Red River Expedition (1806)

The Red River Expedition in 1806 (officially the "Exploring Expedition of Red River" and informally the "Freeman Red River Expedition") was the first civilian scientific expedition to explore the American West. Although the [http://www.mindistortion.tv/iwantyoursoul/?i_am=Barton journey] is not well known, there are many important events that unfold during this expedition that could have caused history to be drastically changed. Conflict with the Spanish military caused the explorers to turn back. History could have been altered if a battle had occurred at this time. President Thomas Jefferson thought the Red River Expedition to be ranked second only to the Lewis and Clark expedition. The Red River stretches from Oklahoma into parts of New Mexico. After the acquiring the lands making up the Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson called for many groups to explore these unfamiliar lands. [ Handbook of Texas Online, "Red River Expedition," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/RR/upr2.html [8 February 2007] . ] After sending a group of explorers up the Red River, Jefferson wanted to verify the reports that the Red River could provide a water route to Santa Fe, build relationships with the local Indians, and to check the Louisiana Purchase’s western border with New Spain. [ Handbook of Texas Online, "Red River Expedition". ] In 1805 and early 1806 the President began to appoint leaders for the expedition. He chose Thomas Freeman (who had recently been with Andrew Ellicott on his survey of the southern boundary of the United States), Dr. Peter Custis (who served as the group’s botanist), and Captain Richard Sparks. [ Isaac Joslin Cox, "The Freeman Red River Expedition," "Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society", Vol. 92, No. 2, Studies of Historical Documents in the Library of the American Philosophical Society. (May 1948), 115-119 ] As the expedition grew closer, many more were appointed and the group numbered twenty-four in all.

Jefferson first convinced Congress that the expedition was indeed necessary, and followed by persuading foreign diplomats in Washington that the exploration was for scientific purposes. Both Britain and France accepted the proposal, but the Spaniard did not and claimed that the exploration lands were in fact owned by Spain. [ Cox, "The Freeman Red River Expedition", 116 ] Jefferson then ordered groups of soldiers from New Mexico to patrol the obviously disputed territory.

On April 19, 1806 the now twenty-four member crew (Freeman and his two assistants, Sparks, two officers, seventeen privates, and a servant) pushed off in two flat-bottomed barges and a pirogue from Fort Adams and turned into the Red River. [ "Ibid". ] The group gradually took on soldiers along the route in response to rumors of a possible attack by Spanish troops. On July 28 the group heard gunfire in the distance, which announced the presence of Spanish troops. A parlay was then submitted between the Spanish commander and Freeman. The Spaniards refused to back down and proclaimed their orders to fire on armed troops if they were to pass through Spanish territory. In response Freeman demanded for the Spaniards to portray in writing their objections and to name the authority making these delegations. The Spaniard commander quickly asked when they were going to start on their return journey. [ "Ibid"., 118 ] It was quite obvious that Freeman’s crew was highly outnumbered, and Jefferson had given the group orders not to take part in any antagonistic conflict with the Spaniards. They turned back on the next day, and traveled back down the river. Even though at first the exploration ended abruptly, and to some was a failure, it proved to be a success in some aspects. Coupled with Dunbar and Hunter’s excursion of the lowland Louisiana, the Red River expedition demonstrated that exploration of this area was possible and that the land could support a large population. This supposed border debacle received much attention. However official comments were not taken concerning these events and only a single printed pamphlet was made about the journey. [ "Ibid". ]

Spain took a less provoking strategy and opened the Red River country to American traders soon after the expedition. The information gathered by the scientists of the trip proved to be very little compared to the discoveries of Lewis and Clark. Along with the pamphlets mentioned earlier, both Freeman and Custis produced journals that proved to be very priceless information about Indian life and certain aspects of the Red River. [ Handbook of Texas Online, "The Red River Expedition." ]

Bibliography

*Flores, Dan L. "Jefferson & Southwestern Exploration: The Freeman & Custis Accounts of the Red River Expedition of 1806" Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1984. ISBN 0806117486
*Flores, Dan L. [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/rjs75.html Spanish Bluff] ". "Texas Handbook Online",s.v. (accessed January 1, 2007)
*Flores, Dan L. " [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/RR/upr2.html Red River Expedition] ". "Texas Handbook Online",s.v. (accessed December 24, 2006)
*Harbour, Emma Estill. " [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v016/v016p058.html A Brief History of the Red River Country Since 1803] " 16:1 (March 1938) 58-88. (accessed December 24, 2006)

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