Texan Santa Fe Expedition

The Texan Santa Fe Expedition was a failed commercial and military expedition in 1841 by the Republic of Texas with the objective of competing with the lucrative trade conducted over the Santa Fe Trail and the ulterior motive of annexing to Texas the eastern one-half of New Mexico, then a province of Mexico.^[1][2]

Texan Santa Fe Expedition
Map of the Santa Fe Trail (in red) in 1845. A detailed present-day map is also available.
Date June 19, 1841 - June 13, 1842 Location New Mexico Result Mexican victory
Belligerents
Mexico	Texas
Commanders and leaders
Manuel Armijo	Mirabeau B. Lamar Hugh McLeod Robert D. Phillips (POW) William G. Lewis (POW)
Strength
1,500	320
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The expedition was unofficially initiated by the president of Texas, Mirabeau B. Lamar. The initiative was a major component of Lamar's ambitious plan to turn the fledgling republic into a continental power, which the president believed had to be achieved as quickly as possible to stave off the growing movement demanding the annexation of Texas to the United States. Lamar's administration had already started courting the New Mexicans, sending out a commissioner in 1840. Many Texans believed that the New Mexicans would be favorable to the idea of joining the Republic of Texas.

The expedition was a failure. Historian David Lavender called it "one of the most cockeyed ventures in American history."^[3] The Texans, approximately 320 in number, surrendered to the superior forces of New Mexican governor Manuel Armijo. The captives were marched 2,000 miles (3,200 km) south to Veracruz, Mexico. They were released in 1842 and made their way back to Texas and the United States.