Archives War!
Written By Hasan Zalkout of The Texas Chronicle, Spring 1842
What Caused This War?
Because Mexican leaders were upset by the actions of the Lamar administration, they launched raids into Texas with General Rafael Vasquez commanding most of them. They raided cities like San Antonio, Goliad, Refugio, and Victoria. President Houston feared for an attack on Austin, so he ordered all archives to be withdrawn from the capital. Many Austin residents feared that because of this, Houston would again become the capital of Texas.
Retaliation!
Not wanting a change in the capital, Austin residents, led by Angelina Eberly, fired at Texan officials who were loading the documents into a wagon. The result of this short conflict? The Archives stayed in Austin, and all the residents of Austin were pleased. "We kept all those archives where they belong, here in Austin," began the very elated Angelina Eberly. "We want there to be no chance of a capital change. Austin is the true capital of Texas."
More Raids?
A couple of months later, Mexican General Adrian Woll and 1,400 soldiers captured San Antonio. Samuel Maverick called the invasion "horrific," and said that the Mexican soldiers were obscured by a dense fog. "It was horrible. We were taken by surprise and were greatly outnumbered," Samuel Maverick recalled. The Mexican troops took many Texans hostage, angering lots of other Texans, who then wanted to declare war on Mexico. Unease is flooding through Texas because of these Mexican attacks.