Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1877-11-03
FELTCIANAI SENTINEL
THE CONQUEST OF LOUISIANA.
THH REBELLION THAT GAVE FREEDOM
TO THE FLORIDA PARISHES.
CCourier-Journal.1

lCOurler-JOIlrnal.J
In 1903, in his annual message,
Mr.. Jefferson, announced that he
had bought from France all Louisi-
ana; including the navigation OF
the Mississippi river free from all
interference from any foreign pow
er whatever. Such a claim was
constructed to embrace all the ter
ritory on both sides of the great
river, from its mouth to its source:
This stimulated an active spirit Of
emigration from all the old COM
munities Of the South and West,
which rendezvoused at Nashville.
and struck down South in an almost
continuous stream. by road which
is yet called the old Nashville
Trace. The trace led them to the
shores of Lake Maurepcas and Lake
Pontchartrain- Having no facil-
tiles for water conveyance, they
were forced to cal. a halt. Here,
for the first time, to their amazc>
ment, they were subjected to the
insolent catcchisms of the soldiers
of the King OF Spain, who, On
their part, were no less astonished
at Witnessing such food tide Of
immigration into the territories OF
their master without !: is invitation.
Thus impeded 10y the waters and
confronted by the soldiers of a for
eign monarch, the immigrants were
driven to choose between the two
horns of a dilemma: whether they
should spread out and occupy,
possess and cultivate the adjacent
country at the peril Of collision
with the Spanish authorities. or
whether they should take the back
track tn, the old settlement, where
they had sold out homes and goods
and chatte!s preparatory to cmi-~
grafton. Having no homes behind
them to fall back to, they resolved
to remain with their wives and lit-
tie ones, and face the dangers amid
which destiny had thrown them;
resolved alike to battle with the
Spaniards who claimed the domain
and the wild beasts who held it in
actual possession. This course
brought them in frequent collision
with the authorities claiming the
jurisdiction; who had never ceased
to watch their motions with jeal-
ous eye, since they discovered them
in such unexpected numbers on the
shores of the lakes.
In the summer of 1901, hopeless
of help frcn any quarter. these en-
igrants few TO arms from all parts
of the small Territory, and entered
stoutly upon, the endeevor to right
their own wrongs. To the num-
Der of bout. 2e0,, mounted on po-
MES, with rifle or shotguns, they
assembled in the vicinity Of the
Spanish garrison at Baton Rouge,
and extemporized au organization
Of their little army by the election
of Philemon Thomas, a. planter OF
East Baton Rouge. as commander
in-chief, and Williams. q fat
practicing physician OF Feliciana,
as chief surgeon. both Kentuckians,
1 believe, neither possessing any es'
pecial qualifications for his new
responsibility, except strong native
intellectual power and an intense
hatred of the Spanish oppressors.
When this small force, wholly des-
titute of infantry and artillery,
presented itself before the ramparts
of the Spanish fortress and sum-
moncd it TO surrender, the response
was derisive and scoruful refusal.
The military annals of Spain fur
nished no precedent for tie capture
of a fort by cavalry alone ! a~-rcm~
iniscence which, while it encour-
aged a feeling of security among
the Spaniards, had a depressing
influence upon the bcsiegers; but,
having left home to drive out the
hated oppressors, they still held to
their determination. A fter having
endured the jeers and insulting
gestures of those within the for
during the day, and with no matur-
ed plans for further operations,
with many misgivings of the event
of their expedition, while g|oomily
preparing for the evening meal, to
their great joy they discovered. the
cattle, which had been feeding on
the common Opposite to the side of
the fort where the patriot force had
camped, passing leisurely over the
ditch and over the embankmcnt
into the fort. In the homcly
phrase of my informant, "He
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