Once upon a time in Texas by Mable Cash 5-16-08
The wind was cold and damp blowing across Point Bolivar near the mouth of Galveston Bay where a fort had been built in 1819 along the Texas coast. It was November of 1821 and only three females occupied the structure. Dr. James Long, a serious fighter for independence in Texas from Spain had brought his wife Jane, daughter Ann and a servant girl Kiamatia, to the fort, leaving for their protection, a handful of soldiers, while he led a second attempt to secure the freedom of Texas. In 1819 he had declared Texas free and independent when he, leading an army of 300 men captured Nacogdoches. (The good Doctor refused to accept the Adams-Ones Treaty of 1819 recognizing Texas as a part of Spanish territory. He was convinced that Texas was a part of the Louisiana Purchase.) Though his endeavor was successful for a little while and settlers began moving into the territory; as soon as he was away in a meeting with Jean Lafitte, Spanish forces marched on Nacogdoches from San Antonio. The settlers scattered, some returning to the United States, some were captured and a few were killed, including Dr. Long’s brother. Dr. Long, having failed in his endeavor to liberate Texas, returned to his family in Natchez, Mississippi. But by 1821, still believing that Texas should be a free and independent Republic, he once more was able to raise a small army of about 50 men willing to fight for this cause.
Dr.Long’s wife Jane, supportive of her husband’s plans, accompanied him on this second invasion to free Texas. With his family established safely in the fort at Point Bolivar and leaving guards for their protection, he lead the remainder of his forces inland to Goliad. As soon as Mexican forces became aware of their presence in Goliad, an army came by way of San Antonio and forced Long’s army to surrender. While awaiting trial, Long was killed by a Mexican soldier.
Meanwhile, back at the fort, Jane knew nothing of her husband’s fate. The guards who had remained to protect Longs’ family, grew restless and left, returning to New Orleans in the fall of 1821. December was the month that Jane’s baby was to be born! Jane, daughter Ann and servant, Kiamatia took inventory and realized how meager their food supply was. Together, they daily gathered driftwood from the beaches and searched for oysters, fished and trapped small birds. One day, a party of Karankawas Indians appeared on the beach. The women rushed back to the fort and fired the cannon. Their action frightened them away.. The winter was harsh and the damp cold made survival difficult for them all, even more so with the arrival of a new baby girl! They patiently waited for Dr. Long to return.
Help finally arrived in the summer of 1822.The rescue party told Jane of her husband’s death. She and the children went back to the United States only to return to Texas in 1824 with Stephen F. Austin’s “Old 300” colonists.
Jane Long lived to see her husband’s dream of an independent Texas come true. She became successful, operating a boarding house in Brazoria and running a plantation in Richmond. Her farm was one of the most prosperous in Fort Bend County. Many noteworthy men, including Sam Houston and Mirabeau Lamar stayed at her boarding house. She died in 1880. Because of her devotion to the
dream of a free Republic of Texas, she is often referred to by historians as “The Mother of Texas.”
“Your children learn more of your faith during the bad times than they do during the good times.” (Beverly LaHaye)
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