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 Costilla began a revolt against the Royalist Spanish in Mexico, which would initiate the Mexican War of Independence. Likewise, in 1811, Juan Bautista de las Casas led a revolt against Spain at San Antonio, capturing the Spanish governor.Almaráz, p. 118. The Spanish struck back, however, crushing the revolt. Governor Manuel María de Salcedo was restored to power. Father Hidalgo was executed in July, in Chihuahua, while de las Casas and his associates were executed in August.Almaráz, p. 120-124.

The remaining rebels then turned to the United States for help. Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara, a blacksmith from Nuevo Santander, traveled to Washington, D.C., but he received little more than an assurance that the U.S. would not interfere with his plans.

After trying the U.S. government's patience, he entertained the idea of a filibuster, consulting as many as would listen, including his cousin Guerro Caja de las Casas. They both traveled to Louisiana, to seek support for their filibuster. They met with Governor William C. C. Claiborne and William Shaler in New Orleans.

The expedition

Gutiérrez gained the support of Augustus Magee and formed a force of 130 men at Natchitoches, Louisiana. In early August, The men then crossed into Spanish Texas and captured the town of Nacogdoches. In Texas their numbers increased to 300, and they proceeded to take the town of Santísima Trinidad de Salcedo (located on the east bank of the Trinity River at Spanish Bluff, ten miles downriver from the present Highway 31 crossing), on September 13. Their success would push them on; they traveled southward, to conquer the next Spanish stronghold.

The Spanish governor Manuel María de Salcedo, with about 800 men, was patrolling the Guadalupe River area, in search of the revolutionaries. He later found them on the lower San Antonio River at Goliad. They had easily taken and were controlling the Spanish fort there, Presidio La Bahia. Magee was besieged for four months. He negotiated with the Spanish military leaders and considered surrendering, but he finally decided to fight. However, Magee's army lost confidence in him, and discord spread among the republican leaders. Magee died on February 6, 1813, following a long illness, and Samuel Kemper succeeded to the command. Captain John McFarland was sent to find new recruits: volunteers from Nacogdoches, Spanish army defectors, and a few Coushatta Indians joined in.

Kemper beat back the governor's attacks. On February 10 and 13, Kemper successfully defeated Salcedo, who retreated toward San Antonio on February 19. In March, Kemper's forces again swelled, by some 500 men. The expedition would pursue the Spanish, now in Bexar. Joining the Republican Army in the pursuit to San Antonio were volunteers, consisting of Americans, Tejanos, former Spanish soldiers, and Lipan and Tonkawa Indians. On March 29, they defeated Simón de Herrera's Spanish army of 1,200 men, at the Battle of Rosillo Creek (Salado Creek

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