while nacogdoches was rubbing her sleepy eyes and staring at the americanos, who kept coming into texas in spite of the scant welcome they got there, a man was strutting about the court at madrid in spain, carrying texas, so to speak, in his pocket. manuel de godoy, called el principe de la paz (the prince of the peace), who, from a private in the king’s guards had come to be a grandee of spain and first minister of the king’s council, was a corrupt courtier, cordially hated by the people, but a favorite both of the king and the queen.[14] they had given him the highest honors and titles possible in spain and finally they had made him a present of the territory of texas. to this princely gift they added soldiers and ships and a large number of young women from the asylums in spain. godoy in his dreams already saw himself ruling in a semi-barbaric fashion over his kingdom in the “golden west.”
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old stone fort at nacogdoches.
the attitude of napoleon bonaparte toward spain put an end to this curious scheme. soldiers and ships were ordered to another service; the young women were returned to their asylums; and godoy was sent into dishonorable exile with his pocket empty, at least of texas.
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spain, tired of the troublesome present she had received from louis the fifteenth, one fine day in 1800 handed louisiana back to france. but before the french colonists had time to rejoice, napoleon in 1803 sold them and their province to the united states. again they were very angry; but, as before, nobody cared in the least what they thought or how they felt.
the old dispute concerning the boundary between louisiana and texas was revived by this transaction. spain claimed eastward as far toward the mississippi river as she dared. the united states would gladly have reached out westward to the rio grande. the quarrel at last grew so bitter that both countries prepared to go to war (1806).
nacogdoches and natchitoches glared at each other across the sabine river, like two watch-dogs snarling and showing their teeth.
antonio cordero, governor of texas, hurried by way of the old san antonio road from san antonio to nacogdoches. the lonely presidio then fairly thrilled; for fortifications were thrown up, provisions were brought in, and the place was put in a state of defense. soldiers were also stationed at the mouth of the trinity river, at the old fort at adaes, and at other points. at length in august, 1806, simon herrera, commanding the spanish troops with cordero as his second, marched in with twelve hundred men at his back.
at natchitoches also there was bustle and excitement. governor claiborne, followed at once by general wilkinson of the united states army, had come up from new orleans. several angry messages passed between generals wilkinson and herrera, but neither would yield an inch in his demands; and on the 22d of october general wilkinson marched his troops to the east bank of the sabine river and camped there. general herrera’s camp was on the west bank, just opposite. the stream alone separated the two armies. on both sides everything was in readiness for a battle.
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but in the hush of the night (november 5) the two generals met and held a secret council. the next day (nov. 6, 1806), to the surprise of all and greatly to the disappointment of the american soldiers, it was announced that the affair had been peacefully settled. a strip of land between the sabine river and a creek called the arroyo hondo seven miles west of natchitoches, was declared neutral ground,—that is, ground to be occupied by neither country until the boundary line could be fixed by a state treaty.[15]
the americans marched away, grumbling openly; the spanish generals, having got more than they expected, returned well pleased to nacogdoches.
nacogdoches had ceased to be simply a stopping-place for travelers; it vied with its distant neighbor, san antonio, in the gaiety of its social life. the spanish officers, especially the commandant herrera, were noted for their gracious and courtly manners. some american families of position had moved in; there was even a hotel. the presidio had become a town.
