Robert M. Coleman (1793 – July 1, 1837) was a Texan and later American politician, soldier, and aide-de-camp to

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...

. Coleman was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, a Colonel, and a transitional founder of the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...

into the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

as a constituent state. His opposition to the strategies of Sam Houston regarding defense of the

Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...

and troop placements on up through the Battle of San Jacinto caused a rift with Houston and a posturing treatise. This lent suspicion to Coleman's death by drowning. Coleman was appointed one of the first Texas Rangers. His outpost, Coleman's Fort, was later named Fort Colorado. Early writers on Coleman include Noah Smithwick, a contemporary frontiersman who was stationed at Coleman's Fort. Coleman is referenced in Smithwick's book ''Recollections of Old Texas Days''. On February 1, 1858, he became the posthumous namesake of Coleman County, Texas. This led to Coleman City, Coleman Lake, and many other features, places, businesses, and identifiers in Coleman County also bearing his name.

Suspicious drowning

Coleman died in 1837 at

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater Dr ...

. He supposedly drowned, though there are suspicions of foul play.''Robert Morris Coleman, Texas Patriot''
Online version of Sherrianne Coleman Nicol's writing found within lineal notes of pages maintained as ''Mobjack Bay Colemans'', privately published on the website Ancestry dot com at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mobjackbaycolemans/g05robtmorris.htm Last Known Retrieval April 27, 2016.

References

Bibliography * ''The Texas Revolution''; Brinkley, William; Texas A&M Press: . * ''Sword of San Jacinto'', Marshall DeBruhl; Random House: . * ''The Raven: A Biography of Sam Houston''; James, Marquis; University of Texas Press: . * '' The Eagle and the Raven''; Michener, James A.; State House Press: .

External links

Biography of Robert M. Coleman in the Texas Handbook Online published by the Texas State Historical Association.

Fort Colorado historical marker of Texas
Texas Historical Commission site database regarding Marker Number 14229, Atlas Number 5507014229
Description of Fort Coleman aka Fort Colorado
Texas State Historical Association handbook online article about Coleman's Fort. {{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Robert M. 19th-century American politicians American emigrants to Mexico People of the Texas Revolution 1790s births 1837 deaths Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence

Suspicious drowning

See also

References

External links