James Long (filibuster) facts for kids

James Long (born February 9, 1793 – died April 8, 1822) was an American filibuster. A filibuster was someone who led a private military group to try and take over land from another country without their government's permission. Long led an unsuccessful journey to take control of Spanish Texas between 1819 and 1821.

Early Life of James Long

James Long was born in Culpeper County, Virginia, in 1793. He became a surgeon in the U.S. Army. He fought in the War of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans. In 1815, he married Jane Herbert Wilkinson Long. After the war, he settled in Natchez, Mississippi, and worked as a doctor.

Long's Texas Expeditions

Many American settlers in the southern United States were unhappy. They did not like the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819. This treaty decided the border between the United States and New Spain (which was Mexico at the time). People in Natchez were very upset. Important citizens there planned a filibustering trip. They wanted to conquer Spanish Texas. They chose James Long to lead this group.

Long worked with José Félix Trespalacios. Trespalacios was a Mexican who had escaped prison. He had tried to start a rebellion against Spanish rule in Mexico. News about their first trip spread quickly. About 200 men joined them in early 1819. Famous people like Jim Bowie and Ben Milam were among them. Long also tried to get the French pirate Jean Lafitte to join. But Lafitte said no. Some of Long's men were former French soldiers. They had tried to start a settlement in Texas called the Champ d'Asile in 1818.

By June 1819, Long's group, called the Long Expedition, reached Texas. They successfully captured Nacogdoches. His followers announced that Long was the first president. They called their new land the "Republic of Texas." This was not the same as the later Republic of Texas that came from the Texas Revolution.

This first success lasted only four months. Long's army became restless. Many men went back to the United States. A Spanish army defeated Long and his remaining followers in October 1819. Long escaped to Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Long was not discouraged. He quickly started raising money for a second trip. He wanted to restart his failed republic. In April 1820, he joined others from his first trip. They were on the Bolivar Peninsula. He brought his pregnant wife, Jane, and 300 troops. Long brought back parts of his old government. But the trip stopped for over a year. More men started to leave.

On October 4, 1821, Long and his troops took Presidio La Bahía. But Spanish troops made them surrender four days later.

Death of James Long

Long was put in prison for a while. First in San Antonio, then in Monterrey, Nuevo León. In March 1822, he was taken to Mexico City. He wanted to explain his case to Mexican President Agustín de Iturbide. But on April 8, 1822, a guard shot and killed him. One of Long's followers, Benjamin Milam, thought that Trespalacios had paid the guard to kill Long. Trespalacios had been captured earlier but was then set free.

Long's wife, Jane Long, later claimed to be the first woman of English background to settle in Texas. She gave birth to Mary James Long. People said Mary was the first child of English background born in Texas. But later records showed this was not true. Jane and her children had a very hard winter. She waited for her husband to return. At one point, some Karankawa Indians appeared. But Jane fired a cannon every day. This made them think an army was there. In the spring, she finally heard the sad news of her husband's death. Jane Long left Texas for a time. But she returned in the 1820s as a real colonist.