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1842.]
ERA OF THEf REPUBLIC.
225
they could gather, however, the enemy had gone. Many
of the soldiers were anxious to cross the Rio Grancle and
pursue the Mexicans, but the leaders, knowing Texas had
no money to carry on a war, persuaded the patriot army
to await a better opportunity.
Special Session of Congress.-In June, 1842, the
President called a special session of Congress to meet at
IIouston.* Congress, realizing that the Republic was in
danger, passed a bill authorizing Houston to assume the
powers of a dictator, and to sell ten million acres of
public land to defray the expenses of an offensive war
against Mexico. Houston vetoed this bill. As, however,
there was not a dollar in the treasury to pay agents to
dispose of this land, the measure would really have done
* Houston was named as the place of meeting because Austin was not con-
sidered safe, as it was thought the Mexicans would soon make a strong effort to
capture that city. When the officers wished to remove from Austin some State
papers that were needed by Congress, the people of Austin objected. They claimed
that Houston was partial to the city named in his honor, and was continually
planning to move the capital back to Houston. A Vigilance Committee was
formed, the archives were packed in boxes and a guard placed over them. In
December, 1842, President fouston instructed Captains Thomas Smith and Eli
Chambers to raise a band of Rangers, march to Austin, seize the papers and bring
them to Washington, where the Texas Congress was soon to meet. The real cause
of the expedition was not to be revealed even to the soldiers themselves until they
were near the capital. The leaders were ordered, under all circumstances, to avoid
bloodshed. On the night of December 30 the Rangers entered Austin, hastened
to the capitol, placed the boxes containing the archives in their wagons, and
drove away. The guards were totally unprepared for the raid and made no at-
tempt to interfere with the Rangers. NText day, however, the Vigilance Com.
mittee, under Captain Mark Lewis, taking a cannon from the arsenal, hurried inr
pursuit. At Kinney's Fort on Brushy Creek Captains Smith and Chambers saw
they must either give battle or surrender the archives. In obedience to President
Houston's orders to avoid bloodshed, they gave up the papers to the Vigilance
Committee, who returned them to the capitol. Captains Smith and Chambers
quietly retired with their men and reported the details of the expedition to Hous-
ton. This trouble has been called the Archive War.
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Pennybacker, Anna J. Hardwicke. A new history of Texas for schools : also for general reading and for teachers preparing themselves for examination, book, 1895; Palestine, Tex.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth2388/m1/241/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .