The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964 Page: 483
672 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Texas Military Operations Against Mexico
Chihuahua trail, Snively reached the Arkansas River by May
27, and camped on the right bank." Soon he met some men from
Bent's Fort who reported that the Mexican caravan was expected
to pass the Texan camp on its return to Santa Fe in about
eighteen days. Snively immediately sent out spies who ascer-
tained the number of the Mexican guard to be six hundred.
As the caravan was still deep inside United States territory there
was nothing for the Texans to do but wait.
On June 17, the Texans received news that the caravan, com-
posed of sixty wagons, was slowly approaching. It was also
learned that Captain Phillip St. George Cooke and a body of
United States dragoons accompanied the wagons as an escort.
On June 20, the Texans defeated the Mexican advance guard
but still the caravan did not come. A skirmish with the Indians
and the failure to receive any news of the caravan caused some
of the Snively men to decide to withdraw. About seventy men
chose Captain Eli Chandler their leader and started upon the
trail for home."'
Captain Cooke and his dragoons appeared on June 30. An
officer was dispatched by Cooke to the Snively encampment for
the purpose of ascertaining who the Texans were and why they
were there. This officer proceeded to inform the Texans that they
were on United States soil and must surrender their arms.
Snively protested this decision, assuring the American officer
that they were on Texas soil. The Americans adopted a firm
attitude, however, refusing to consider the question. Weakened
by the loss of seventy of his men to the Chandler group, Snively
necessarily acquiesced to Cooke's demands, as Cooke had one
hundred and ninety-six mounted regular troops and the advan-
tage of two pieces of field artillery."8
one of its members, Steward A. Miller, are essential for any understanding of the
Snively expedition.
"For the route followed by the Snively expedition, see ibid., 268-272.
67Carroll, ibid., 281, notes that instead of heading for Texas Chandler led his
followers back toward Arkansas.
s"Snively to George W. Hill, Secretary of War and Marine, July g, 1843, in Gar-
rison (ed.), Diplomatic Correspondence, II, 218-22o. The Texans actually kept most
of their arms, turning over to Cooke instead those weapons previously taken from
the Mexicans. For the controversy between Texas and the United States over Cooke's483
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964, periodical, 1964; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101197/m1/561/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.