[dropcap]J[/dropcap]ose Maria Jesus Carbajal waited until the guards were fast asleep before calmly walking out of the Matamoros jail on the night of Nov. 28, 1835. The native Texan reached Goliad in time to sign the first statement of independent intent in the Lone Star rebellion.
The Carbajal family tree was full of bold adventurers, whose exploits spanned two continents and three centuries. Antonio migrated to England and served as an advisor to Oliver Cromwell. Francisco and Luis conquered Peru and Mexico for God and king, while Geronimo was among the earliest settlers of San Antonio de Bexar.
Jose Carbajal spent much of his youth at boarding schools in the United States before returning to colonial Texas in the late 1820s. From his close friend Stephen F. Austin, he borrowed enough money to live on until the American found him work.
Elected from San Antonio to the Coahuila-Texas legislature in early 1835, Carbajal’s criticism of the despot Santa Anna severely shortened his life expectancy. When a warrant for his arrest was issued that summer, the dissident wisely ran off to Louisiana.
Carbajal was captured in November off the Texas coast running guns to the rebels. After regaining his freedom and putting his name on the Goliad Declaration of Independence in December 1835, he mysteriously vanished during the climax of the Revolution.
Carbajal briefly surfaced four years later at the head of an abortive revolt in northern Mexico. He won a minor skirmish but lost the use of his left arm and once again disappeared.
Months went by without a clue to Carbajal’s fate, and his many admirers to the north presumed he was dead or in prison. Imagine their surprise when he suddenly showed up in 1846 as a division commander dedicated to the defeat of the American forces in the war with Mexico!
Admitting they might have done the same in his place, the tolerant Texans forgave their old comrade for trying to kill them. Like any true patriot, he had simply defended the fatherland against foreign invaders.
In September 1851, Carbajal appealed for armed assistance in liberating the Mexican borderland, and several hundred Texans answered the call no questions asked. Their leader was the vintage Ranger Rip Ford, who never missed a good fight.
The rebels marched on Matamoros taking the river towns of Camargo and Reynosa on the way. Safe and sound in Brownsville, the frightened inhabitants awaited the outcome of the battle for their sister city which began on Oct. 21.
The next day, Millard Fillmore advised all Americans to keep their noses out of the messy business in Mexico. The president warned would-be adventurers that he would not lift a finger on their behalf, if they were captured south of the border.
Fillmore, in fact, violated his official policy of neutrality in the complicated conflict by secretly supplying the government garrison in Matamoros. Carbajal responded with an open letter in which he declared, “The Americans who are acting with me will not shame either their country or their name.”
On the verge of victory, Carbajal stunned his followers on Oct. 30 by ordering an immediate withdrawal from Matamoros. He realized that seizure of the city would be a short-lived success since his small contingent was certain to be annihilated by enemy reinforcements already on the way.
While Carbajal beat a hasty retreat up the Rio Grande, Rip Ford hurried to Austin in search of fresh recruits. Honored on the spot with an unsolicited seat in the state legislature, he used the position to lobby for his latest cause. But the bad news from Matamoros had taken the fun out of the enterprise, and Rip found few takers.
Meanwhile, Carbajal slipped into South Texas to lick his wounds and to plan his next strike. Badly beaten at a border crossing in February 1852, he scurried back to Lone Star soil only to be arrested by the U.S. Army.
Carbajal and 11 lieutenants quickly posted bail and prepared for another round. The execution of several supporters, including two Americans, revived Texan interest in the comatose crusade.
Carbajalistas staged an overnight raid on Reynosa in March 1853 and held the alcalde for a $30,000 ransom. Refusing to pay a peso more for the bureaucrat than he was worth, residents made a counter-offer of $2,000. The bandits took the cash, freed the hostage and headed for the nearest bar.
The American military had no trouble rounding up the drunken raiders. Detained just long enough to discourage any repeat performance, the sober insurrectionists deserted in droves.
Jose Carbajal himself soon made the same sensible decision. His fervent beliefs did not blind him to the fact that there was no future in fighting two governments – Mexico and the United States.
Bartee’s three books “Texas Depression-Era Desperadoes,” “Murder Most Texan” and “Texas Boomtowns: A History of Blood and Oil” are available for purchase at barteehaile.com.
