Mier Expedition

Date: Nov 1842 to Feb 1843
Location: Ciudad Mier, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Surnames/tags: Texas Mexico

Contents 1 Background 2 Occurrences 2.1 Battle of Mier 2.2 Black Bean Episode 3 Participants 3.1 Texas 3.2 Mexico 4 Sources

Background

"The Mier expedition was an offshoot of the Somervell expedition, an unsuccessful military operation launched in November 1842 by a Texian militia against Mexican border settlements. It included a major battle at Ciudad Mier on December 26 and 27, 1842 which ended with a Mexican victory. The attack was partly in hopes of financial gain and partly in retaliation for the Dawson Massacre (as named by Texans) earlier that year, in which thirty-six Texas militia were killed by the Mexican Army. Both conflicts were part of continuing efforts by each side to control the land between the Rio Grande and Nueces River. Texas believed that this territory had been ceded to the Republic in the Treaties of Velasco, by which they gained independence; but Mexico did not agree." ^[1]

Date: November 1842 – February 1843
Location: Ciudad Mier, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Result: Mexican victory
Belligerents: Texas/Mexico
Commanders and leaders:

• Texas: Alexander Somervell, William S. Fisher, Ewen Cameron
• Mexico: Francisco Mejía, Pedro de Ampudia

Strength:

• Texas: ~700
• Mexico: ~3,000

Occurrences

Battle of Mier

Black Bean Episode

"At a location called El Rancho Salado, a jar containing 159 white beans and 17 black beans was presented to the Texan prisoners. Each man drew a bean from the jar, while blindfolded. The 17 Texan prisoners who drew black beans were executed at dusk by a Mexican firing squad. This is known as the Black Bean Episode and occurred on March 25, 1843, three months after the Battle of Mier." ^[2] "In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, the remains of the men executed in the Black Bean Episode were retrieved from Mexico and interred near La Grange, Texas, (with those who died in the Dawson Massacre), at which site has been established a monument." ^[3]

Participants

Texas

The following transcript is from: The Morning Star (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 550, Ed. 1 Saturday, September 9, 1843, page 3 of 4, newspaper, September 9, 1843; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1497966/: accessed May 3, 2023), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.

POWDER MILL PRISON

Near Mexico, Jult 14th, 1843.

Messrs. Lumsden, Kendall, & Co:

GENTLEMEN—Herewith you have a statement of the fate of the Texian prisoners taken at Mier, on the 26th of December last, up to the present time, viz:

John Dusenberyy, NY

Daniel McDonald, NY

Cyrus K Gleason, NY

P F Bowman, NY

James Young, NY

H Journay, NY

Thos Davis, NY

Wm H Van Horn, NY

A B La Forge, NY

Abraham Hedenberg, NY

John Brennan, NY

Peter Ackerman, NY

Wm H Moore, NY

Sam'l H Walker, Md

Francis White, Md

Wm Davis, Md

Thos S Smith, Md

Wm F Wilson, Va

Ezekiel Smith, Va

— Millon, Va

Wm A Wallace, MI

David Allen, Va

John Johnson, Va

Thos W Murray, Va

H B Morrell, Ga

F M Gibson, Ga

Ransom Boswell, Ga

Jeffrey Hill, Ga

John Hill (boy), Ga

W J Reyman, Ga

J P Wyatt, Ga

Wm F McMath, Ga

E H Pitts, Ga

Freeman Douglass, Ga

...

Robt Willoughby, England

...

William R Davis (sic), Alabama

...

The above is a list of those daily working on the public streets.

At the Hospital in the City of Mexico.

John Taney, Md

John McMullen, Md

Gilbert R Brush (boy), NY

Wm M Vandyke, Ga

Patrick Lusk, Tenn

Leonidas Edwards, Tenn

Thos K Nelson, Tenn

Mark Rogers, Tenn

Wm Dunbar, Tenn

O N R Willis, Tenn

A Moser, La

...

At the Hospital of San Luis Potosi.

Peter Rockyfellow, NY

Jas McMichen, Va

John Stansborough, Ky

Allen Holderman, Ky

Wm P Stepp, Mo

B Z Boone, Mo

Wm Martin

Chas Hill, Eng

At the Hospital at Matamoros.

Frank Hughes, Penn

Lynn Bobo, SC

Malcolm McAuley, Scot

Jos Barber, Mass

Nathaniel Mallan, Mass

Released by Santa Anna.

Geo B Crittenden, Ky

Wm Reese, (boy), Ky

Orlando Phelps, Miss

Asa Hill, NC

J J Sinickson, NJ

Wounded at Mier who made their escape.

Henry D Weeks, NY

Winfield Chalk, Va

Wm T Scott, Ga

John St Clair, Penn

John Bideler, Penn

Wm Ripley, Penn

Geo W Piland, Tenn

James O Rice, SC

Lewis Hays, SC

Nath'l Mallen, Mass

Robt Beale, DC

Left in the Mountains after the Charge at the Salada.

John Blackburn

J T Morehead, Va

Wm Oldham

Wm H Cody, Ga

John Calvert, Tenn

John R Alexander, Ina

C Buster, Ky

S Rice, Mass

John Toops, Ohio

Wm Mitchell, Mo

A J Lewis, Ala

Perry Randolph, Ala

Thos W Cox, Ala

J B Nealy, Ala

Geo Anderson, Scotland

F Bray, Germany

Killed, and Died of their Wounds at Mier.

Dr Isaac Tower, NY

Wm H Hasmore, Ga

Hanks Kirkendall, Tenn

W S Illyea, Penn

Jos Berry, Ind

— Bassett, Ky

— Dickenson, Ky

Wm Hopson, Ky

Jas Austen, Mo

— Hannah, SC

Jas Urie, SC

Alvin E White, Vt

Stanley Lockerman

J E Johnes, Eng

Alex McKinnell, Scotland

A Jackson, Ireland

— McDade

Mich'l Cronican

Shot by Order of Santa Anna, April 25, 1843, at Huchutoca, ten leagues from Mexico.

CAPTAIN EWEN CAMERON, Scotland.

Massacred at the Salada, 25th March, 1843.

M C Wing, NY

Jas Ogden, Va

Jas D Cocke, Va

Wm Rowans, Ga

J N McThompson, Tenn

Charles Roberts, Tenn

Wm M Eastland, Tenn

Robert Dunham, Tenn

John S Cash, Pa

Henry Whaling, Ia

Thos L Jones, Ky

Edward Este, NJ

R W Harris, Mo

James V Torrey, Conn

J L Shepard, Ala

James Turnbull, Scotland

Patrick Maher, Ireland

Died at Mexico and on the Road.

Wm H Blanton, Ga

Robert Smith, Tenn

E G Kaufman, Tenn

B Middleton, Ill

John Owens, Pa

R Beard, Mo

John M Shipman, Mo

Thos Colville, Scotland

Sam'l McClellan, Ireland

W B C Bryant

At Perote Prison, 60 Leagues from Mexico.

Charles Clark, NY

Wm S Fisher, Va

Mm M Shepard, Va

Dan'l A Hallowell, Tenn

Judge Sanders, Tenn

George Bush, Ky

Richard Keene, Ky

Daniel Davis, Ky

Daniel J Barney, Ky

Samuel Lyons, England

Escaped from Perote, July 2d.

Thomas J Green, NC

Chas K Reese, Ky

D Drake Henry, Ohio

Mexico

• Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna

Sources

• Antonio López de Santa Anna, Wikipedia

1. ↑ Mier expedition, Wikipedia
2. ↑ Ewen Cameron, Wikipedia]
3. ↑ Ciudad Mier, Wikipedia