Felix Huston
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Felix Huston (1800–1857) was a lawyer, soldier, military opportunist and the first commanding general of the Army of the Republic of Texas under the Constitution of 1836.
Early life and career
Huston was born in Kentucky. He was a slave trader, planter, Whig politician, and attorney in Natchez, Mississippi. Receiving news of the Texas Revolution, he raised and equipped troops (often at his own expense) and money throughout Mississippi and Kentucky.
Move to Texas
He left Natchez on May 5, 1836, with 500 to 700 volunteers to join the
Militia commander
On June 25, Texas President
Army commander
On December 20, 1836,
However, Juan Seguín intervened, and the town and historic mission were spared from destruction. Later in the year, Sam Houston appointed Albert Sidney Johnston as the senior brigadier general and permanent commander of the Texan army. Huston felt slighted, and challenged Johnston to a duel on February 5, 1837, wounding him in the right hip.
In November 1839, Huston was elected as major general of the militia, defeating James C. Neill and other candidates. He developed an aggressive scheme to capture Matamoros, Tamaulipas, in 1840, believing that Texas should expand its borders southward beyond the Rio Grande. However, his desires were thwarted by moderates.
Indian wars
In August, war chief Little Buffalo Hump and 500
Decommission
In May 1837, President Sam Houston furloughed much of the Texas army, leaving Huston a general without troops to command. Shortly after the Battle of Plum Creek, Huston left Texas and co-founded a law firm in New Orleans.
In 1844, he supported a movement to annex the republic to the United States. However, by the late 1850s, Huston had become an ardent
Death
In 1857, he died in Natchez, Mississippi.
References
- ^ Joseph Milton Nance, "REPUBLIC OF TEXAS," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mzr02), accessed May 15, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ Thomas W. Cutrer, "HUSTON, FELIX," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhu46), accessed May 15, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ Thomas F. Schilz, "PLACIDO," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fpl01), accessed May 15, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
External links
- Handbook of Texas Online, article on Felix Huston.