- Reuben Kemper
Reuben Kemper (
1770 -October 10 1826 ) was an American pioneer.Kemper and West Florida
Born in
Fauquier County ,Virginia , Kemper and his brothers Nathan and Samuel settled in Feliciana, nearBaton Rouge , Spanish West Florida, shortly after 1800. Expelled from the province by the Spanish authorities in a dispute over land titles, the Kemper brothers organized a small force in theMississippi Territory and returned, declaring West Florida to be independent. They attempted to capture Baton Rouge in 1804, but were defeated. The following year Spanish forces captured all three brothers while on U.S. soil, but they were rescued by U.S. forces as they were being taken down theMississippi River .In 1810, during the rebellion against Spanish rule by the British and American settlers (who made up the majority of inhabitants), Reuben Kemper and Joseph White were authorized to invite the inhabitants of Mobile and Pensacola to join in the revolt. Kemper crossed into the Mississippi Territory, but U.S. forces, not wishing to provoke Spain into war, and fearing Kemper's intentions, arrested him.
He was more fortunate than his colleagues, who were seized by the Spanish and sent as prisoners to
El Morro , inHavana, Cuba . Nevertheless, the rebellion succeeded and theRepublic of West Florida came into existence. However, it would last only 90 days before it was annexed by the United States.Later years
In 1812-13 Kemper took part in the
Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition intoSpanish Texas , fighting to help freeMexico from Spanish rule. He also served as a colonel underAndrew Jackson at theBattle of New Orleans in January 1815.Kemper then settled down peacefully as a planter in Mississippi. He died in 1826 in
Natchez, Mississippi , aged 55 or 56.Legacy
Kemper County, Mississippi , is named for him.ee also
*
Samuel Kemper , his brother.References
*David A. Bice, "The Original Lone Star Republic: Scoundrels, Statesmen and Schemers of the 1810 West Florida Rebellion", Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2004.
*Andrew McMichael, "The Kemper 'Rebellion': Filibustering and Resident Anglo American Loyalty in Spanish West Florida", "Louisiana History", vol. 43, no. 2 (Spring 2002), p. 140.
*Andrew McMichael, "Atlantic Loyalties: Americans in Spanish West Florida, 1785-1810", University of Georgia Press, 2008.External links
* [http://reference.allrefer.com/encyclopedia/K/Kemper-R.html Reuben Kemper] article at AllRefer.com.
* [http://enlou.com/places/floridaparishes.htm Kemper references in the Florida Parishes of Louisiana]
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