Texan Santa Fe Expedition - Wikipedia
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The Texan Santa Fe Expedition in 1841 was a failed commercial and military initiative by the Republic of Texas to compete with the Santa Fe Trail trade and possibly annex the eastern half of New Mexico. President Mirabeau B. Lamar started the expedition, which was a part of his plan to swiftly build a robust continental power and prevent the impending annexation of Texas to the United States. However, the approximately 320 Texan expedition members were overcome by the superior forces of New Mexican governor Manuel Armijo. The captured Texans were marched 2,000 miles to Veracruz, Mexico, where they were released in 1842 and returned to Texas and the United States.
The expedition had begun from Round Rock near Austin, taking along 21 ox-drawn wagons filled with goods worth $200,000. Despite the heavy military escort, the expedition faced a series of challenges including poor preparation, a lack of supplies, and direction, eventually surrendering to Armijo’s forces. The prisoners survived harsh conditions and were spared by one vote in Armijo’s council. They were held until the United States’s diplomatic efforts secured their release. While Lamar faced criticism for the failed expedition, Texas eventually joined the United States in 1845, escalating the border dispute to involve Mexico and the U.S. itself, eventually leading to the Mexican-American War.
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