FAMOUS HISTORIC TEXAN AND MEXICAN PERSONAGES STRODE THE STAGE OF BROWNSVILLE/MATAMOROS

From Encyclopedia de Mexico

MATAMOROS – By 1835, the rebellion by Texas settlers in northern Texas had become notorious. Stephen Austin had declared war was the only recourse against the central Mexican government and on October 2 armed conflict broke out in Gonzalez.

Although the settlers had been granted the land they desired, they apparently forgot that they had pledged allegiance to Mexico instead of the United States, to embrace the Catholic religion, and, most abhorrent to them, not to own slaves.

However, they decided to renege on those promises and pledges and declared war on the very government that had allowed them land to farm and a place to live in return.

The Texans made some attempts to attack and invade Matamoros, with the most serious attempt taking place Jan. 3-4 of 1836 headed by James Grant, Francis N. Johnson and James W. Fannin.

In response to these bellicose actions on the part of the settlers, the Matamoros municipal administration constructed Fort Vicente Guerrero. General Jose Urrea organized the troops and defeated the rebels in skirmishes in San Patricio, Aguadulce, and Arroyo Coleto.

However, his departure from the city opened it up for attacks by the Comanches, who received weapons and ammunition from the Texans. On April 14, the Comanches attacked La Costa and Arroyo Seco ranches, killing their inhabitants and stealing their livestock. In June of that year after the defeat of Santa Anna in San Jacinto, Mexican settlers abandoned Texas and about 5,000 of them under General Filisola.

Among these was the family of Ignacio Zaragoza, who would later achieve immortality with his victory over the French May 5, 1861 at Puebla. He lived in Matamoros for nine years, until 1845, when he left for Monterrey to continue his studies.

In January, 1837, General Nicolas Bravo took over as chief of the border military forces with standing orders to retake Texas but failed due to the penurious state of the national treasury. In fact, resources were so short that he could not even pursue the Comanches who killed one of his officers at the gates of the city, a Col. Cortina. Before he resigned out of frustration, he pardoned and released 14 Texan prisoners.

At the time, Matamoros had a population of 16,372 and the maritime traffic at the mouth of the Rio Grande and at Brazos Santiago had attained considerable volume.

In 1846, as a result of the invasion and resulting Mexican-American War waged by the U.S. military, Matamoros came under a 180-hour long artillery bombardment and the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de Guerrero took place May 8-9 within the communal lands of the city.

Many Matamoros residents took up a guerrilla insurgency against the invading army. Among the most notable for their feats against the Americans figured Román Falcón and Leandro Paredes, as did Camilo Manzo, whose name was inscribed in a meeting room of the city because of his heroism during the Battle of La Angostura Feb. 23, 1847.

Once the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the military hostilities Feb. 2, 1848, Matamoros and the entire northern Tamaulipas area suffered grave economic crisis. With no other communication with the central government than that by the sea, border residents rose in rebellion and proclaimed the Plan of La Loba, which called for a free-trade zone that would make products more affordable, and the expelling of military forces from the area.

However, general lawlessness broke out due to the arrival of filibusters with the revolutionaries who pillaged the city for 10 days running until the city’s residents rose in rebellion and defeated them Oct. 30, 1851 under the leadership of Gen. Francisco Avalos.

Because of these actions, the Tamaulipas Congress gave the city the motto of Heroic, Loyal and Undefeated. By 1855, Matamoros had a population of 11,233, but many left due to the violence caused by the war and subsequent troubles.

By March 17, 1858, Gov. Ramon Guerra issued a decree declaring the area free-trade zone which was later confirmed by President Benito Juárez July 30, 1861. With this declaration, Matamoros and Puerto Bagdad acquired a surge in commerce and trade unprecedented in the city’s history. Partly as a result of this, the city’s population boomed to 40,000 residents while the port surged to 12,000.

When the U.S. Civil War broke out (1861-1865), trade at the port received a huge boost. At any one time, from 150 to 200 ships would be at the mouth of the river waiting to unload arms, ammunition and manufactured goods for the Confederacy, and loading cotton bales, animal lard, hides, wool and other minerals for world markets.

It was from this period that great capital formations were initiated which subsequently made possible that large industrial growth that formed the industry of Monterrey.

After Oct. 21, 1861, Matamoros was laid under siege and suffered various military assaults during a period of 96 days as a result of the dispute between the Rojo and Crinolino political factions. It wasn’t until Gen. Ignacio Comonfort appeared to arbitrate their differences and formed the first Division of the North which was made up of military elements of both parties. This division would achieve national fame and respect because of its opposition and defeat of the invading French armies and its conservative allies.

The confederates entered Port Bagdad March 15, 1863, and lynched Union Capt. W.W. Montgomery, taking prisoners unionists A.T. Hamilton and E.J. Davis. Davis would later go on to become a governor of Texas. Gen. Albino Lopez protested this incursion into Mexican territory by the confederate forces and after subsequent meetings, received conciliatory protocols to his government’s satisfaction and Davis was returned to Matamoros.

That November, many Brownsville residents sought refuge in Matamoros to escape the massive fires set by the retreating confederate army. After a short naval bombardment, Puerto Bagdad fell into French hands on September 1864.

Juan N. Cortina, who was born in present-day San Pedro, Texas, was governor of Tamaulipas then and he and confederate commander John Salmon Ford reached an agreement establishing free passage on both sides of the river for the southerners and for Juarez supporters to flee the wrath of the French and imperialist armies.

On September 26, imperialist Gen. Tomas Mejia took control of the main Matamoros plaza. The following April 1865, Mejia finished the construction of Fort Casa Mata and earthworks and walls around the city. Nonetheless, on April 11 Cortina penetrated the city by surprise and recovering the weapons he had stashed in the city started hostilities against the imperialist army.

Liberal Gen. Miguel Negrete attacked the imperialist army but was repulsed by the French, who were aided by an artillery unit of the confederates who had been kicked out of Brownsville by Union forces.

On Jan. 5, 1866. a group of black unionists under the command of Col. Crawford invaded and sacked Puerto Bagdad for a period lasting a few days. The invasion and subsequent atrocities perpetrated by the band of soldiers were ended with the arrival of Gen. Mariano Escobedo. Escobedo later fought the imperialists without success and then departed to Monterrey leaving Cortina in charge of the assault against Matamoros.

On June 10, Escobedo ambushed a large force of imperialists in the hills of Santa Gertrudis defeating them and seizing a large amount of war materiel and booty. This victory was of critical importance for the retaking of Matamoros one week later since Mejia surrendered once he realized holding out was useless.

After this victory, the entire northern Tamaulipas border fell into the hands of the Mexican union constitutionalist forces. After the defeat of the imperialists and their conservative allies, the end of the U.S. Civil War, and the construction of a railroad at Point Isabel, Matamoros fell into a general economic decline and depression.

In 1870, only 13,000 residents remained in the city and only 1,020 in Puerto Bagdad.

The Plan de Tuxtepec, proclaimed by Gen. Porfirio Diaz, was restated March 21, 1876, in Palo Blanco near Matamoros. Diaz seized the plaza April 2 by Gen. Manuel Gonzalez, who would succeed Diaz as president Dec. 1, 1880.

That same day saw the start of massive railroad projects with the Matamoros-Monterrey rail route being the first of the projects inaugurated at the time.

However, the population of Matamoros continued to decline rapidly and capital flight was prevalent. The free-trade zone no longer existed and only agriculture and livestock remained. Even these industries were endangered by the chronic floods from the Rio Grande.

By 1900, only 18,444 residents lived in Matamoros and surrounding settlements. Despite the completion of the Matamoros-Monterrey railroad May 5, 1905, the population declined so that the census of 1910 found that only 7,390 residents remained in the city and another 8,649 lived in the surrounding area of the municipality.