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Surnames: Calvert Colvert Colbert Colver Calbird Calbert Calvart Calvard Callbert
"Alias Harris" "Alias Harrison"
Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
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Message Board Post:
As you discuss this again, the Miers "expedition" 1842 out of San Antonio where
a "militia" was to strike against bandits and raiders who came out of Mexico, it
strikes me that you mention names here that I find interesting. If I recall correctly,
there was a Hill in the expedition as well as a Shepherd. After being captured, rather,
surrendering to two Mexican Generals(the border dispute continued on for years after Texas
Independence), the men were force marched down into Mexico where at a fort or prison were
forced to draw beans from a clay pot. Those with a black bean were executed and those with
a white bean lived but were imprisoned.
Before this event, most of the prisoners who had surrendered had escaped and tried to make
their way north out of Mexico. They had been marched south
and escaped into the mountains but most recaptured and then marched to the site where they
picked the beans to see who lived or died. Now, If I recall my history correctly, there is
a diary by one of the men and another was an artist who did drawings and later went to
England to study(he was an older man -- McCutchin or something like that.
So finally, the remaining prisoners were marched way to the south, almost down in central
America and negotiations for the remaining prisoners continued by Texas, by the US and by
Britain. Finally Santa Ana Passed and the war with Mexico fought (1846), the Mier(Ciudad
Mier was the name of the place that the militia of Texans attack...and the prisoners
finally freed, what were left of them. Periodically some would escape, be recaptured and
executed but some made it via various avenues of flight.
The whole thing started due to the Texas Rangers and the Mexican army, and it was 1842,
Mexicans under a general Woll attacked San Antonio.
So, I checked my History book, Lone Star and it was 159 white beans and 17 black ones.
THere is no mention of Calvert in the book. I have a decent work of fiction on the Mier
Expedition, "The Diezmo" by Rick Bass which is a good fictional effort regarding
the fiasco.
Here are some specific references to look for the names of those who were involved(started
with 750 men, said to be a Rabble militia, led by Somervell who did not cross into Mexico
but from among this force, perhaps 400 did if I recall.
- Soldiers of Misfortune: The Somervell and Mier
Expeditions - Haynes
- The Miers Expedition Diary: A Texas Prisoner's
Account - McCutchan
- Adventures of Bigfoot Wallce - Duval
- The Boy captive of the Texas Mier Expedition: A Thrilling Episode of the Texas Republic
- 1910 by Fanny Gooch Inglehart.
A couple of other Texas Histories delve a bit into the details of this raid into South
Texas to Laredo and then those that crossed. Atrocities again the Mexicans by the Texicans
occurred, and for this reason Somervell abandoned the mission which was approved by
President Sam Houston. Interesting stuff, this out of Texas.
All in all, I don't have a reference book with enough of a list of people to help but
the Diary, which I have read, does list names and I would start with it.
David