Texas History Notebook

Future Texans in the War of 1812

The War of 1812 is likely not considered to be part of Texas history since the area now known as the State of Texas was controlled by Spain at the time. It predated both the rise of Mexico to control the area and the Texas Revolution. However a number of individuals who served in the war went on to become known in the early days of Texas. Coming so close to the American Revolution, it is not difficult to overlook this event.

Like the American Revolution, the War of 1812 was fought between the forces of Britain and the United States. By then the United States consisted of 18 states: Delaware (1787), Pennsylvania (1787), New Jersey (1787), Georgia (1788) ,Connecticut (1788), Massachusetts (1788) (including present-day Maine, which remained part of Massachusetts until 1820), Maryland (1788), South Carolina (1788), New Hampshire (1788), Virginia (1788), New York (1788), North Carolina (1789) and Rhode Island (1790) plus Vermont (1791), Kentucky (1792), Tennessee (1796), Ohio (1803) and Louisiana (1812) which was added only weeks before the war began. The reasons usually given for the war include these: British naval personnel would “shanghai” U. S. sailors and conscript them into the Royal Navy, Britain (at war with France) enacted trade restrictions that interfered with U. S. trade with France, Britain was able to forge alliances with native tribes as U. S. people started desiring territories and possible resources west of the 18 states, leadership of the U. S. looking at the lightly defended Canada as an area for future expansion.

The United States Congress approved a declaration of war in 1812 after which United States forces invaded Canada. Early on, U. S. forces fought a number of mostly unsuccessful battles against British Regulars and a coalition of native tribes. A key leader of the the tribes was the Shawnee leader Tecumseh.

Tecumseh was estimated to be about 50 years old when the war began. He had grown into the role of a leader over the years. His main motivation was most likely to preserve and defend his tribe’s land against European encroachment, rather than simply to aid the British. Various biographical sketches of Tecumseh note that he traveled thousands of miles prior to the outbreak of the war to recruit the assistance of other tribes unrelated to the Shawnee. One of his trips in the fall of 1811 took him to the American south where he met with representatives of the Creeks in a gathering in what is now Alabama. He had a family connection to them, since his mother was said to be of the Creek tribe. When the war began, his Shawnee forces were influential in turning the tide in favor of the British. He returned to the north and was active in numerous battles early on but was killed in the fall of 1813 near the Canadian border. His influence continued when a faction of the Creeks became active in the south.

When Tecumseh came to interact with the Creeks, he brought with him as gifts a supply of red sticks. The Creeks were divided as to whether to support Tecumseh and the British or be conciliatory toward the Americans. Some accounts also credit Spanish colonial officials and British traders for furnishing the sticks to the Creeks who were previously had not possessed advanced weapons.

The Creeks were divided as to what position to take, apparently according to their geographic location. The Upper Creeks or Red Stick Creeks were mainly settled to the north of the Lower Creeks. The Red Sticks generally were agreeable to align with the British whereas the Lower Creeks were not. They had natural enemies in other area tribes including the Choctaw and Cherokee. A large part of the Creek War grew out of conflicts between these traditional tribal factions. The British had been supplying weapons to the Red Sticks whereas the Choctaw and Cherokee were aligned with the Americans. When the various alliances settled out, the Red Sticks fought primarily on their own against the Tennessee militia under Andrew Jackson, the Georgia state militia, the Mississippi territorial militia, the Cherokee and Choctaw tribes and the Lower Creek faction. The British were not involved early on and probably saw this matter as a way to spread out the American forces who were already fully occupied in the north. There were several key battles before the British finally committed troops to the south and they were defeated soon afterward in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814 with the final engagement being the Battle of New Orleans early the next year.

A number of individuals, better and lesser known, were engaged in one way or another in the War of 1812 and found their way to Texas. They either enlisted where they lived and fought in the northern theater before moving to Texas or they resided in Georgia or other parts of the south and also came to Texas afterward. A rough estimate of the total number who served might be somewhere around 1,000 men, more or less. The most notable among this group might include the following:

Sam Houston served in the United States Army in the 39th Infantry. Houston enlisted in 1813 at age 19. Serving under Andrew Jackson, he is said to have distinguished himself for bravery in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend on March 27, 1814. At that engagement, he received serious wounds from arrows and gunfire. He and Jackson may have been acquainted with each other already, but Houston’s action that day were notable.

David Crockett was a member of the Tennessee militia as a scout. Crockett served from 1813 to 1815 also under Andrew Jackson in action against the Creeks in engagements in Alabama. He did not take part in the Battle of New Orleans.

Probably more typical of those who served was Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor for whom Baylor University is named. He enlisted in the Kentucky Volunteer Militia shortly after being admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1812. So, rather than begin a law practice, he entered the militia. As a member of the 10th Regiment, Light Infantry, he served during the entire war, holding the rank of lieutenant colonel when the war ended. His regiment served in the north as part of the Ohio Campaign, engaging the British and various native tribes under the leadership of Tecumseh. The regiment also took part in the defense of Fort Meigs in 1813 and the successful Battle of the Thames in October of that year, the battle in which Tecumseh was killed. Baylor and his regiment continued on to take part in the unsuccessful campaign to take control of Upper Canada.

The following three people are sometimes said to be veterans of the War of 1812, but were likely too young to have served: Edward Burleson, Thomas J. Rusk and Mirabeau B. Lamar.

The General Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Texas was organized on May 3, 1987 although it had been informally operating for about 28 years. It is one of twenty state societies that are affiliated with the General Society of the War of 1812, a national organization founded in 1814. Membership in the Texas organization is limited to males who can document their lineage to someone who honorably served during the war. The General Society is the umbrella entity for eight chapters in the state. Its website includes a listing of 1812 veterans buried around the state.

“Lonesome Dove” – the Miniseries

The miniseries filmed in 1988 was the first release of a series of video projects of the four “Lonesome Dove” related books written by author Larry McMurtry. In February of that year, press releases announced that filming would soon begin on the screenplay based on McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that came out in 1985.

The Del Rio News-Herald in its issue of February 2, 1988 noted that locations would include the Moody family’s Rancho Rio Grande outside Del Rio and the Alamo Village in Brackettville. The miniseries was set to air for an estimated eight hours over several days. The article stated that the screenplay was written by Texan Bill Wittliff.

Named to participate in the project was veteran actor Robert Duvall with other casting to be named at a later date. The miniseries was to be a joint venture between CBS and Motown Production Company / Robert Halmi, Inc. The first filming was to be done in Bastrop, Texas before moving nearer Austin for more. Then the desert town, border crossing, river crossing and some of the cattle drive sequences were to be recorded near Del Rio on the Moody property and Brackettville, which stood in for early San Antonio. The set for the fictional town of Lonesome Dove was to be built on the Moody ranch which began around seven miles south of Del Rio. It was also noted that other sequences would be filmed around Santa Fe and several other sites in New Mexico, including pueblo locations. The New Mexico sites generally were used for the northern scenes. An article said that no scenes were filmed north of New Mexico. Filming was said to have taken just under 90 days from March until July, 1988.

The Moody ranch extended through parts of three Texas counties. It had been previously used for at least one film project. Just before the miniseries aired, a short article in the January 13, 1989 issue of the Waco Citizen told that the ranch furnished some of the cattle. It is also understood that the ranch supplied many of the remuda of horses seen in the episodes. The filming locations were in the United States governments tick quarantine zone. Another publication discussed the various tick eradication treatments that had to be used on the livestock during the filming.

Executives of the project were to include Dyson Lovell as producer, Suzanne de Passe (President of Motown’s film division) and Bill Wittliff as executive producers and Simon Winces as director. Basil Poledouris was engaged to score the music. The story line, as most people know by now, is the account of a fictional cattle drive from the banks of the Rio Grande to Montana.

Set in the late 19th century, the story follows two retired Texas Rangers who are inspired by another former ranger’s tales of the wide open spaces and life in Montana. The two put together a huge herd of cattle with a view to driving them the 2,500 miles. They assemble a diverse collection of cowhands to manage the herd. Along the way, they encounter various hardships of marauding attackers, native wildlife, insects, uncooperative weather, harsh terrain and other problems.

An article on April 24, 1988 in the same Del Rio newspaper bought readers up to date on the progress. The crew and cast had been filming for several weeks on the Moody ranch. Its dry and dusty climate fit the descriptions in the book: few if any trees, “brown land and gray chaparral” characterized by clear skies. It credited set designer, art designer and production designer Cary White for his artistry in clearing the site for the tiny town of Lonesome Dove. The set was built on the ranch’s property south of the confluence of Sycamore Creek and the Rio Grande.

The set for the town is seen in various views during the first episode and included about a dozen structures. A couple of buildings (the headquarters and at least one barn in serious need of a roof) along with with a corral or two comprise the structures of the Hat Creek Cattle Company business of Gus and Call. There is also the J. J. Pumphrey general store and a church and the two story Dry Bean saloon.

The article gave a profile of writer Bill Wittliff, listing some of his earlier work for the big screen. Duvall was cast as Augustus “Gus” McCrae while Tommy Lee Jones was cast as Woodrow F. Call. Duvall’s character has a great many lines in the book and now more than thirty-seven years later seemed a perfect choice for the part. The article mentions a sentiment by some at the time that perhaps Duvall might have been a good choice for the character Call after his performance in the film adaptation of Horton Foote’s “Tender Mercies,” but after so many years, it would be hard to imagine any other casting.

Also lauded is the choice of actor Robert Urich as the character Jake Spoon, Diane Lane as the “sporting woman” Lorena Wood and Angelica Huston as Clara Allen, portrayed as a strong female horse rancher and former love interest of Gus. Also mentioned is actor Danny Glover as the outfit’s wise and critically important guide on the journey.

Elsewhere in the April 24, 1988 issue, a call was made for fifty local people as extras for the project. The producers were looking for “ten Hispanic women with long hair, eight Hispanic children (both male and female, six years and up), ten Anglo women with long hair, twenty Anglo men and two Hispanic men.” These people would serve during the two days of Brackettville filming in early May. Applicants were to submit their information to the Texas Employment Commission (now called the Texas Workforce Commission) and that it should include their wardrobe sizes, a nonreturnable photo, positive identification such as a driver’s license, passport or birth certificate.

The miniseries aired on CBS for four evenings beginning February 5, 1989. The first episode drew an estimated audience of 44 million viewers making it the highest rated show on television for the week. It was awarded seven Primetime Emmy Awards out of its eighteen nominations. The following year it received a Golden Globe award for Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television.

The enduring miniseries is currently available on various streaming services.

Not quite a decade after the miniseries aired, the Del Rio News-Herald published an interesting article about a Japanese police officer who decided to come to Texas and visit the places he saw on the screen. Sergeant Masayuki Okazawa of Ibaraki, Japan inquired of the local Chamber of Commerce and Tourist and Convention Director Susan Cottle Leonard to see if such a tour might be possible. To help him prepare, he had learned enough textbook English to be able to converse a bit. While in Texas for a week, Sgt. Okazawa made stops in San Antonio and Fort Worth but his main goal was to see filming locations of “Lonesome Dove,” especially Clara’s orchard. The ranch made it possible. Sgt. Okazawa enjoyed meals with the cowhands during his tour. He especially enjoyed the location of the orchard, as he had been particularly moved by that part of the story. Sgt. Okazawa was able to return home with great memories from his trip.

San Jacinto Monument

The San Jacinto Monument is one of the most recognizable symbols of Texas history. It was designed to commemorate the battle of April 21, 1836 in which the Texas Army led by General Sam Houston defeated Mexican troops led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna. For years prior to the Texas Centennial, various ideas had been discussed regarding ways to celebrate the anniversary. The site of the battle was chosen for the location of a monument.

Elizabeth Boyle Smith and Henry Clay Smith

Elizabeth Boyle Smith was born in Blair Mains, Dairy, Ayrshire, Scotland on July 12, 1848 to Allan Boyle and Elizabeth Orr Young. She came to the United States in 1871 after the death of her mother that year to follow four of her brothers who had had come to America. The siblings and their families first lived in Missouri before settling in Texas. Elizabeth was a single woman keeping house for her brothers when she met Henry Clay Smith. They were married on April 10, 1874 in Palo Pinto County.

John B. Denton

John B. Denton is the namesake of Denton County and the town of Denton. There has been some question regarding what his middle initial stood for. His middle name has variously been shown as “Bernard,” “Bunard” or “Bunyan” but the wife of a descendant said that his middle name was “Bunyan.”

Denton was born in Sparta, Tennessee on July 28, 1806 to James Denton and Sarah Clarkson Denton. He was the oldest of about eight children. Some accounts say that he was orphaned around 1815, but his father and mother are believed to have died in 1827 and 1846, respectively, according to current genealogical information available. Other accounts suggest that Denton ran away from home as a young boy and held various jobs including apprenticing as a blacksmith and working on steamers on the Mississippi River. For whatever reasons, he was residing in Arkansas when he was marred on June 23, 1825 to the former Mary Greenlee Stewart. The couple started their family with the birth of the first of their children the next year.