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Early Texas journalist heralds Long expedition
On this day in 1819, Eli Harris led an advance guard of the Long
expedition across the Sabine River. He proceeded to Nacogdoches, where
he published the first edition of the Texas Republican on August
14. Though no copies of the paper are extant, the St. Louis Enquirer
stated that the content was "principally occupied with the military and
political operations going on in that quarter." Those operations
certainly included the activities of the Long expedition, the last
filibustering attempt to kick the Spaniards out of Texas. This freelance
project fell apart when Long's men, who had arrived in Nacogdoches a few
days after Harris, failed to receive supplies. The men scattered. Some
of them joined Jean Laffite, the famous Galveston Island pirate, and
tried to enlist him in their cause. Harris and his men abandoned the
printing press to forage off the land. Eventually Harris settled in
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, where he became a judge. In 1841 he wrote to
President Lamar of the Republic of Texas, claiming to have originated
the Lone Star emblem of Texas.
- Links to Related Handbook of Texas Online Articles
- HARRIS, ELI
- LONG EXPEDITION
- LAFFITE, JEAN
- NACOGDOCHES TEXAS REPUBLICAN
- FLAGS OF TEXAS
- LAMAR, MIRABEAU BUONAPARTE
- Other Texas Day by Day Articles for This Date
- New airport opens in Houston (1969)
- Mexican governor arrested trying to cross into Texas (1835)
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