The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 27, July 1923 - April, 1924 Page: 99
344 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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New Mexico and the Texan Santa Fe Expedition
the Colorado River.44 In transmitting this news to Mexico City,
he stated that since 1839 the loyalty of the lower classes in New
Mexico had been gradually changing in favor of the foreigners;
the Indians were being bribed by the Texans to make peace; his
own funds were so low that he could not counteract these bribes;
and that he could depend only upon the support of government
employees and a few veteran troops. Since a majority of the
people were favorable to the Texans, he felt that unless he could
receive assistance before the expedition arrived his only recourse
would be to flee with the few officials who would remain loyal.45
When this report is considered in connection with Dryden's
letters to Lamar, it seems evident that if the Texans could have
carried out their plans to arrive in Santa Fe in June, 1841, the
outcome of the enterprise would have been success instead of the
failure which attended their appearance three months later. The
two reports agree as to the favorable attitude of an appreciable
portion of the New Mexicans toward Texas; and Armijo's account
shows clearly that he was not at that time prepared to withstand
any organized intrusion. But this condition was soon to be
changed as a result of the work of Mexican officials outside of
New Mexico. The Mexican government had received so many
messages of alarm from Armijo during the past two years that
it apparently failed to take his reports seriously until it had be-
gun to receive similar information from other sources.
General Mariano Arista, who was in command of the Mexican
forces along the Rio Grande, kept agents in Texas to watch de-
velopments, and early in May Santiago Vidaurri, one of these
agents, reported fully concerning plans which were being made
at Austin for sending an expedition to Santa F6.46 This report
was soon verified by two other agents, Antonio de la Garza and
Antonio Cortasar, who arrived at Arista's headquarters on May 6
and May 11, respectively, and the information thus secured was
speedily despatched to the central government, and to the mili-
tary officials in Durango, Chihuahua, and New Mexico.47 It is
interesting to note that on the very same day that President
"Lovato to Armijo, May 31, 1841.
"Armijo to Minister of War, June 3, 1841.
"Vidaurri to Arista, May 5, 1841.
"7Arista to Minister of War, May 11, 1841.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 27, July 1923 - April, 1924, periodical, 1924; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101086/m1/105/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.