Tejano on a Tightrope

 

Juan Seguin

Juan Nepomuceno Seguin was born on October 27, 1806, in San Antonio, to a prominent Tejano family that served Spain, Mexico and the Republic of Texas.  In his youth, Seguin helped run the post office with his father, who was San Antonio’s postmaster.  He married Maria Gertrudis Flores de Abrego in 1825 with whom he had ten children.  A fascination with politics led to service on a number of electoral boards before becoming Alcalde (mayor) of San Antonio in 1833 and later the political head of Bexar province. 

Seguin’s father, Erasmo, was a close ally of Stephen F. Austin’s colony.  The alliance between Erasmo and Austin eventually included Juan before the outbreak of the Texas Revolution.  In 1829, Mexico’s government was in factional turmoil with Centralists, who favored a strong central government, pitted against Federalists, who favored strong local governments.  Out of the tumult emerged a Mexican army officer and politician with an amazing charisma that concealed an extreme ruthlessness.  A Federalist at first, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was elected president then suspended Mexico’s constitution in favor of a dictatorship. 

At that time, Texas was adjoined to the Mexican state of Coahuila.  Texas’ growing Anglo population favored an independent state under less control from Mexico’s Centralist government.  Opposed to Santa Anna’s rule, Seguin sided with the rebellious Texans.  Stephen F. Austin commissioned him a captain in charge of supplying food and provisions.  Seguin raised a company of 37 men.   In 1835, he assisted Texas forces in capturing his hometown from Mexican forces under General Martin Perfecto de Cos.  Forced to leave San Antonio with his 500 men, Cos marched to Laredo where he met Santa Anna’s army of 6,000 marching in the opposite direction - toward San Antonio.  Seguin joined the Alamo defenders with the hope reinforcements would arrive.  Before the Alamo was encircled, Seguin was dispatched as a courier to seek help from Sam Houston.  After learning the Alamo had fallen, Seguin organized a company of Hispanics to act as a rearguard for Houston’s nascent army.  His company was the only Hispanic company that fought at the Battle of San Jacinto. 

After Santa Anna’s defeat, Seguin was promoted to Lt. Colonel and ordered to San Antonio, where he accepted the surrender of the Mexican forces that occupied the town.  On February 25, 1837, he ordered the collection and burial of the Alamo defenders’ ashes almost a year after the battle.  Despite Santa Anna’s surrender and the ensuing Treaty of Velasco that granted Texas’ independence, the Mexican government refused to accept the treaty and continued making armed incursions into Texas.  Sequin’s regiment was woefully short of supplies, complaining they were “on foot, naked and barefoot.”  Unable to obtain supplies from the Texas army’s quartermaster, he had to confiscate supplies and horses from San Antonio residents which alienated him from his fellow Tejanos.  Nevertheless, Seguin’s regiment was invaluable in collecting intelligence and maintaining communication between Mexico and the Republic of Texas, especially since many Anglo-Texans did not speak Spanish.  During the fall of 1837, Seguin was elected a senator of the newly created Texas Congress. 

Although he represented San Antonio, he represented the interests of all Hispanics in the Republic of Texas as well.   The challenge for Sequin was representing a district that Anglo-Texas settlements distrusted because of its Hispanic population, while many of his constituents were neutral during the Revolution and had a flagging regard for their new government.   

In 1840, Seguin resigned from the Texas Senate to assist General Antonio Canales in an abortive attempt to set up a Federalist nation along the Rio Grande - the Republic of the Rio Grande.  He mortgaged his property to help fund Canales’ efforts, which abruptly ended when Canales signed an armistice with the Mexican government.  Now in debt, Seguin engaged in land speculation and smuggling to recoup his losses. 

To encourage Texas colonists to stay in Texas after its independence and promote settlement, the Texas Congress adopted the headright system to award land grants; a system rife with fraud and corruption.  Abused by Anglo settlers who wanted their land and Comanche attacks, many Tejanos sold their land grants for far less their value to unscrupulous speculators.  Though he engaged in the trading of land grants, no hard evidence exists of any criminal activity. 

Seguin was elected Alcalde again in 1841, but under accusations he betrayed a failed Texan expedition to conquer New Mexico by notifying Mexican authorities.  In addition, he faced a growing threat from Anglo squatters within San Antonio’s corporate boundaries who wanted to displace Hispanic business owners.  Matters only grew worse when Mexican troops under General Rafael Vasquez briefly occupied San Antonio.  Though Vasquez’s occupation lasted only three days and was simply a plundering expedition, he managed to sow distrust among the Anglo Texans, who now considered Sequin a traitor.  Hounded by the squatters and fearing for the safety of his family, Seguin resigned as alcalde and fled to Mexico, writing later he was “a victim to the wickedness of a few men whose imposture was favored by their origin and recent domination over the country.”  With no means to support his family, he took the drastic step of joining the Mexican Army. 

Despite Seguin’s support of the Texas Revolution, Mexican authorities recognized his popularity with Tejanos, who had fled Texas from vengeful Anglo settlers who considered them enemies.  Taking advantage of his popularity and leadership skills, they gave him command of a Tejano unit called the “Defensores de Bexar” (Bexar Defenders) assigned to the command of General Adrian Woll.   The French born Woll had fought under Santa Anna and retreated with the Mexican Army after San Jacinto.  In 1842, he invaded Texas along with Seguin’s “Defensores.”  Seguin was given no official military title.  He and his command served primarily as scouts and forgers. On September 11, 1842, Woll’s army of 1,400 occupied San Antonio for a week before retreating back to Mexico.  Under Seguin’s supervision, 200 Tejano families, fearing Anglo retribution, left with Woll for the safety of Mexico.  One Texas Ranger declared killing Sequin and his followers “would be doing God a service.”  Seguin continued serving in the Mexican Army during the War with Mexico, participating in the Battle of Buena Vista. 

After a six year exile, Seguin returned to a Texas annexed by the United States with the blessing of his one true Anglo friend - Sam Houston.  He settled with his family at his father’s ranch near present-day Floresville in Wilson County.  He later served as Bexar County Justice of the Peace and an election precinct chairman.  In 1852, Seguin participated in the establishment of the Democratic Party in San Antonio.  In his later years, he moved to Nuevo Laredo to be near his son.  Seguin died there at the age of 87 on August 27, 1890.  On July 4, 1976, his remains were transferred from Nuevo Laredo to the town named in his honor - Seguin.  Considered a traitor by Texans and Mexicans, Seguin provided invaluable service to the Republic of Texas, sound leadership for a developing San Antonio and an important intermediary between Tejano and Texan.