Zebulon Pike's Comments Relative to Nolan's Men He Met in Mexico
in 1807
From Zebulon Pikes, Memoirs and papers
Apr. 9th. In the evening I was
informed that David Ferro was in town and wished to speak to me. This man had
formerly been my father's ensign, and was taken with Nolan's party at the time
the latter was killed. He possessed a brave soul, and had withstood every oppression, since being made prisoner, with
astonishing fortitude. Although his leaving the place of his confinement, the
village of St. Jeronimie, without the knowledge of
the general, was in some measure clandestine, yet a countryman, an acquaintance,
and formerly a brother soldier, in a strange land, in distress, had ventured
much to see me could I deny him the interview from any motives of delicacy? No;
forbid it, humanity! forbid it, every sentiment of my
soul! Our meeting was affecting, tears standing in his eyes. He informed me of
the particulars of their being taken, and many other circumstances since they
had been in the country. I promised to do all I could for him consistently with
my character and honor, and their having entered the country without the
authority of the United States. As he was obliged to leave town before day, he
called on me at my quarters, when I bid him adieu, and gave him what my purse
afforded, not what my heart dictated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Juan Pedro Walker] had living with
him an old negro, the only one I saw on that side of St. Antonio, who was the
property of some person who resided near Natchez, and who had been taken with
Nolan. Having been acquainted with him in the
Mississippi country, he solicited and obtained permission for old Cesar to live
with him. I found him very communicative and extremely useful. The day I
arrived, when we were left alone, he came in, looked around at the walls of the
room, and exclaimed, "What! all gone?" I demanded an explanation, and he informed
me that the maps of the different provinces, as taken by [Walker] and other
surveyors, had been hung up against the walls; but that the day we arrived they
had all been taken down and deposited in a closet which he designated.
Nachitoches,
July 22, 1807.
Dear
Sir –
Inclosed
you have a statement of the situation of the companions of the deceased Philip
Nolan, and a short account of the ineffectual application I made, to rescue
them from the eternal slavery, which it is to be feared, is destined for them,
unless our government should be pleased to interfere in their behalf. Certainly
the court of Spain would be too generous to refuse liberty to a few debilitated
and half-lost wretches, who have at least expiated their crime, (if any)
tenfold.
As
I promised on my arrival in the United States, to give their friends
an account of their
situation, I could conceive no more certain and
expeditious a method
than through the medium of your Herald, and
therefore wish you
to give this communication publicity; and hope the
Editors
of the Gazettes of the states in which the friends of those
unfortunate young men
may belong, will republish it, that their con-
nections
may receive the melancholy assurances of some being in exist-
ence,
and that others are beyond the power of tyranny and oppression.
I
am, &c.,
[Signed]
Z. M. Pike.
In
a late involuntary tour which I made through part of his Catholic
majesty's dominions
of New Spain, whilst at St. Affe [Santa Fe], the
capitol of N.
Mexico and Chihuahua, I met whh a number of the poor
unfortunate
companions of the deceased Nolan. One of whom gave me
the following cursory
statement of their treatment, &c. since their being
taken, and on their joint
application, I addressed a letter to his excellency
Nemeio
[sz'c] Salcedo, in their
favor, of which an extract is subjoined, with
the verbal reply of the
genera!.
" We crossed
the Mississippi on the ist day of November, 1800, at
the
Walnut
liills [Nogales], and in January following arrived at
the river
Brassus
[Brazos], in the provinces of Texus, and proceeded to
build pens
[for the capture of mustangs]. In March, 1801, we began to
run wild
horses, and
having caught several hundreds of them we selected the
handsomest and let
the ballance go. On the 22 of March, we were
attacked at break
of day, by sixty regular troops, and two hundred and
forty militia and Indians, witli one field piece. Our commander, (Nolan)
being killed, we
capitulated in the evening, on the assurance that Nolan
was killed, who only was
to blame, we should be conducted to Nagga-
doches
[Nacogdoches], from whence there was no doubt, we would
have permission to return
to our country, as soon as the circumstances
were stated to the
governor of St. Antonio. We remained there under
promises and daily
expectations of being released until July, when we
were all put in heavy
irons.
In
August we were marched, in irons, to St. Antonio [Texas] ;
and
in December through the
province of Coqquella [Coahuila] and [New]
Biscay,
into the vice-royalty of Mexico, to the city of St. Louis Potosi,
where we remained fourteen
months, ironed, and in close confinement.
In
February, 1803, we were dispatched to Chihuahua, where after some
time, our irons were
struck off. From which to the present time, we
have experienced various
treatment, sometimes enjoying the liberty of
the town, sometimes the
barracks, and for three months in irons and
close confinement.
" David Fero, from near Albany, state of New York, has been alter-
nately
in irons, the guard-house, limits of the fort or procedie
[presidio]
— is now confined to
the limits of a fort called Cayome [su], eight
leagues distant
from Chihuahua — in bad health.
" Simon M'Coy, of the Oppelousas, or
Natchez, a carpenter by profes-
sion,
has the liberty of the town of Chihuahua — in good health.
"Joseph
Reed, state of Kentucky, in the province of Biscay, but in
what part and how situated
unknown.
"Solomon
Cooley, of the state of
Connecticut,
a taylor by profession,
carries on his business in the town
of St. Affee, which is his limits.
" William Danton,
of Natchez, residence and situation unknown.
" Charles King, of
Natchez, works at the carpenter's trade, is confined
by night to the quartel at Chihuahua” in good health.
"Ephriam Blackburn, of Natchez, is in some of the procedios of the
province of Biscay”
situation unknown.
"Joel
Pears, of North Carolina, deceased at Cliihuahua.
" John Waters,
of Winchester, Virginia, a hatter, and carries on his
business at
Chihuahua, has embraced the Roman Catholic faith, after
betraying a well
concerted plan of his companions to effect their escape,
and in which it is supposed
they would have succeeded: his treachery
caused them a
close confinement in irons, and in a loathsome prison for
three months” he is hated
and despised, not only by his own country-
men but by every honest
Spaniard in the place.
"Ellis
Bean, of Granger county, state of Tennessee, a hatter, formerly
carried on his
business in the city of Chihuahua, but being detected in
an intrigue with the
daughter of an officer, and refusing to marry her,
was in close confinement
at St. Jeronime [San Jeronimo],
a few leagues
distant, in good
health.
" Thomas House, of
Jefferson county, Tennessee, blacksmith, confined
to the quartel at night, but at that time was at the hospital, in
a very bad
state of health.
Stephen
Richards, of Natchez, has inlisted in the Spanish
service,
was lately at Baton Rouge
with his father, in the quality of a citizen he
belongs to the
troops at Nagadoches."
[Here
follows the above-mentioned letter from Pike to his Excellency,
General
Salcedo
This
letter I presented personally, & after the general had learned its
contents, through
an interpreter, he observed in reply That having found
those men, on his arrival
from Europe, to take the command of the
internal provinces
of New Spain, in the dungeons of St. Louis Potosi, he
had demanded them of the
Vice-Roy, and brought them to Chihuahua,
where their irons were
struck off, and eveiy indulgence allowed them
which his responsibility
would admit and that he had felt a particular desire
to serve Fero, but whose haughtiness of soul would not permit him to
be under any obligation
to the government, further than his allowance
of twenty-five cents per
day. That he had reported their situation to the
King,
and consequently must await the orders of his majesty ;
that with
respect to the
letters, they had always been permitted to correspond
through him, with
their friends — but that I might use my own pleasure
as to taking letters,
but he thought the peculiar delicacy of my own
situation, should
prevent me from taking any written communication out
of the country.
Thus
ended the conference, and thus stands the situation of those
unfortunate men at
present. But as I knew some part of the general's
information to be
incorrect, and especially as it related to the freedom of
communication with
their friends, I felt no such peculiar delicacy as to
prevent my
bringing out letters and brought every one intrusted
to
my care. [Signed] Z. M.
Pike.
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