Category: sam houston

Battle of the Neches

chiefbowles

(Image credit: TexasCherokeeNation.org)

On July 16, 1839, the last major battle between Texas forces and the Cherokee tribe along with other tribal bands took place.  The Cherokee had first come to Texas shortly after the turn of the century, long before the Texas Revolution, and had settled near the Red River.  Much of the time thereafter, their leader was Chief John Bowles, pictured in the image above, also known as Diwal’li.  There are other variations of his name, but we will refer to him as Chief Bowles.  The Chief was thought to have been born around 1756 to a Cherokee mother and a Scotch-Irish father.  He is said to have had the features of both parents including reddish hair, Cherokee features and freckled skin.

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Ed Burleson

Burleson County is located in East Central Texas and its county seat is Caldwell.  The county is named for General Edward Murray Burleson, who served as Colonel of the First Regiment of Volunteers at the Battle of San Jacinto.  He was born in North Carolina on December 15, 1798 and was still a relatively young man when his father James B. Burleson brought him on to act as Secretary as his father fought in the Creek War under Andrew Jackson.  They both were descended from Ed Burleson’s grandfather Aaron Burleson, who had fought as a Minuteman in the American Revolution.  The family first moved to Virginia, and Ed was elected Lieutenant and later Colonel of the militia.  They later relocated to Tennessee where he served as Colonel of the militia from 1823 to 1830 in Hardeman County, Tennessee.

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Henry Wynkoop Raguet, Sr.

Henry W. Raguet was born in 1796 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  He, along with thousands of other early Texas settlers, would not be considered famous.  Individuals like him aren’t written up in textbooks and have no streets, towns, counties or buildings named for them.  They simply lived their lives and raised their families, despite whatever hardships and tragedies that they endured.

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Irion County, Texas

Irion County is situated west of San Angelo (Tom Green County) in West Texas.  Its county seat is Mertzon.  It is sparsely populated but the origin of its name extends back to the early days of the Republic of Texas.  It was founded in 1889 and was named for Robert Anderson Irion, a medical doctor.  Dr. Irion was a friend and personal physician of Sam Houston.

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Presidents, Republic of Texas, Part 2 (1836-1841)

Sam Houston and Mirabeau B. Lamar:

Sam Houston always had people who opposed him, whether it concerned his political philosophy, his lifestyle or his military strategy.  One such individual was Mirabeau B. Lamar.  These two men would serve as the first two Presidents of the young Republic of Texas.

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