MIRABEAU LAMAR, THE SECOND PRESIDENT OF TEXAS, GRANTS A PASS FOR A MEXICAN FEDERALIST CAPTURED IN FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE FROM MEXICO: “THE BEARER, JESUS BARRERA, IS EMPLOYED ON PUBLIC SERVICE…AND HAS PERMISSION TO CARRY ARMS FOR HIS PROTECTION”

MIRABEAU LAMAR (1798-1859). Lamar served as the Second President of the Republic of Texas from 1838-1841. A protégé of Sam Houston, Lamar later served in the Texas Senate and as U.S. ambassadors to Costa Rica and Nicaragua under President James Buchanan.

ALS.1 pg. 8” x 10”. March 5, 1847. Laredo, Texas. An autograph letter signed “Mirabeau B. Lamar Commanding at Laredo”  and initialed “MBL”.  The letter grants the following: “The bearer, Jesus Barrera, is employed on public service…and has permission to carry arms for his protection; he will be respected accordingly, and allowed to pass without interference Mirabeau B. Lamar Commanding at Laredo”. The letter includes a postscript: “Will the Quartermaster please dispatch the bearer with as little delay as possible, and if necessary, to furnish him with a horse to return upon, should his own give out”. Volume VI of the Lamar Papers within the Texas History Trust describe a Jesus Barrera who was captured in 1840 fighting on behalf of the Republic of the Rio Grande. This declared republic, with several other northern Mexican states, sought to break away from the centralized authoritarian Mexican government of General Santa Anna during the Texas Revolution to form a federal system modeled after the United States. Their revolution was brutally suppressed, but received covert support from Lamar while he was President of Texas. Now almost a decade later, Lamar was fighting for the United States Army at Laredo, Texas and supported his one-time ally. His order to furnish a gun and horse during war-time to a Mexican citizen is very striking for how it complicates portrayals of loyalty during the Mexican-American War. This letter within its historical context is an excellent example of the ideological divisions that plagued Mexico around the time of Texas independence and the war with America. The letter is in fine condition with a few folds that do not hinder understanding.  The letter is framed in brown wood and matted in tan with a hand-colored portrait of Lamar.