Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-04-15
CONFEDERATE WAR DOCU-
MENTS.
O. Direct Recognition as a Nation by a
Mexican Governor.

lately come INTO the possession OF Gen
Marcus j. Wright, in charge of the Con
federate army records, collected under
the authority of the War Department, a
mass of documents and correspondence
belonging to the Confederate military dis
trict OF Texas. The most interesting por.
ton of this consists OF official correspon.
dence between Don Albino Lopez, MeXi.
can Governor of Tamaulipas, and Gen.
II. p. Bee, of the Confederate army, com
handing the Western sub-dIstrict OF
Texas, with headquarters at Fort Brown.
This correspondence resulted In the only
instance during the war where the repre-
sentatiYes of any foreign power held any
thing more than informal communications
with the agents of the Confederate gov
eminent, or conceded TO it anything in
addition to the undisputed rights of a be-
ligerent. The war fOmented and devel-
Oped TO an extraordinary degree the spirit
Of lawlessness, raplne and plllage which
has always prevailed more or less on the
contiguous borders of Mexico and Texas
since the separation of the latter from the
former. Mexican bandltti raiding across
the Rio Grande did not cOntine themselves
always to leVying upon private property,
but would now and then replenish their
supplies by appr0priating unprotected
Confederate stores, and whenever the Oc-
casiOn offered would run OFF the precious
horses and mules which were gold to the
COnfederacy. The American Consul at
MatamOras helped as far as he could all
raids OF this character. A band COM
manded by a bravo, by name Antonio
ZaData, and calling itself the First Regi-
ment of Union Troops, and carrying
the star-spangled banner as its standard,
was quite successful in Its fOrays. Gen.
Bee charged that this band was furnished
with arms and ammunition by the Ameri-
can Consul, and had his active connivance
and sympathy in all its operations. Mex
lean territory across the Rio Grande was
also hiding place for deserters from the
Confederate army and fugltIVes from JUS
tice on the Texas side. The Confederate
troops crossed over to redress grievances
or capture refugees, but most Of all those
whose object was plumber and destruction
deprecated on the Texan and had on the
Mexican side. Gen. Bee opened mis- first
communication to his EXcellency Gov.
Lopez on Feb. 3, 1868. with a complaint of
the incursiOns from Mexico, the violation |
OF Mexican neutrality, and demand for /
indemnity. The Mexican Governor re- |
piled in amicable terms, protesting the !
most earnest desire to preserve the neu-
trality of Mexico and repress all lawless-
ness, but pleading, as is the rule under all |
circumstances, that Mexico was more |
sinned against than SHINING. The cores
pOndence went on almost daily for three
weeks, in which most of the notes were of
an elaborate and detailed character,
cOuched in the most approved diplomatic
phrase, and never emitting the regulation
enthusiastic expressions of affection and
admiration which parties to all diplomatic
cores pondence have for each
other. This portion of the
correspondence terminated with the adop-
ton of PARTICLES of agreement concluded
between the civil and military comman-
dant of the State OF Tamauhpas, Don
Lopez and Hamilton p. Bee,
Brigadier General commanding the Wes-
tern sub-district of Texas" signed and
ratified Feb. %. 1868. This document was
a treaty of extradition and reciprocal in
demnity, and in it the Confederate States
is expressly recognized as a nation. Like
many Others treaties it read beautifully
on paper. The Mexican and Confederate
commanders were to give each other 9th
er timely notice of any Information as
to contemplated raids or depredatlOns
from either side, and were to guard all
ferries and crossing points with the ut
most vigilance. A system OF passports
was provided for, and all persons without
Them attempting to cross from one side to
The other were TO be deemed as suspicious
persons and treated accordingly; pOlit-
cal refugees on either side attempting to
disturb tranquility were TO be banished ]
thirty leagues into the interior; no stock
TO be taken from one side to the other
without a permit from the military au- {
payment was to be made for
property already stolen; persons guilty of 1
murder, arson, robbery, embezZement, {
cattle or horse stealing were to be extra ;
lifted and delivered for trial to the local {
authorities where the Offense was COM I
nitted, and finally the State OF Tamauli- {
pas was Obligated to break up Zapata and I
1ls band, make reparatiOn for their rob- !
berries and arrest him If he showed him {
sell disposed 10 renew his practices. At I
ter the treaty everything went on pretty c
much as before. Every day or two Gen. t
Bee would write to his dear friend Senior '
Lopez OF some outrage and depreciation 8
ana request the arrest of the offenders.
Soy. Lopez would reply, telling Gen. Bee .
now much he loved him, how sorry he
was, and that he mad given orders for the {
arrest, as requested. But somehow the
blenders could never be found. Two or
.hree times Gen. Bee advised GOV. Lopez
u the whereabouts of Zapata, and fur
llshed evidence of his meetings aud
'chemings with the American Consul. U
lopez always protested that he sent after v
-apata, but when his officers got there Ia g.
lata had just stepped out somewhere else. U
but Lopez did not permit Gen. Bee to :
NV a htohupOly VI COll pidluIs uhueI JuGlI
reaty. TWAS "A very cold day when be did o
not have a story 70 tell of raids into Mex I
co by Texan desperadOes, or armed sal p
les by attachments of Confederate a
roOps. a
II does not appear, however, that either b
u the high contracting parties ever paid il
or anything that was stolen or alleged to s.
Dc stolen, or that, except in one instance, n
amer ever delivered up any one, and this b
'ase was peculiar and really not provided ii
OF IN the treaty. A small detachment of ! i
ZEN, Bees forces had, without any au- b
lorlty, crossed over and taken back by a
9rce TO the Texas side the noted Texan n
hlonist, r. J. Davis, who had fed to AVOID il
'ersecution and was not backward in ex- v
PRESSING his detestation of Confederates u
ma the COntederacy. Lopez demanded l.
us return, and Gen. Bee gave him up p
'iomptlY, doubtless because he was an a
lephant Onhis hands. Although, there. b
ore, Gen. Bee realized no substantial c
runs from his "artcles Of agreement" "
e had the distinction of ailixing his sig q
.ature to the only official document OF an Il
u 'efnatiOnal character IN the archives L