James Long Expedition (1819–1821): Filibuster for Texas Independence and the First Lone Star Flag

The James Long Expedition was the final major filibustering attempt by Anglo-Americans to seize control of Texas from Spanish rule before Mexico achieved independence in 1821. Led by Dr. James Long (1793–1822), a former U.S. Army surgeon, Natchez merchant, and ardent expansionist, the venture was directly motivated by outrage over the Adams-Onís Treaty (signed February 1819, ratified 1821), in which the United States formally renounced claims to Texas west of the Sabine River. Many Americans, including Long, believed Texas had been part of the Louisiana Purchase and viewed the treaty as an unjust concession.^[a][b]

First Expedition (1819)

In June 1819, Long assembled a force of about 300 volunteers (many paying subscriptions for promised land grants) in Natchez, Mississippi. An advance party of 120 men under Eli Harris crossed the Sabine River on June 8, 1819, heading toward Nacogdoches.^[a]

Capture of Nacogdoches: Long arrived on June 21, and the expedition occupied Nacogdoches on June 23, 1819. They declared Texas an independent republic (distinct from the later Republic of Texas), established a provisional government, and elected Long as president.^[a][b]

The First "Lone Star" Flag: The republic adopted a flag with 13 alternating red and white horizontal stripes (inspired by the U.S. flag) and a single white star on a red field in the canton. This is widely recognized as the first documented use of a "Lone Star" symbol to represent Texas independence, predating the famous flag of the 1836 Texas Revolution.^[c][d]

Failure and Retreat: While Long traveled to Galveston Island to seek support from pirate Jean Lafitte (who declined meaningful aid), Spanish royalist forces under Colonel Ignacio Pérez attacked in late July/early August 1819. Long’s remaining men were scattered or captured; his brother was among those killed. Long fled back across the Sabine to Louisiana by October 1819, ending the first phase after about four months.^[a]

Second Expedition and Point Bolivar (1820–1821)

Undeterred, Long regrouped and returned in early 1820 (April), establishing a fortified base called Fort Las Casas at Point Bolivar (Bolivar Peninsula, near modern Galveston). He was joined by his young wife, Jane Herbert Wilkinson Long (1798–1880), their daughter, and an enslaved woman named Kian, who became key to the family's survival.^[a][e]

Jane Long, the "Mother of Texas": Jane Long accompanied her husband into the frontier and earned her enduring nickname through extraordinary hardship. In late 1821, as James prepared his final move, most settlers and soldiers abandoned the isolated post due to harsh conditions and uncertainty. Jane, pregnant and with her young daughter and Kian, remained to await his return.^[e]

Capture of La Bahía and Final Defeat: On September 19, 1821, Long sailed from Point Bolivar with 52 men aboard the schooner Cartagena, landing near the mouth of the San Antonio River. They captured Presidio La Bahía (Goliad) on October 4, 1821. However, by October 8, Mexican forces (now under independent Mexican command following Mexico's independence in September 1821) compelled surrender. Long was taken prisoner and transported to Mexico City.^[a]

Execution: Imprisoned in Mexico City, Long was shot and killed by a guard on April 8, 1822. Contemporary accounts suggested the act may have been a targeted assassination, possibly linked to political rivalries involving figures like Bishop José Félix Trespalacios, with whom Long had earlier allied and then broken.^[b][a]

Jane Long's Survival at Point Bolivar

Left alone during the brutal winter of 1821–1822—one of the coldest on record—Jane Long, her infant daughter (born December 21, 1821, named Mary James Long), her older child, and Kian endured starvation, illness, freezing temperatures, and threats from Karankawa Indians. To deter attacks, Jane fired the fort's cannon periodically and maintained the appearance of a garrisoned post. They subsisted by hunting, fishing through ice, gathering oysters, and rationing meager supplies. This remarkable six-month ordeal cemented Jane Long's legacy as the "Mother of Texas," symbolizing Anglo-American perseverance on the frontier. She learned of her husband's death only in mid-1822 and eventually relocated up the San Jacinto River.^[e]

Significance and Legacy

The Long Expedition marked the end of the early filibustering era in Texas—unauthorized private military adventures aimed at detaching territory from Spain. Its failures highlighted the difficulties of sustaining such incursions against organized colonial (and soon Mexican) defenses, as well as internal divisions and lack of broad support.^[a]

The venture underscored growing Anglo-American frustration with the Adams-Onís Treaty and set the stage for the shift from conquest to legal colonization. Within a few years, the Mexican government began issuing empresario grants to figures like Stephen F. Austin, who promoted peaceful Anglo settlement under Mexican authority—leading ultimately to the Texas Revolution (1835–1836).^[a]

The first "Lone Star" flag flown by Long's republic became an enduring symbol of Texas identity, influencing later designs. Jane Long's story of survival further contributed to Texas folklore and the mythology of frontier resilience.^[c][e]