Margaret Swett Henson

An excellent history of the old school. A slightly underappreciated Texas historian, Margaret Swett Henson, has gathered all the information possible about John Davis Bradburn, a Virginian who filibustered in Texas, fought in the Mexican War of Independence, and eventually rose to be a brigadier general in the Mexican Army. Bradburn, as Juan Davis Bradburn, played a key role in what Texas historians call the "Anahuac Disturbances," a series of incidents between mostly Anglo colonists in Texas (who thought of themselves as Americans) on the one hand and a byzantine, bumbling Mexican government and armed forces that was trying to Mexicanize Texas and assert its domination over Texas. Henson tells the story using the sources available, in the process showing that Bradburn was not a vile monster or fool, but an American in Mexico trying to assert his adopted country's laws in a place that did not want him. The concluding remarks on pages 124-128 are, probably, the best that can be said on the subject. A good bit of Texas history. The book could only be improved by the addition of a map or two, but these can be found elsewhere.… (mer)