First Clashes witlz tlie United States
2 37
horses," his character, his activities, and his whereabouts. He instructed Nava not to permit Nolan to go to Nuevo Santander under any circum- stances. The commandant general replied that according to his records the adventurer had left Texas at the end of July, 1798. Imagine his surprise to learn incidentally that Nolan was still in Texas in April, 1799 !1 8 Nava wrote Munoz at once to order Nolan to leave immediately and to warn him not to return. Munoz, in his reply, tried to dissipate the suspicions of his superior, explaining that Nolan's failure to depart was unintentional, that he was still in Texas because of the difficulties he had encountered in catching and conducting the horses to his pasture on the Trinity, and because of his trip to Nuevo Santander, which had been undertaken with the permission of the governor of that province. 19 Had Munoz dispatched a messenger at the time he received his orders from Nava, he could have overtaken Nolan before he left his pasture on the Trinity, where he had one thousand two hundred six horses. But the old governor was very sick, and died on July 27 without informing the unsuspecting Nolan of the strict orders against his return. It is not known just when Nolan finally left the Trinity River, but by November 12 he was already in the United States. On November 20. 1799. he wrote to Cook, his agent in Nacogdoches, that after his return he had learned that Gayoso de Lemos had warned the governor of Texas that he, Nolan, was a heretic, a dangerous man, who should be arrested and kept in close confinement. 20 It was not until August 8, 1800, however, that Nava issued orders to Elguezabal for Nolan's immediate arrest should he ever return . to Texas, in order to question him concerning his activities during the last few years and his relations with General Wilkinson.it Nolan's last expedition. Under the circumstances, it is difficult to understand why Nolan undertook a fourth expedition, particularly in view of the opposition of Jose Vidal, commandant at Concordia, who had him arraigned before the Federal Court of the Territory of l\'Iississippi 11 Nava. to Munoz, April 30, 1799. Bexar Archives. 19 Muiioz to Nava, June u, I 799. Quaderno Borrador, I 799-1801. Bexar Arcl,ives. 28 Daniel Cla.rk to Thomas Jefferson, November 12, 1799. Texas Historical Associa- tion, Tlte Quarterly, April, 1964, VII, 317-321. Nolan to Cook, November 20, 1799. Nacogdocltes Arcltives. Nolan was in error as to the letter of Gayoso de Lemos, who, in reality, wrote to Nava on June 1, 1799, a letter that was stronger than Nolan sus- pected and which, if it had been delivereci promptly, would have been fatal to him. Nava to Berenguer, November 27, 1801. Hi.storia, Vol. 413, pt. 1, pp. 216-219. 21 Nava to Elguezabal, August 8, 1800. Nacogdoches Archh-es.
Powered by FlippingBook