José María Jesús Carbajal
Encyclopedia
José María Jesús Carbajal (1809–1874) (also spelled Caravajal, Carvajal, Carabajal and Carbahal) was a Mexican freedom fighter, who opposed the Centralist government installed by Antonio López de Santa Anna
. Carbajal was a direct descendant of Canary Islands
settlers who emigrated to San Antonio, Texas
in the 18th Century. As a teenager in San Antonio, he was mentored by Stephen F. Austin
, and came under the spiritual guidance of Alexander Campbell while attending school in Virginia
. He was a surveyor by trade, and a politician as a result of historical events. Carbajal married into the influential De Leon family of Victoria, Texas. He called himself "a true Mexican" whose allegiance lay with the people of Mexico
. Carbajal opposed the dictatorship and political machine of Santa Anna. He turned his back on the Republic of Texas
and moved to Mexico, where he conducted guerrilla warfare
against Mexico's Centralist government. Carbajal was active in the establishment of the Republic of the Rio Grande
, and made an unsuccessful attempt at establishing the break-away Republic of Sierra Madre. Indicted twice in the United States for his activities, Carbajal was never convicted in a court of law. He was an early supporter of Benito Juárez
, and was appointed military governor of Tamaulipas
.
, to soldier José Antonio Carbajal Peña and his wife María Gertrudis Sánchez Soto. The family was directly descended from Jeronimo Carbajal, who came to San Antonio with other Canary Islands
settlers in the 18th Century. José Antonio died while José María was a young child, leaving his widow and eleven children to survive in a community that was beginning to receive Anglo settlers. Among the Anglos the family befriended was Stephen F. Austin
, who took young José María under his mentorship.
in 1823 with merchant Littleberry Hawkins and learn the tanning trade from Hawkins' brother-in-law Blanchard. Two years later, Carbajal moved to Lexington
to train under a saddle maker by the name of Peter Hedenbergh.
Carbajal converted from Catholicism
to Protestantism
in 1826 and was baptized in the Reformed Baptist Church of Lexington. It was at this church that Carbajal heard theologian Alexander Campbell of Bethany, Virginia. Campbell enrolled Carbajal in Bethany College
, and Carbajal roomed in the Campbell home for the next two years.
Carbajal had returned to Texas in 1830 and requested Austin's assistance in marketing bibles that had been translated into Spanish
by the Bishop of Madrid. The price of the bibles was to be on a sliding scale, depending on an individual's ability to pay. It is unknown whether Austin involved himself with the Bible sales. Austin did, however, have such sufficient faith in Carbajal's character and abilities by 1832 that Austin detailed him to New Orleans on a personal issue, to meet with Rezin Bowie
and collect a debt owed to Austin by the Bowie family.
. Stephen F. Austin sponsored him in obtaining employment as the official surveyor for empresario
Martín De León
and his wife Patricia de la Garza De León
to plat the town of Victoria, Texas
. The market square he originally laid out is now known as DeLeon Plaza and Bandstand
. Carbajal married the De Leon daughter María del Refugia De León Garza and became one of the colonists who settled in the De Leon land grant.
The Law of April 6, 1830
of Mexico had been passed to stop the tide of Anglo immigration into the country, hoping to safeguard against the annexation of Texas by the United States
. The state government of Coahuila y Tejas
sent Carbajal and Jose Francisco Madero to conduct land grant surveys in East Texas
in January 1831, for settlers who had been residing outside the authority of any other empresario grants prior to 1828. A confrontation about the granting of the titles arose between Madero and Mexican Colonel Juan Davis Bradburn
, who was the military governor over Galveston Bay
. After correspondence disputing Madero's authority to make the surveys, and Madero's faux pas
of not making a courtesy call to discuss the issue, Bradburn issued a directive on February 13, instructing Madero to meet with him. When Madero ignored that order, Bradburn immediately arrested both Madero and Carbajal. The two remained incarcerated for ten days. They were released, pending Bradburn's receiving further direction from Mexico City
. Madero and Carbajal resumed their surveying, filing sixty completed land titles. On April 12, the government in Saltillo
sent Madero orders to stop surveying in Bradburn's territory, but the work had already been completed by that date.
local government. In 1832, Carbajal had a seat on the Nacogdoches
town council. He was also instrumental in assisting the town of Liberty
with setting up its own town council.
Antonio López de Santa Anna
was elected President of Mexico on April 1, 1833, after effecting the ouster and exile of President Anastasio Bustamante
. Santa Anna revoked the 1824 Constitution of Mexico
and replaced its Federalist
form of government with a Centralist regime to further his military dictatorship. He appointed his brother-in-law Martín Perfecto de Cos
as commandant-general northeast of Saltillo.
Carbajal had been ad interim
secretary for the ayuntamiento
of Bexar. In the spring of 1835, he was elected deputy to the legislature of Coahuila y Texas, as one of Bexar's pro-immigration liberals. In March, Carbajal was elected secretary and authorized to publish the laws and decrees of the state in English and Spanish. Carbajal, along with James Grant
and John Marie Durst
of Nacogdoches
were on the Committee of Civic Militia and Colonization. Carbajal met with Samuel May Williams, whom he had known through Stephen F. Austin. Williams wanted to enlist Carbajal's help in passage of a new law he planned to introduce.
The Four Hundred League Law, was first proposed as Decree 278 and passed April 19, 1834. It authorized the governor to sell up to four hundred leagues (1.5 million acres) in Texas, in order to generate income for the state treasury for the purpose of a volunteer militia to protect the citizenry specifically against Indian attacks. Samuel May Williams and John Durst introduced Decree 293, which passed on March 14, 1835, and was similar to Decree 278. However, Decree 293 did not limit the funding to protection against Indian attacks. 293 also lifted restrictions for the method of selling the four hundred leagues of land. On March 16, Williams, Durst and Grant proposed to buy the four hundred leagues themselves, before the land went on sale to the public. Grant also gave Williams his power of attorney in the sales. The appearance of conflict of interest angered many. Some saw the potential of a militia as a possible threat against Santa Anna.
General Cos declared the new law illegal. On March 31, 1835, the Central Government passed the Federal Militia Reduction Act 1835. On April 28, 1835, federal legislation in Mexico invalidated the Four Hundred League Law. The state legislature challenged the federal invalidation, and the two entities found themselves entangled. General Cos sent troops to shut down the legislature, and ordered the arrest of all who voted for the Four Hundred League Law.
Colonel Domingo Ugartechea
, as principal commandant of Coahuila y Texas, ordered Carbajal arrested, but soldiers were unsuccessful in their attempts at doing so when they arrived in Victoria. Upon orders from Victoria's alcalde
, who happened to be Carbajal's brother-in-law Plácido Benavides
, the local Victoria militia blocked the soldiers from entry into Victoria, and the soldiers retreated.
Carbajal had gone into hiding. He described himself as a "true Mexican" who was not in opposition to Mexico, but rather Santa Anna and the Centralist regime he had installed.
, and with Peter Kerr
, who would later found Burnet, Texas
. The trio rounded up horses and mules, and herded them aboard the Hannah Elizabeth to be traded for munitions in New Orleans. During a pursuit by the Mexican warship Bravo on the return trip with the purchased equipment, the crew was forced to dump the cargo into the Gulf of Mexico
. The crew of the Bravo boarded the Hannah Elizabeth, taking several prisoners. Carbajal and De León were incarcerated at Brazos Santiago
, but Kerr was set free. Fernando De León was released with payment of a bribe. Carbajal was transferred to Matamoros, Tamaulipas
, with an intended transfer for imprisonment at San Juan de Ulloa. Plácido Benavides bribed the guards at Matamoros to effect an escape for Carbajal, who afterwards returned to Victoria. The United States government took public credit for release of all prisoners.
During the Texas War of Independence many Mexicans were opposed to Santa Anna's regime, but refused to take up arms against their own people. Carbajal counted himself among those conscientious objectors. Mexicans who refused to take up arms were suspected as sympathizers, if not active allies, of the Santa Anna regime, and they were treated accordingly. Brigadier General Thomas Jefferson Rusk
confiscated the homes of those who wished to remain neutral in the war. In July of 1836, Rusk ordered the Carbajal, Benavides and De Leon families of Victoria escorted off their own land. The two families left for New Orleans. Having been stripped of their wealth and everything they owned, they resorted to manual labor to survive in New Orleans. Carbajal renounced his ties to the new Republic of Texas
.
In 1842, Carbajal's brother-in-law Silvestre De León
returned to Victoria, and was murdered.
recruited insurgents to resist the Centralist troops, and to try to establish a break-away republic. During one of the skirmishes, Carbajal was struck by a musket ball and permamently lost the use of his left arm.
was the opening salvo of the Mexican-American war. Mexico had seen the government of the Republic of Texas
as illegitimate, and hoped for a return of Texas to Mexico. Complicating the annexation issue was the disputed area of the Nueces Strip.
Seeing an opportunity to revive the Federalist cause, Canales Rosillo sent a letter to Zachary Taylor
on January 29, 1846, requesting a meeting with either himself or Carbajal, to discuss United States aid in ousting the Centralist government. During a meeting with Carbajal, Taylor requested Carbajal submit a written proposal. Carbajal's written proposal detailed their request for money, supplies and ammunitions to support their rebellion. Additionally, they wanted Taylor's permission to recruit several thousand volunteers from the United States. In return, the Federalists only offered to retain the status quo situation of the Nueces Strip being open for negotiation. Taylor forwarded the request to Secretary of War William L. Marcy
, who declined the request. Marcy did, however, instruct Taylor that if any Mexicans wanted to cross the border to enlist in the United States military, Taylor was to welcome them.
Carbajal and Canales Rosillo threw their loyalties behind the Centralist government, conducting guerilla warfare in the border regions against the United States. The war came to an end in 1848 with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
The mercantile smuggling industry had developed in the border areas, due to Mexico's ban of some imported goods, and exorbitant import duty on the goods it did allow. The ensuing rebellion over the import tariffs came to be known as the Merchants War. The initial seed money for Carbajal's army was raised in June of 1851 through the sale of Mexican land grants to disgruntled merchants in Texas. An additional $6,000 came from an earlier loan that Carbajal's mother-in-law Patricia de la Garza De León had advanced him before her 1849 death. Carbajal recruited his troops from within Texas, some of whom joined in part because he had promised them recovery of the runaways. Among the recruits were thirty Texas Rangers
led by Colonel John S. Ford
.
In 1851, Carbajal led an incursion of filibuster
troops from Texas into Mexico, and on September 19 attacked Camargo. The captured Mexican troops signed a surrender agreement. Carbajal immediately slashed the Camargo tariff rates for goods coming into Mexico, resulting in an immediate increase of goods, and filling the coffers of the Camargo customs house. His action was countered by Mexican General Francisco Avalos, who announced a tariff cut for any goods entering Mexico through Matamoros
. On October 6, 1851, Carbajal's troops captured Reynosa. On October 20, 1851, Carbajal's troops began their ten-day attack on Matamoros. Avalos and reinforcements put up a fierce resistance. On October 30, Carbajal ordered his troops to retreat.
On November 24, 1851, Carbajal's troops engaged Centralist troops in Cerralvo, and lay siege to the town. On November 27, Carbajal received word that a thousand Centralist reinforcements were about to enter Cerralvo. Carbajal ordered his troops to retreat. In February of 1852, the Carbajal troops again advanced on Camargo. This time they were beaten back by National Guard troops from Ciudad Victoria
, under the command of Antonio Canales Rosillo.
A grand jury in Brownsville, Texas
issued an indictment in January 1852 against Carbajal and others, for violation of the Neutrality Act of 1818. A change of venue to Galveston
was granted. The charges were dismissed on January 2, 1854, due to technicalities on the qualifications of the original grand jurors who brought the indictment. During the Texas state fair held in Corpus Christi
in May 1852, Carbajal was a featured speaker, raising funds and support for his Federalist cause.
Former members of Carbajal's group, led by Major Alfred Norton and A.J. Mason, conducted an armed raid in Carbajal's name on Reynosa on March 25, 1853. General William S. Harney
had Carbajal and some of his associates arrested and indicted on March 31 by U.S. District Attorney William Pitt Ballinger
. Nolle prosequi
(unwilling to pursue) was entered in the case in June of 1855.
.
In October of 1855, Texas Ranger James Hugh Callahan, retreating from a skirmish with Seminole
Indians, burned Piedras Negras to the ground. Carbajal filed a $21,792 damage claim with the United States government, but his claim was denied. In 1856, in the midst of a dispute between Santiago Vidaurri
and Camargo over customs receipts, Carbajal's castle was destroyed.
and New Mexico
. The sale of Mexican lands to the United States was a tipping point that helped foster the Plan of Ayutla
, removing Santa Anna from office once again in 1855. This set the stage for a tug of war between conservatives and liberals in Mexico. Carbajal sided with Minister of Justice Benito Juárez
, who became president of Mexico in 1858.
General David E. Twiggs
abandoned Fort Brown
in 1859. On September 28, Juan Cortina
captured Brownsville, Texas
, to exact revenge on persons he considered his enemies. Two days later, Carbajal led a group of men who persuaded Cortina to depart. When Brownsville formed its own militia, Carbajal loaned the city twenty-five muskets from the National Guard. Cortina continued to cause problems in Mexico, and Carbajal requested the intervention of assistance from the United States.
The contested 1861 election for the seat of governor of Tamaulipas caused Carbajal as head of the Rojas Party, to invade Matamoros. With no clear victory in Carbajal's incursion, Benito Juarez declared martial law in Tamaulipas and named Santiago Vidaurri
as state military commander. Vidaurri ordered Colonel Julian Quiroga into Matamoros to bring an end to the conflict. Carbajal escaped into Texas. Brigadier General Henry McCulloch
ordered Colonel John S. Ford to arrest Carbajal and turn him over to Quiroga. Ford instead told Carbajal of the arrest warrant, and allowed Carbajal to escape. McCullouch then relieved Ford of his command.
Carbajal was appointed military governor of Tamaulipas
in 1864.
, England
, the United States
and Spain
. In January of 1862, France, Great Britain and Spain had taken over the customs house in Veracruz
to recoup some of the monies owed them. Great Britain and Spain eventually withdrew. Napoleon III planned an invasion to acquire Mexico for France.
Juarez enlisted Carbajal as general of the Liberal forces. On November 12, 1864, Juarez authorized Carbajal to enlist upwards of ten thousand foreign citizens. Juan Cortina had been in control of Matamoros, and surrendered the city to the French, under the contole of Tomas Mejia. President Abraham Lincoln
and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton
sent General Lew Wallace
on a covert operation to assist Carbajal in procurement of arms and ammunition. In 1866, Napoleon III withdrew his troops from Mexico. Mejia surrendered Matamoros to Carbajal, who was by then Governor and Military Commandant of Tamaulipas. Seizures of churches from French clerics, and forced loans from French-leaning merchants were part of Carbajal's operations. Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada
appointed Santiago Tapia to replace Carbajal. The military garrison of Matamoros also rebelled against Carbajal.
Carbajal retired in 1870 to his ranch in Mexico. He died in Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas
in 1874, where he had been living since 1872.
Antonio 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...
. Carbajal was a direct descendant of Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
settlers who emigrated to San Antonio, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the 18th Century. As a teenager in San Antonio, he was mentored by Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
, and came under the spiritual guidance of Alexander Campbell while attending school in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He was a surveyor by trade, and a politician as a result of historical events. Carbajal married into the influential De Leon family of Victoria, Texas. He called himself "a true Mexican" whose allegiance lay with the people of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Carbajal opposed the dictatorship and political machine of Santa Anna. He turned his back on the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
and moved to Mexico, where he conducted guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
against Mexico's Centralist government. Carbajal was active in the establishment of the Republic of the Rio Grande
Republic of the Rio Grande
The Republic of the Rio Grande was an independent nation that insurgents against the Central Mexican Government sought to establish in northern Mexico. The rebellion lasted from January 17 to November 6, 1840 and the Republic of the Rio Grande was never officially recognized.- Background :After a...
, and made an unsuccessful attempt at establishing the break-away Republic of Sierra Madre. Indicted twice in the United States for his activities, Carbajal was never convicted in a court of law. He was an early supporter of Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...
, and was appointed military governor of Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
.
Birth and background, Stephen F. Austin
José María Jesús Carbajal was born one of eleven children in 1809 in the villa of San Fernando de Béxar, which would later become San Antonio, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, to soldier José Antonio Carbajal Peña and his wife María Gertrudis Sánchez Soto. The family was directly descended from Jeronimo Carbajal, who came to San Antonio with other Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
settlers in the 18th Century. José Antonio died while José María was a young child, leaving his widow and eleven children to survive in a community that was beginning to receive Anglo settlers. Among the Anglos the family befriended was Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
, who took young José María under his mentorship.
Kentucky, Virginia, return to Texas
Austin obtained parental permission for young Carbajal to travel to Frankfort, KentuckyFrankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
in 1823 with merchant Littleberry Hawkins and learn the tanning trade from Hawkins' brother-in-law Blanchard. Two years later, Carbajal moved to Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
to train under a saddle maker by the name of Peter Hedenbergh.
Carbajal converted from Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
to Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
in 1826 and was baptized in the Reformed Baptist Church of Lexington. It was at this church that Carbajal heard theologian Alexander Campbell of Bethany, Virginia. Campbell enrolled Carbajal in Bethany College
Bethany College (West Virginia)
Bethany College is a private liberal arts college located in Bethany, West Virginia, United States. Founded in 1840, Bethany is the oldest institution of Higher Education in West Virginia.-Location:...
, and Carbajal roomed in the Campbell home for the next two years.
Carbajal had returned to Texas in 1830 and requested Austin's assistance in marketing bibles that had been translated into Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
by the Bishop of Madrid. The price of the bibles was to be on a sliding scale, depending on an individual's ability to pay. It is unknown whether Austin involved himself with the Bible sales. Austin did, however, have such sufficient faith in Carbajal's character and abilities by 1832 that Austin detailed him to New Orleans on a personal issue, to meet with Rezin Bowie
Rezin Bowie
Rezin Pleasant Bowie was an American inventor and designer of the Bowie knife. He also served three terms in the Louisiana Legislature....
and collect a debt owed to Austin by the Bowie family.
Surveyor
Carbajal decided upon the profession of surveyor, completing his studies in his chosen field by 1831. His bi-lingual abilities gave him an advantage when communicating to Anglo settlers the complex legal documents written in SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. Stephen F. Austin sponsored him in obtaining employment as the official surveyor for empresario
Empresario
An empresario was a person who, in the early years of the settlement of Texas, had been granted the right to settle on Mexican land in exchange for recruiting and taking responsibility for new settlers. The word is Spanish for entrepreneur.- Background :...
Martín De León
Martín De León
Martín De León was a rancher and wealthy Mexican empresario descended from Spanish aristocracy. He was the patriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. De León and his wife Patricia de la Garza established De León's Colony, the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas...
and his wife Patricia de la Garza De León
Patricia de la Garza De León
Patricia de la Garza De León was the matriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. Doña Patricia raised ten children, some of whom helped change the course of history. At age 49, she uprooted her life in 1824 to help her husband Martín De León establish the predominantly...
to plat the town of Victoria, Texas
Victoria, Texas
Victoria is a city in and the seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,...
. The market square he originally laid out is now known as DeLeon Plaza and Bandstand
DeLeon Plaza and Bandstand
DeLeon Plaza and Bandstand is 1.77 acres originally platted as the center of the city of Victoria, county of Victoria, in the U.S. state of Texas. The bandstand stood nearby the plaza until it was moved to the center of the plaza in 1923. The William P...
. Carbajal married the De Leon daughter María del Refugia De León Garza and became one of the colonists who settled in the De Leon land grant.
The Law of April 6, 1830
Law of April 6, 1830
The Law of April 6, 1830 was passed in Mexico to counter concerns that Mexican Texas, part of the border state of Coahuila y Texas was in danger of being annexed by the United States.-Background:...
of Mexico had been passed to stop the tide of Anglo immigration into the country, hoping to safeguard against the annexation of Texas by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The state government of Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas was one of the constituent states of the newly established United Mexican States under its 1824 Constitution.It had two capitals: first Saltillo, and then Monclova...
sent Carbajal and Jose Francisco Madero to conduct land grant surveys in East Texas
East Texas
East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
in January 1831, for settlers who had been residing outside the authority of any other empresario grants prior to 1828. A confrontation about the granting of the titles arose between Madero and Mexican Colonel Juan Davis Bradburn
Juan Davis Bradburn
Juan Davis Bradburn , born John Davis Bradburn, was a brigadier general in the Mexican Army. His actions as commandant of the garrison at Anahuac in Mexican Texas in 1831 and 1832 led to the events known as the Anahuac Disturbances....
, who was the military governor over Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay is a large estuary located along the upper coast of Texas in the United States. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by sub-tropic marshes and prairies on the mainland. The water in the Bay is a complex mixture of sea water and fresh water which supports a wide...
. After correspondence disputing Madero's authority to make the surveys, and Madero's faux pas
Faux pas
A faux pas is a violation of accepted social norms . Faux pas vary widely from culture to culture, and what is considered good manners in one culture can be considered a faux pas in another...
of not making a courtesy call to discuss the issue, Bradburn issued a directive on February 13, instructing Madero to meet with him. When Madero ignored that order, Bradburn immediately arrested both Madero and Carbajal. The two remained incarcerated for ten days. They were released, pending Bradburn's receiving further direction from Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. Madero and Carbajal resumed their surveying, filing sixty completed land titles. On April 12, the government in Saltillo
Saltillo
Saltillo is the capital city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. The city is located about 400 km south of the U.S. state of Texas, and 90 km west of Monterrey, Nuevo León....
sent Madero orders to stop surveying in Bradburn's territory, but the work had already been completed by that date.
Coahuila y Tejas
Carbajal, aided by influence from Stephen F. Austin, threw his energies into politics. In May of 1831, Carbajal became part of an elected caucus formed to redress the Mexican government over Bradburn's actions. Six months later in November, Carbajal was appointed to the San FelipeSan Felipe, Texas
San Felipe, also known as San Felipe de Austin, is a town in Austin County, Texas, United States. The town was the social, economic, and political center of the early Stephen F. Austin colony. The population was 868 at the 2000 census.-History:...
local government. In 1832, Carbajal had a seat on the Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches, Texas
Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...
town council. He was also instrumental in assisting the town of Liberty
Liberty, Texas
Liberty is a city in and the county seat of Liberty County, Texas, United States and a part of the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 8,033 at the 2000 census....
with setting up its own town council.
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio 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...
was elected President of Mexico on April 1, 1833, after effecting the ouster and exile of President Anastasio Bustamante
Anastasio Bustamante
Anastasio Bustamante y Oseguera was president of Mexico three times, from 1830 to 1832, from 1837 to 1839 and from 1839 to 1841. He was a Conservative. He first came to power by leading a coup against president Vicente Guerrero...
. Santa Anna revoked the 1824 Constitution of Mexico
1824 Constitution of Mexico
The Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1824 was enacted on October 4 of 1824, after the overthrow of the Mexican Empire of Agustin de Iturbide. In the new constitution, the republic took the name of United Mexican States, and was defined as a representative federal republic, with...
and replaced its Federalist
Federalist
The term federalist describes several political beliefs around the world. Also, it may refer to the concept of federalism or the type of government called a federation...
form of government with a Centralist regime to further his military dictatorship. He appointed his brother-in-law Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos was a 19th-century Mexican general. He was married to Lucinda López de Santa Anna, sister of Antonio López de Santa Anna.-Background:Cós was born in Vera Cruz in the year 1800, the son of an attorney...
as commandant-general northeast of Saltillo.
Carbajal had been ad interim
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
secretary for the ayuntamiento
Ayuntamiento
Ayuntamiento In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . is the general term for the council of a municipality, or sometimes the municipality itself, in Spain and Latin America. Historically Ayuntamiento was often preceded by the word excelentísimo , when referring to...
of Bexar. In the spring of 1835, he was elected deputy to the legislature of Coahuila y Texas, as one of Bexar's pro-immigration liberals. In March, Carbajal was elected secretary and authorized to publish the laws and decrees of the state in English and Spanish. Carbajal, along with James Grant
James Grant (Texas)
James Grant was a 19th century Texas politician, physician and military participant in the Texas Revolution.-Early life:James Grant was born on July 28, 1793, in Killearnan Parish, Ross-shire, Scotland. In 1823, he traveled to northern Mexico, ending up in Texas. He became interested in real...
and John Marie Durst
John Marie Durst
John Marie Durst was an early settler who lived most of his life in Louisiana and Texas. He was a multi-linguist who learned the mercantile trade from his godfather Peter Samuel Davenport. Durst was a veteran of the Battle of New Orleans. He was a legislative representative under Coahuila y Tejas,...
of Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches, Texas
Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...
were on the Committee of Civic Militia and Colonization. Carbajal met with Samuel May Williams, whom he had known through Stephen F. Austin. Williams wanted to enlist Carbajal's help in passage of a new law he planned to introduce.
The Four Hundred League Law, was first proposed as Decree 278 and passed April 19, 1834. It authorized the governor to sell up to four hundred leagues (1.5 million acres) in Texas, in order to generate income for the state treasury for the purpose of a volunteer militia to protect the citizenry specifically against Indian attacks. Samuel May Williams and John Durst introduced Decree 293, which passed on March 14, 1835, and was similar to Decree 278. However, Decree 293 did not limit the funding to protection against Indian attacks. 293 also lifted restrictions for the method of selling the four hundred leagues of land. On March 16, Williams, Durst and Grant proposed to buy the four hundred leagues themselves, before the land went on sale to the public. Grant also gave Williams his power of attorney in the sales. The appearance of conflict of interest angered many. Some saw the potential of a militia as a possible threat against Santa Anna.
General Cos declared the new law illegal. On March 31, 1835, the Central Government passed the Federal Militia Reduction Act 1835. On April 28, 1835, federal legislation in Mexico invalidated the Four Hundred League Law. The state legislature challenged the federal invalidation, and the two entities found themselves entangled. General Cos sent troops to shut down the legislature, and ordered the arrest of all who voted for the Four Hundred League Law.
Colonel Domingo Ugartechea
Domingo Ugartechea
Domingo de Ugartechea was a 19th century Mexican Army officer for the Republic of Mexico.-Early years:He served for Joaquín de Arredondo in 1813...
, as principal commandant of Coahuila y Texas, ordered Carbajal arrested, but soldiers were unsuccessful in their attempts at doing so when they arrived in Victoria. Upon orders from Victoria's alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
, who happened to be Carbajal's brother-in-law Plácido Benavides
Plácido Benavides
Plácido Benavides was an early Mexican-born settler in De Leon's Colony, Victoria County, Texas. Benavides earned himself the sobriquet of the Paul Revere of Texas for his 1836 journey from San Patricio to Goliad to Victoria, warning residents of the approaching Mexican army. He was twice elected...
, the local Victoria militia blocked the soldiers from entry into Victoria, and the soldiers retreated.
Carbajal had gone into hiding. He described himself as a "true Mexican" who was not in opposition to Mexico, but rather Santa Anna and the Centralist regime he had installed.
Texas war of independence
In 1835, Stephen F. Austin issued an appeal for arms to equip the Texans in the war against Santa Anna. Carbajal responded to his old mentor's appeal by teaming up with his brother-in-law Fernando De LeónFernando De León
Fernando De León was a co-founder of Victoria, Texas, and the first commissioner and colonization manager of De León's Colony. He fought against Antonio López de Santa Anna. De León was an aide-de-camp to provisional Texas governor James W. Robinson...
, and with Peter Kerr
Peter Kerr (Texas settler)
Peter Kerr , also known as Peter Carr, was the founder of Burnet, Texas and a member of the Old Three Hundred, the original settlers in Stephen F...
, who would later found Burnet, Texas
Burnet, Texas
Burnet is a city in and the county seat of Burnet County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,735 at the 2000 census.Both the city and the county were named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas. He also served as Vice President during the...
. The trio rounded up horses and mules, and herded them aboard the Hannah Elizabeth to be traded for munitions in New Orleans. During a pursuit by the Mexican warship Bravo on the return trip with the purchased equipment, the crew was forced to dump the cargo into the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. The crew of the Bravo boarded the Hannah Elizabeth, taking several prisoners. Carbajal and De León were incarcerated at Brazos Santiago
Brazos Island
Brazos Island is a barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States, south of the town of South Padre Island.-History:The island is also known as Brazos Santiago Island, a reference to the port of Brazos Santiago, the first Spanish settlement on the island. Later it became the Port...
, but Kerr was set free. Fernando De León was released with payment of a bribe. Carbajal was transferred to Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
, with an intended transfer for imprisonment at San Juan de Ulloa. Plácido Benavides bribed the guards at Matamoros to effect an escape for Carbajal, who afterwards returned to Victoria. The United States government took public credit for release of all prisoners.
During the Texas War of Independence many Mexicans were opposed to Santa Anna's regime, but refused to take up arms against their own people. Carbajal counted himself among those conscientious objectors. Mexicans who refused to take up arms were suspected as sympathizers, if not active allies, of the Santa Anna regime, and they were treated accordingly. Brigadier General Thomas Jefferson Rusk
Thomas Jefferson Rusk
Thomas Jefferson Rusk was an early political and military leader of the Republic of Texas, serving as its first Secretary of War as well as a general at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was later a U.S. politician and served as a Senator from Texas from 1846 until his suicide...
confiscated the homes of those who wished to remain neutral in the war. In July of 1836, Rusk ordered the Carbajal, Benavides and De Leon families of Victoria escorted off their own land. The two families left for New Orleans. Having been stripped of their wealth and everything they owned, they resorted to manual labor to survive in New Orleans. Carbajal renounced his ties to the new Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
.
In 1842, Carbajal's brother-in-law Silvestre De León
Silvestre De León
Silvestre De León was the second son born to the influential De León family in Victoria, Texas. He became the third alcalde of Victoria. De León joined his brother-in-law Plácido Benavides to fight with Stephen F. Austin at the 1835 Siege of Béxar...
returned to Victoria, and was murdered.
Federalist wars of Mexico, Republic of the Rio Grande
After Santa Anna lost Texas, Anastasio Bustamante returned from exile and in 1837 once again became President of Mexico. The people of Mexico blamed Santa Anna's Centralist regime for the loss of Texas. They saw Bustamante as his puppet, and wanted a return to the Federalist form of government. Carbajal and Antonio Canales RosilloAntonio Canales Rosillo
Antonio Canales Rosillo was a 19th century politician, surveyor, and military officer.- Career:...
recruited insurgents to resist the Centralist troops, and to try to establish a break-away republic. During one of the skirmishes, Carbajal was struck by a musket ball and permamently lost the use of his left arm.
Mexican-American War
The 1845 annexation of Texas by the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was the opening salvo of the Mexican-American war. Mexico had seen the government of the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
as illegitimate, and hoped for a return of Texas to Mexico. Complicating the annexation issue was the disputed area of the Nueces Strip.
Seeing an opportunity to revive the Federalist cause, Canales Rosillo sent a letter to Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
on January 29, 1846, requesting a meeting with either himself or Carbajal, to discuss United States aid in ousting the Centralist government. During a meeting with Carbajal, Taylor requested Carbajal submit a written proposal. Carbajal's written proposal detailed their request for money, supplies and ammunitions to support their rebellion. Additionally, they wanted Taylor's permission to recruit several thousand volunteers from the United States. In return, the Federalists only offered to retain the status quo situation of the Nueces Strip being open for negotiation. Taylor forwarded the request to Secretary of War William L. Marcy
William L. Marcy
William Learned Marcy was an American statesman, who served as U.S. Senator and the 11th Governor of New York, and as the U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State.-Early life:...
, who declined the request. Marcy did, however, instruct Taylor that if any Mexicans wanted to cross the border to enlist in the United States military, Taylor was to welcome them.
Carbajal and Canales Rosillo threw their loyalties behind the Centralist government, conducting guerilla warfare in the border regions against the United States. The war came to an end in 1848 with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
The Merchants War
Carbajal sought to establish a Federalist state in 1851, the Republic of Sierra Madre. Mexican import tariffs and the issue of runaway slaves from Texas became facilitating factors. Abolitionists in Texas had developed an underground to assist runaway slaves to escape to freedom in the Mexican border area. Out of this situation grew bounty hunters who were dedicated to recovering runaway slaves.The mercantile smuggling industry had developed in the border areas, due to Mexico's ban of some imported goods, and exorbitant import duty on the goods it did allow. The ensuing rebellion over the import tariffs came to be known as the Merchants War. The initial seed money for Carbajal's army was raised in June of 1851 through the sale of Mexican land grants to disgruntled merchants in Texas. An additional $6,000 came from an earlier loan that Carbajal's mother-in-law Patricia de la Garza De León had advanced him before her 1849 death. Carbajal recruited his troops from within Texas, some of whom joined in part because he had promised them recovery of the runaways. Among the recruits were thirty Texas Rangers
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
led by Colonel John S. Ford
John Salmon Ford
John Salmon Ford , better known as "Rip" Ford, was a member of the Republic of Texas Congress and later of the State Senate, and mayor of Brownsville, Texas. He was also a Texas Ranger, a Confederate colonel, and a journalist...
.
In 1851, Carbajal led an incursion of filibuster
Filibuster
A filibuster is a type of parliamentary procedure. Specifically, it is the right of an individual to extend debate, allowing a lone member to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal...
troops from Texas into Mexico, and on September 19 attacked Camargo. The captured Mexican troops signed a surrender agreement. Carbajal immediately slashed the Camargo tariff rates for goods coming into Mexico, resulting in an immediate increase of goods, and filling the coffers of the Camargo customs house. His action was countered by Mexican General Francisco Avalos, who announced a tariff cut for any goods entering Mexico through Matamoros
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
. On October 6, 1851, Carbajal's troops captured Reynosa. On October 20, 1851, Carbajal's troops began their ten-day attack on Matamoros. Avalos and reinforcements put up a fierce resistance. On October 30, Carbajal ordered his troops to retreat.
On November 24, 1851, Carbajal's troops engaged Centralist troops in Cerralvo, and lay siege to the town. On November 27, Carbajal received word that a thousand Centralist reinforcements were about to enter Cerralvo. Carbajal ordered his troops to retreat. In February of 1852, the Carbajal troops again advanced on Camargo. This time they were beaten back by National Guard troops from Ciudad Victoria
Ciudad Victoria
Ciudad Victoria , is the capital city of the Mexican state ofTamaulipas. It is located in the western-central region of the state. Ciudad Victoria is also the municipal seat of the surrounding Victoria Municipality, which covers an area of 1,638 km²...
, under the command of Antonio Canales Rosillo.
A grand jury in Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
issued an indictment in January 1852 against Carbajal and others, for violation of the Neutrality Act of 1818. A change of venue to Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
was granted. The charges were dismissed on January 2, 1854, due to technicalities on the qualifications of the original grand jurors who brought the indictment. During the Texas state fair held in Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
in May 1852, Carbajal was a featured speaker, raising funds and support for his Federalist cause.
Former members of Carbajal's group, led by Major Alfred Norton and A.J. Mason, conducted an armed raid in Carbajal's name on Reynosa on March 25, 1853. General William S. Harney
William S. Harney
William Selby Harney was a cavalry officer in the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War and the Indian Wars. He was born in what is today part of Nashville, Tennessee but at the time was known as Haysborough....
had Carbajal and some of his associates arrested and indicted on March 31 by U.S. District Attorney William Pitt Ballinger
William Pitt Ballinger
William Pitt Ballinger was a respected and influential Texas lawyer and statesman. His behind-the-scenes life had a major impact on the development of Texas realty and railroad law, furthering the Confederacy during the Civil War, the Reconstruction in Texas, the emancipation of black slaves, and...
. Nolle prosequi
Nolle prosequi
Nolle prosequi is legal term of art and a Latin legal phrase meaning "to be unwilling to pursue", a phrase amounting to "please do not prosecute". It is a phrase used in many common law criminal prosecution contexts to describe a prosecutor's decision to voluntarily discontinue criminal charges...
(unwilling to pursue) was entered in the case in June of 1855.
Castle Carbajal, Piedras Negras
Prior to the Mexican-American War, Carbajal had moved to Camargo Municipality, Tamaulipas, where he taught school and did some surveying work. At the end of the war, Carbajal returned to Camargo and built a grand home that became known as Carbajal's Castle. By 1855, Carbajal had moved his family to Piedras NegrasPiedras Negras, Coahuila
-Natural Resources:This region generates a large amount of the national production of coal, one of the most economically important non-metallic minerals in the state.-Tourism:Piedras Negras' main tourist attractions are:...
.
In October of 1855, Texas Ranger James Hugh Callahan, retreating from a skirmish with Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
Indians, burned Piedras Negras to the ground. Carbajal filed a $21,792 damage claim with the United States government, but his claim was denied. In 1856, in the midst of a dispute between Santiago Vidaurri
Santiago Vidaurri
José Santiago Vidarrui was a controversial and powerful governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo León between 1855 and 1864. His tenure was marked by secessionist ambitions and an unparalleled commerce with the Confederate States of America...
and Camargo over customs receipts, Carbajal's castle was destroyed.
Reform war
Santa Anna returned to power in 1853. In order to raise money to build up the Mexican army, he made a $10 million deal in 1854 to sell to the United States 29670 acres (120.1 km²) of Mexico that are now part of ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. The sale of Mexican lands to the United States was a tipping point that helped foster the Plan of Ayutla
Plan of Ayutla
The Plan of Ayutla was a plan aimed at removing Antonio López de Santa Anna as dictator of Mexico. Initially drafted on February 24, 1854, by Colonel Florencio Villarreal, it was proclaimed on March 1, 1854, in Ayutla, Guerrero...
, removing Santa Anna from office once again in 1855. This set the stage for a tug of war between conservatives and liberals in Mexico. Carbajal sided with Minister of Justice Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...
, who became president of Mexico in 1858.
General David E. Twiggs
David E. Twiggs
David Emanuel Twiggs was a United States soldier during the War of 1812 and Mexican-American War and a general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
abandoned Fort Brown
Fort Brown
Fort Brown was a military post of the United States Army in Texas during the later half of 19th century and the early part of the 20th century.-Early years:...
in 1859. On September 28, Juan Cortina
Juan Cortina
Juan Nepomuceno Cortina Goseacochea , also known by his nicknames Cheno Cortina and the Red Robber of the Rio Grande, was a Mexican rancher, politician, military leader, outlaw and folk hero...
captured Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
, to exact revenge on persons he considered his enemies. Two days later, Carbajal led a group of men who persuaded Cortina to depart. When Brownsville formed its own militia, Carbajal loaned the city twenty-five muskets from the National Guard. Cortina continued to cause problems in Mexico, and Carbajal requested the intervention of assistance from the United States.
The contested 1861 election for the seat of governor of Tamaulipas caused Carbajal as head of the Rojas Party, to invade Matamoros. With no clear victory in Carbajal's incursion, Benito Juarez declared martial law in Tamaulipas and named Santiago Vidaurri
Santiago Vidaurri
José Santiago Vidarrui was a controversial and powerful governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo León between 1855 and 1864. His tenure was marked by secessionist ambitions and an unparalleled commerce with the Confederate States of America...
as state military commander. Vidaurri ordered Colonel Julian Quiroga into Matamoros to bring an end to the conflict. Carbajal escaped into Texas. Brigadier General Henry McCulloch
Henry Eustace McCulloch
Henry Eustace McCulloch was a soldier in the Texas Revolution, a Texas Ranger, and a brigadier general in the army of the Confederate States during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
ordered Colonel John S. Ford to arrest Carbajal and turn him over to Quiroga. Ford instead told Carbajal of the arrest warrant, and allowed Carbajal to escape. McCullouch then relieved Ford of his command.
Carbajal was appointed military governor of Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
in 1864.
French incursion
The Reform War drove the Juarez government of Mexico into debt with four powerful countries: FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. In January of 1862, France, Great Britain and Spain had taken over the customs house in Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
to recoup some of the monies owed them. Great Britain and Spain eventually withdrew. Napoleon III planned an invasion to acquire Mexico for France.
Juarez enlisted Carbajal as general of the Liberal forces. On November 12, 1864, Juarez authorized Carbajal to enlist upwards of ten thousand foreign citizens. Juan Cortina had been in control of Matamoros, and surrendered the city to the French, under the contole of Tomas Mejia. President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin McMasters Stanton was an American lawyer and politician who served as Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during the American Civil War from 1862–1865...
sent General Lew Wallace
Lew Wallace
Lewis "Lew" Wallace was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, territorial governor and statesman, politician and author...
on a covert operation to assist Carbajal in procurement of arms and ammunition. In 1866, Napoleon III withdrew his troops from Mexico. Mejia surrendered Matamoros to Carbajal, who was by then Governor and Military Commandant of Tamaulipas. Seizures of churches from French clerics, and forced loans from French-leaning merchants were part of Carbajal's operations. Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada
Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada
Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada y Corral was a jurist and Liberal president of Mexico.-Background:...
appointed Santiago Tapia to replace Carbajal. The military garrison of Matamoros also rebelled against Carbajal.
Personal life and final years
When María del Refugia De León Garza accepted Carbajal's marriage proposal, her mother Patricia de la Garza De León had strong objections to her Catholic daughter marrying a protestant. In spite of that issue, the couple tied the knot in 1832. Their first son Antonio was born in 1833. José María Jr. was born in 1834. The year of son Cresenciano's birth is unknown, but his death is listed as 1846. During the Civil War, Carbajal enrolled his two surviving sons in Bethany College in Virginia, where they lived with Alexander Campbell.Carbajal retired in 1870 to his ranch in Mexico. He died in Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas
Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas
Soto la Marina is a town in Soto la Marina Municipality located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It was directly hit by Hurricane Alex in 2010.-External links:* Official website...
in 1874, where he had been living since 1872.