hondo and the Sabine River. Magee was recommended for promotion to a higher rank, but refused the promotion. Frustrated with his prospects in the army, he considered

Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara José Bernardo Maximiliano Gutiérrez de Lara (August 20, 1774 – May 13, 1841) was an advocate and organizer of Mexican independence and the first constitutional governor of the state of Tamaulipas, and a native of Revilla, today Ciudad Guerr ...

's plan to support the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de México, links=no, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, co ...

via an invasion of

from American soil, even though this proposal defied the Neutrality Act. Magee resigned his army commission in June 1812 and personally recruited many of the soldiers for a military filibustering expedition, taking the rank of colonel alongside Gutiérrez.

Filibuster

Leaving Natchitoches with 130 men on August 2, 1812, the group crossed the Sabine six days later. On August 10, Magee was joined by General Gutiérrez; on the 16th, the force entered

Nacogdoches Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchitoch ...

. The army, now swollen to about 300 soldiers, occupied Santísima Trinidad de Salcedo (now Trinidad, Texas) on the Trinity River, in mid-September. It was here that Magee became ill. Some sources attribute this to

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

, but the papers of

Mirabeau Lamar Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar (August 16, 1798 – December 25, 1859) was an attorney born in Georgia, who became a Texas politician, poet, diplomat, and soldier. He was a leading Texas political figure during the Texas Republic era. He was elec ...

preserve the Texan rumor that Magee was poisoned by his own men, many of whom were among those he had previously mistreated during his former command. Even though very ill, Magee remained in nominal military command. He died while under siege at the Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la Bahía in what is now

Goliad, Texas Goliad ( ) is a city in Goliad County, Texas, United States. It is known for the 1836 Goliad massacre during the Texas Revolution. It had a population of 1,620 at the 2020 census. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Gol ...

, and was succeeded as commander of the expedition by

Samuel Kemper Samuel Kemper (died 1814) was an American adventurer and filibuster. Filibustering activities Born in Fauquier County, Virginia, Kemper was involved, along with his brothers Reuben and Nathan Kemper, in the 1804 rebellion against Spanish autho ...

, who successfully ended the siege by the Royalists the following month.

References

Sources

* * Davis, William C. ''The Pirates Laffite and The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf''. New York: Harcourt, 2005. p. 141. * Lamar, Mirabeau
"Information from Capt. Gaines."
1835. Retrieved 13 February 2010. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Magee, Augustus 1789 births 1813 deaths People of Spanish Texas American filibusters (military)

Early life and military career

Filibuster

See also

References

Sources