Merchants War

The so-called Merchants War of the early 1850s resulted from financial losses to merchants along the Rio Grande boundary caused by Mexico's strict tariff laws, her prohibition of imports from the United States, and her violation of trade rights granted to the United States in the 1848 treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. José María Jesús Carbajal led Texas merchants in four unsuccessful expeditions to recover confiscated goods from revenue officials. In September 1850, with a force of between 200 and 700 Anglo-Americans and Mexicans he took Camargo. An attack on Matamoros in October failed, and he was driven back across the Rio Grande in November after an unsuccessful attack on Cerralvo. In February 1852 Carbajal made another attempt, with 400 Anglo-Americans, near Camargo. A third attack, in the spring of 1853 was unsuccessful. There were rumors of another attempt in 1855. Mexican retaliation resulted in sham battles and in sacking, burning, and menacing in the Monterrey-Laredo area. The United States government, which captured and released Carbajal, tried to prevent American participation and worked for a peaceful settlement of debts claimed by American merchants.