Jose francisco ruiz biography of william

Along the way, Ruiz backed the losing side often enough, including the republican forces against royalists in a series of conflicts that ended in the Battle of Medina in Augustthe bloodiest in Texas history. That defeat led to years in exile, which he put to good use extending his personal trading network. Even at a distance, he was so valuable to Texas military and political leaders, he was pardoned and welcomed back to San Antonio.

Although recognized as an honest broker among the always tense and land-hungry residents of Texas, ultimately Ruiz was unable to stop the escalating ethnic cleansing of both native and immigrant American Indians. So even though Ruiz was 14 when his father died, and later he was often separated from his wife and children, there was a social network to look after interconnected relatives of blood and honor.

LOG IN. Search: Search:. Additional Information. Steeped in the Spanish American liberal tradition, his revolutionary activity included participating in three uprisings, suppressing two others, and enduring extreme personal sacrifice for the liberal republican cause. He was widely respected as an intermediary between Tejanos and American Indians, especially the Comanches.

As a diplomat, he negotiated nearly a dozen peace treaties for Spain, Mexico, and the Republic of Texas, and he traveled to the Imperial Court of Mexico as an agent of the Comanches to secure peace on the northern frontier. When Anglo settlers came by the thousands to Texas afterhe continued to be a cultural intermediary, forging a friendship with Stephen F.

Ruiz had a notable career as a military leader, diplomat, revolutionary, educator, attorney, arms dealer, author, ethnographer, politician, Indian agent, Texas ranger, city attorney, and Texas senator. Table of Contents. Download Full Book Cover Download. Ruiz is noted for having participated in pacifying the area once controlled by Edwards and his followers.

He also helped forge treaties with the various Indian tribes that Edwards had sought or made alliances with to support his cause. In retrospect, the Fredonian Rebellion foreshadowed the Texas Revolution. Haden Edwards had come to the area in the s pursuant to an empresario grant from Mexico in the area around Nacogdoches. Edwards was permitted to settle as many as families in the area.

Soon land disputes rose up between the earlier Hispanic settlers. The Mexican Army was called in to support the original settlers and put down the Fredonian uprising, causing Edwards and his followers to leave the area. It was eventually located roughly halfway between the current towns of Caldwell and Hearne. For the next couple of years, Ruiz endeavored create this settlement.

The effort was partly successful and had succeeded in settling forty families there and keep the peace between them and the Anglo settlers. Though the project did not reach the level that Ruiz had desired, he was rewarded by Mexico by receiving a grant for eleven leagues of land. Inafter only about ten years of its existence as a republic, Santa Anna, a former Spanish military officer under General Arredondo, scuttled the new constitution.

Among other things, Santa Anna outlawed American immigration. Accordingly many of them, including Navarro, Menchaca, Seguin and others aligned themselves with those Americans and Mexicans having the goal of ousting Mexican control of the area. This house was carefully reconstructed in and moved to the grounds of the Witte Museumwhere it is still used for educational purposes.

He served in various official capacities including city attorney, or procurador. Ruiz began a long military career in Spain infighting at the battle of Medina on August Forced into exile from Texas untilRuiz returned after Mexico won its independence from Spain. He was ordered by the Mexican government to jose francisco ruiz biography of william attempts at peace with the hostile Native American tribes of the north, the Comanches and the Lipan Apaches.

Appointed to the mounted militia upon his return, he successfully led a peace treaty delegation of Lipan Apache to Mexico City later in The next year, Ruiz received a promotion to army captain, unassigned, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, receiving confirmation of his commission in He was sent to Nacogdoches in December to help put down the Fredonian Rebellionreceiving command of that detachment in April In the fall ofRuiz led the Mier y Teran group of 30 Mexican soldiers and commission members, including naturalist Jean-Louis Berlandieron a bear and buffalo hunt on open lands northwest of San Antonio, with the cooperation of local Comanche leaders Reyuna and El Ronca.

From November 19 to December Ruiz retired from the military at the end of