Joseph Bonnell
Encyclopedia
Joseph Bonnell was a formally recognized hero of the Texas Revolution
. He was a West Point graduate (Class of 1825) and a member of The Long Gray Line
(a phrase used to describe all graduates and cadets of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York).
, was an official witness to the US and Caddo Indian Treaty of July 1, 1835 in which the Caddo Indians sold all of their lands in the United States to the United States. Lieutenant Bonnell asked to read the treaty before the chiefs signed and was refused by the US Agent. After the signing, it was discovered that the US Agent had included a hidden provision by which associates of the US Agent were enriched. Lieutenant Bonnell gave a deposition for the benefit of the Caddos which ultimately reached the US Supreme Court in US v. Brooks, 51 US 445 (1850).
of the Texas Army who asked Bonnell to be his Aide-de-Camp, an appointment approved by the government of Texas. Bonnell performed the duties of Aide by providing General Houston with a comprehensive report on how to organize and establish an army. General Houston recommended that Bonnell be commissioned as a Captain in the Regular Army of Texas, and this was done by the government of Texas.
,” there were many reports of as many as 1,700 hostile Indians massing in East Texas. This threatened the security of General Houston’s Army and the settlers in Texas. On April 7, 1836, US Major General Edmund P. Gaines
, then commander of the southwest military division of the United States at Fort Jesup, Louisiana, ordered Bonnell to go into East Texas by himself to quell the Indian uprising.
at the famed Battle of San Jacinto
. Bonnell returned to Fort Jesup and wrote his report on April 20, 1836, the day before the Battle of San Jacinto.
, who later became Commanding General of the Texas Army and Secretary of War of the Republic of Texas when the new capital was built in Austin. In August 1836, three months after the Battle of San Jacinto, Sam Houston, Joseph Bonnell, and Albert Sidney Johnston were all in Nacogdoches, Texas.
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
. He was a West Point graduate (Class of 1825) and a member of The Long Gray Line
The Long Gray Line
The Long Gray Line is a 1955 American drama film directed by John Ford based on the life of Marty Maher. Tyrone Power stars as the scrappy Irish immigrant whose 50-year career at West Point took him from dishwasher to non-commissioned officer and athletic instructor.Maureen O'Hara, one of Ford's...
(a phrase used to describe all graduates and cadets of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York).
Formal recognition by Texas Legislature
His heroism in support of the War for Texas Independence is acknowledged in Texas House of Representatives Resolution #615 "Paying tribute to the life of Lieutenant Joseph Bonnell, hero of the Texas Revolution, and commemorating the placement of a historical marker at his grave site", which was adopted on 3/17/2005 by the 79th Texas Legislature. The resolution reads in part: "...he successfully quelled an uprising...through a peaceful negotiation with Caddo Chief Cortes; his efforts helped enable General Sam Houston to focus the full strength of his army on defeating Mexican troops led by Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at the famed Battle of San Jacinto, effectively securing the independence of the Republic of Texas."1835 Caddo Indian Treaty
Joseph Bonnell, First Lieutenant, 3rd Infantry Regiment, US Army, Fort Jesup, LouisianaLouisiana Territory
The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805 until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed to Missouri Territory...
, was an official witness to the US and Caddo Indian Treaty of July 1, 1835 in which the Caddo Indians sold all of their lands in the United States to the United States. Lieutenant Bonnell asked to read the treaty before the chiefs signed and was refused by the US Agent. After the signing, it was discovered that the US Agent had included a hidden provision by which associates of the US Agent were enriched. Lieutenant Bonnell gave a deposition for the benefit of the Caddos which ultimately reached the US Supreme Court in US v. Brooks, 51 US 445 (1850).
1835-1836 appointment and commission in Texas Army
Bonnell’s integrity and character came to the attention of Major General Sam HoustonSam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
of the Texas Army who asked Bonnell to be his Aide-de-Camp, an appointment approved by the government of Texas. Bonnell performed the duties of Aide by providing General Houston with a comprehensive report on how to organize and establish an army. General Houston recommended that Bonnell be commissioned as a Captain in the Regular Army of Texas, and this was done by the government of Texas.
Situation in March/April 1836
In March and April 1836, during the “Runaway ScrapeRunaway Scrape
The Runaway Scrape was the name given to the flight and subsequent hostilities that occurred, as Texan, Tejano, and American settlers and militia encountered the pursuing Mexican army in early 1836....
,” there were many reports of as many as 1,700 hostile Indians massing in East Texas. This threatened the security of General Houston’s Army and the settlers in Texas. On April 7, 1836, US Major General Edmund P. Gaines
Edmund P. Gaines
Edmund Pendleton Gaines was a United States army officer who served with distinction during the War of 1812, the Seminole Wars and the Black Hawk War.-Early life:...
, then commander of the southwest military division of the United States at Fort Jesup, Louisiana, ordered Bonnell to go into East Texas by himself to quell the Indian uprising.
One tribal uprising - one infantry lieutenant
Bonnell found the Indian villages empty except for women and children, the warriors having gone to the field. He finally located Caddo Chief Cortes and negotiated with him to have the warriors return to the villages in peace. Bonnell successfully completed his dangerous mission, which was of great benefit to General Houston and the Texas Army by allowing General Sam Houston to focus the full strength of his army on defeating Mexican troops led by Antonio Lopez de Santa AnnaAntonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
at the famed Battle of San Jacinto
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...
. Bonnell returned to Fort Jesup and wrote his report on April 20, 1836, the day before the Battle of San Jacinto.
Bonnell, Houston, and West Point graduates
The sword carried by General Houston in the Battle of San Jacinto was given to him by his friend, Joseph Bonnell. Bonnell had been in West Point with Texas Army Lieutenant William S. Stilwell who was with the “Twin Sisters” artillery at the Battle of San Jacinto. Bonnell was also at West Point with Albert Sidney JohnstonAlbert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texas Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army...
, who later became Commanding General of the Texas Army and Secretary of War of the Republic of Texas when the new capital was built in Austin. In August 1836, three months after the Battle of San Jacinto, Sam Houston, Joseph Bonnell, and Albert Sidney Johnston were all in Nacogdoches, Texas.
1840 - end of life
Captain Joseph Bonnell, US Army, died on September 27, 1840 at the home of his brother in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Addendum
It was Bonnell who discovered the plot of Manuel Flores to incite the tribes to war against Texas.Sources
- http://www.west-point.org/joseph_bonnell/mt-bonnell_narrative_history
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRNTiKzYpq8&feature=sub
- http://www.west-point.org/joseph_bonnell/
- http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/fboat.html
- http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/79R/billtext/pdf/HR00615I.pdf
- http://www.kbsb.com/lydia_joseph_bonnell/Bnl_4151_a.jpg
- http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=79R&Bill=HR615
- http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=29786