Archives War
By: Morgan Mcqueen
Archives War
The Archives War is a short conflict between the Mexican government and the people of Austin. It happened in 1842, and it also was a dispute over an attempted move of the Republic of Texas national archives from Austin to Houston. Mexican leaders were upset by the actions of the Lamar administration, so they began launching raids into Texas. In March 1842 a division of the Mexican army under Gen Rafael Vasquez. Vasquez's 700 soldiers attacked San Antonio, Goliad, Refugio, and Victoria. Many Texans started to panic when they heard that Mexican troop were invading.
Archives War Countinues
A group led by, Angelina Eberly, they fired at officials who were loading documents on to wagons. That happened because Mexican troops were invading Texas.The Archives War ended with the document back in Austin. President Houston ordered government archives, or records, to be withdrawn from the capital.
"We were aroused...by the firing of a...cannon...succeeded[followed] immediately by the...tramp of a body of men. A dense fog obscured [hid] them actual observation until they had advanced into the public square...when the fog disappeared discovering [revealing] to us that we were surrounded on all sides by the bodies of regular [Mexican] troops"
-Samuel Maverick, quoted in Memoirs of Mary A. Maverick