Juan Davis Bradburn facts for kids
Juan Davis Bradburn (born John Davis Bradburn; 1787 – April 20, 1842) was an important general in the Mexican Army. He is best known for his actions in a place called Anahuac in Mexican Texas during 1831 and 1832. These events led to problems known as the Anahuac Disturbances, which were a big step towards the Texas Revolution.
Bradburn was born in the United States. He first went to Mexico around 1812, joining a group trying to free Texas from Spanish rule. Later, he fought in the Battle of New Orleans for the United States. After that, he spent several years helping Mexico gain its independence from Spain. When Mexico became independent in 1821, Bradburn became an officer in the new Mexican Army. He even worked for Emperor Agustín de Iturbide.
In 1830, Bradburn helped set up a new military and customs post called Anahuac in Texas. The settlers living there didn't like his efforts to control land ownership. They also disliked his attempts to make them follow customs laws that had been ignored for a long time. Tensions grew when Bradburn, following Mexican law, refused to return people who had escaped slavery to their owners in the United States.
After a fake letter claimed armed men were coming to get the runaway slaves, Bradburn arrested local lawyers William B. Travis and Patrick Churchill Jack. Settlers were very upset because they felt Travis didn't get the same legal protections they were used to from the United States. A large group of Texians marched to Anahuac to get Travis released. This conflict forced Bradburn to leave Texas and encouraged other settlers to take action against Mexican soldiers. Because of these events, Bradburn was often seen as a villain in Texas history during the 1800s.
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Early Life and Joining the Fight for Mexico
John Davis Bradburn was born in 1787 in Virginia, United States. His family later moved to Christian County, Kentucky. As a young man, Bradburn became a merchant in Springfield, Tennessee.
It is believed that Bradburn took part in the 1812 Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition. This group wanted to make Spanish Texas independent from Spain. They were successful at first, taking control of towns like Nacogdoches, Goliad, and San Antonio de Béxar. However, the expedition was later defeated by Spanish forces in August 1813 at the Battle of Medina. A few Americans, including Bradburn, managed to escape to Louisiana.
By 1814, Bradburn was living in Louisiana. He joined the local militia to help defend the state during the Battle of New Orleans. His unit arrived just after the main battle and stayed until the emergency laws ended in March.
Fighting for Mexican Independence
After leaving the militia, Bradburn stayed in New Orleans. The Mexican War of Independence was happening, and many adventurers, called filibusters, were gathering in the city. They planned to help free Texas from Spanish control. Bradburn became a sergeant major in one of these groups.
In early 1816, Bradburn was stationed in Nacogdoches to help new recruits and supplies reach the main group. Later, he joined the leader, Henry Perry, at his camp along the Trinity River. Not much happened for a few months.
In November 1816, another filibuster named Martín Javier Mina y Larrea arrived with more men and supplies. Mina planned to invade Tampico to help the revolutionary army inside Mexico. Bradburn joined Mina's group because their plan seemed better. He soon became the second-in-command of the American troops.
The filibusters traveled to Fort Sombrero, a rebel base in Guanajuato province. Spanish royalist troops surrounded the fort, and supplies ran low. Mina tried to surrender, but the Spanish only offered safe passage to native Mexicans. Americans and other foreigners were told they had to surrender without any conditions. The American commander was killed, leaving Bradburn in charge. On August 19, he ordered a retreat. Spanish cavalry attacked, and less than a quarter of the Americans escaped.
Bradburn stayed in Mexico and soon joined the forces led by Vicente Guerrero. Even though Guerrero had a tough reputation, the two men became close. Bradburn once refused Guerrero's order to execute captured Spanish officers. This action impressed Agustín de Iturbide, who was the commander of the Spanish forces fighting Guerrero. In December 1820, Bradburn left the rebel army to join Iturbide. Most historians believe he was tired of the fighting, but some think he might have been a spy for Guerrero. Within a month, Bradburn was helping Iturbide and Guerrero communicate.
Iturbide then decided to lead a new independent Mexico himself. He gathered soldiers from both the Spanish and rebel armies, promising them good positions in his new organization. Bradburn was made a colonel.
Life in Independent Mexico
In August 1821, Mexico officially became independent from Spain. The next year, Iturbide became emperor of Mexico. He sent Bradburn to the United States to share the news. Bradburn returned with the message that the United States was ready to recognize Mexico as an independent country.
Later that year, Iturbide arranged for Bradburn to marry María Josefa Hurtado de Mendoza y Caballero de los Olivos, a well-connected Mexican woman. Her brother was the 9th Count of the Valley of Orizaba. Bradburn and his wife had one son, who later became a priest.
Iturbide was overthrown in 1823. The new government was based on federalist ideas, meaning power was shared more widely. Bradburn, who believed in a strong central government, stayed out of politics for a few years. He reappeared in Mexican records in 1828 when he was given the sole right to operate steamboats on the Rio Grande. However, he lost this right in 1830 because he couldn't meet the terms.
Bradburn in Texas
In 1824, the new Mexican government allowed people from the United States to move to Mexican Texas. Many settlers came, and the United States government even tried to buy the territory. Mexican authorities became worried that the United States wanted to take Texas by force.
To respond, on April 6, 1830, the Mexican government passed laws to limit immigration from the United States. These laws also called for customs houses to be set up in Texas to collect taxes on goods. On October 4, 1830, Bradburn was ordered to create the first customs post at Galveston Bay. He was chosen because he spoke both English and Spanish, knew the area well, and could communicate with both American immigrants and native Mexicans.
Bradburn and his men arrived at Galveston Bay on October 26. They set up a post on a bluff where Bradburn had camped before. Bradburn named the fort Anahuac, after the ancient capital of the Aztecs. The soldiers built large kilns to make bricks for a permanent fort. However, Bradburn sold the bricks to settlers who wanted to live near the fort.
The town grew quickly, reaching 300 civilians and 170 soldiers by June 1. At this point, Bradburn focused on building the fort. The soldiers, who had been mostly idle, were angry that they now had to do hard physical labor. They were also unhappy with Bradburn's high standards, as he often made them tear down and rebuild sections that weren't perfect. Many soldiers left the army.
Bradburn also angered the colonists. The Mexican Constitution of 1824 said immigrants couldn't settle within 26 miles (42 km) of the coast. Many foreigners had built homes too close to the coast. In January 1831, a new land commissioner arrived to give land titles to people who had settled there before 1830. Bradburn believed only the federal government could grant titles near the coast, and that he, as the federal representative, was the only one who could approve land surveys.
Bradburn arrested the land commissioner and his assistant. Within 10 days, Bradburn was ordered by his superiors to release them. The commissioner then quickly issued land deeds. He also set up an official town council, called an ayuntamiento, for the residents. This new community is now known as Liberty, Texas. Bradburn believed Liberty was created illegally because it was too close to the coast, but he didn't stop its establishment. On December 9, Bradburn's commander ordered him to dismantle the town and move the council to Anahuac.
Collecting Tariffs
The Mexican government had given special tax breaks, called tariff exemptions, to the first group of immigrants to Texas. Most Texas colonists wrongly thought this exemption applied to everyone. When Bradburn arrived, he started collecting these tariffs. After hearing complaints from ship captains, Bradburn helped change the law to reduce some of the high charges. Still, colonists were angry that their goods became more expensive. Many settlers also refused to believe their exemption had ended and openly disliked the tariffs and Bradburn. To keep the peace, Bradburn appointed local men to collect fees near Austin's colony. These men were not strict, and tensions calmed down.
To solve the problems, Stephen F. Austin wrote to Bradburn asking for help to get the tariffs removed across Texas. Bradburn quickly sent the letter up the chain of command. Bradburn's commander sent Austin a strong letter, reminding him that tariffs were collected by every nation, and only in Texas did they cause problems. Austin blamed Bradburn for this reprimand.
The Anahuac Disturbances
In January 1832, Bradburn received a letter listing 10 men in his area who wanted Texas to separate from Mexico. After this, Bradburn became very worried about the American settlers and their plans. He started to believe that every event was part of a plot to separate Texas from Mexico.
Several months later, local men formed a militia, supposedly to protect the settlement from Native American attacks. Mexican law did not allow residents to create militias, so Bradburn arrested the leader, Patrick Jack. Citizens were upset, but few wanted to get involved. One exception was Robert "Three-Legged Willie" Williamson, who threatened to kill Bradburn, which led to Jack's release.
Bradburn was also concerned about the intentions of Jack's law partner, William Barret Travis. The year before, Bradburn had given protection to two men who had escaped slavery in Louisiana. Travis represented the men's owner in several failed attempts to get them back to the United States. In May 1832, Bradburn received a letter warning that 100 armed men were 40 miles (64 km) away, planning to reclaim the slaves. After realizing the letter was a trick, Bradburn arrested Travis for questioning. He planned to send Travis to Matamoros for a military trial on charges of trying to start a rebellion. If found guilty, Travis could have been executed.
The settlers were outraged that the arrest didn't require a warrant, a statement of charges, or a trial by jury. Most were not familiar with Mexican law and thought that the United States Bill of Rights still applied to them.
Jack threatened Bradburn, who angrily arrested him again. The colonists had had enough, and men began marching towards Anahuac from different Texas settlements. By early June, over 150 Texians had gathered. They chose Frank W. Johnson as their commander. Without firing a shot, Johnson's group soon captured 19 of Bradburn's cavalry officers. This left Bradburn with only 80 soldiers, as the rest had left the army.
On June 10, the rebels took over buildings in northern Anahuac and started talking to end the dispute peacefully. Mexican officers agreed to release their prisoners if the Texians would release the captured cavalry officers and then leave the town for Turtle Bayou. Most of the rebels left Anahuac, but 15 to 30 men stayed scattered through the town. Bradburn believed this broke their agreement and threatened to fire on the village within two hours. Most Texians believed that Bradburn never intended to keep the agreement.
Fearing cannon fire, the women and children of Anahuac fled. Mexican soldiers briefly fought the men who remained, leading to the deaths of five Mexican soldiers and one Texan. After the fight, the remaining Texians gathered at Turtle Bayou to wait for cannons that were stored at Brazoria. Taking advantage of a civil war happening in Mexico, the Texians wrote the Turtle Bayou Resolutions. In this document, they declared themselves supporters of rebellious Mexican general Antonio López de Santa Anna. They criticized the current government for giving them military rule instead of civil authority.
While the Texians waited for their artillery, Bradburn sent messages to Colonel Piedras in Nacogdoches (200 miles (320 km) north) and Colonel Elosúa in San Antonio (300 miles (480 km) to the west). On June 19, Piedras and about 100 of his men set out to help Bradburn. Not knowing how many Texians he faced, Piedras wanted to end the conflict without violence. At his urging, Bradburn agreed to give up his command. Piedras agreed to take temporary command of the garrison. On July 2, he transferred the prisoners to civilian authorities; within a week, they were all released without charges. Piedras left for Nacogdoches on July 8. Three days later, most of the Anahuac troops declared themselves supporters of the federalist cause. Only Bradburn and a few others remained loyal to the centralist government.
Later Life and Legacy
After an attempt to harm him, which many believed was by Travis, Bradburn decided to leave Texas. No local ship captains would take him. On July 13, the new commander announced he would not protect any officers who still supported the centralist government. That night, Bradburn left Anahuac on foot. Years later, a carpenter from Anahuac said that after Bradburn left, locals gathered the other centralist officers and treated them harshly before cleaning them to "scrub their Bradburn sins off."
On August 6, Bradburn arrived in New Orleans and sought help from the Mexican consul. Many New Orleans residents had a very negative view of Bradburn. Ten days earlier, the local newspaper had published a letter from Travis calling Bradburn a "tyrant" and saying Travis had been jailed only for his political opinions. Bradburn quickly booked passage to Matamoros. When he arrived in Mexico, he learned that he had been officially removed from his duties in Anahuac on June 29, before his superiors knew about the armed conflict.
Bradburn remained in the army, fighting for the centralist government. Acting president Anastasio Bustamante promoted Bradburn to brigadier general after his bravery in a major battle on September 18. For the next few months, Bradburn commanded a regiment near Reynosa. In December, Bustamante and Santa Anna negotiated an end to the war. Bradburn's forces were combined with another general's, and Bradburn retired from military service. For several years, Bradburn grew vegetables near Matamoros. A visitor from Texas noted that Bradburn was respected by the foreign community in the city, even the American merchants.
When the Texas Revolution began in 1835, Bradburn rejoined the military under General José de Urrea. He agreed to fight only if he didn't have to go to eastern Texas. Urrea's forces defeated opposition along the Texas Gulf Coast. Bradburn was left to command the small port at Copano, north of the Nueces River. In April 1836, Santa Anna (now president of Mexico) was captured at the Battle of San Jacinto. All Mexican troops were ordered to retreat beyond the Rio Grande. Bradburn stayed at Copano to stop Mexican supply ships from falling into Texian hands. In mid-May, he was ordered to retreat south to Refugio and wait for a specific supply ship. His force was reduced to five men. After two left and the rest got sick, Bradburn set out alone on foot for Mexico. He reached Matamoros in poor health on June 13.
Bradburn served in the army again during a federalist war in 1838, but by the end of 1840, he had retired to Matamoros. He died on April 20, 1842, and was buried on his ranch, likely east of present-day Mission. The property is now a seminary, but there is no record of where Bradburn's grave is.
Bradburn's Place in History
When Bradburn died, Texas newspapers reported it in a very neutral way. One paper simply said that "Gen. Bradburn, who had long been in the Mexican service, and formerly commanded the garrison of Anahuac, lately died at Matamoros." History books from that time did not speak kindly of his actions. One historian described Bradburn as an "evil spirit." Historians suggest Bradburn was "one of the most maligned men in historical accounts of that period" partly because he had no family to try to protect his name in Texas.
Many people at the time, including Stephen F. Austin, thought Bradburn was not good at his job and sometimes seemed "half crazy." His actions "appeared arbitrary and authoritarian to the colonists." This was because the colonists didn't understand the power the Mexican military usually had. Texians were also upset that Bradburn, who was American-born like them, often sided against American immigrants. Few Texans in the 1800s understood that Bradburn was simply following orders and trying to enforce Mexican laws. Even in the 1900s, historians often called Bradburn a "petty tyrant."
Historian William C. Davis believes that Bradburn "overreacted and made heroes of two local troublemakers whose actions their own people otherwise had not been much inclined to sanction." The Turtle Bayou Resolutions that resulted encouraged other Texians to take similar actions. Many communities started supporting Santa Anna, and in August, Piedras and his troops were driven from Nacogdoches. Their retreat left eastern Texas free of Mexican military control for a while, which encouraged the colonists to become more politically active. Soon after, colonists organized the Convention of 1832, which was the first time Texians from different colonies gathered to discuss their common goals.
Shortly after Bradburn left Texas, the military post at Anahuac was closed. With no soldiers to buy supplies, the civilians in the area soon left. The fort was not re-established until January 1835. However, this new command was no more successful than Bradburn's. Within months, Travis led a group of rebels to overthrow the new commander in the second of the Anahuac Disturbances.
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See also
In Spanish: Juan Davis Bradburn para niños
