Arredondo: Last Spanish Ruler of Texas and Northeastern New Spain by Bradley Folsom (review)

The best biographies not only depict the larger world through the life and times of their subject but also get into their subject's head, providing readers with a strong acquaintance with a specific individual. Arredondo: Last Spanish Ruler of Texas and Northeastern New Spain, by historian Bradley Folsom, offers such a window into the turbulent last days of Spanish rule in northeastern New Spain through his examination of the controversial Joaquín de Arredondo, commandant general of the Eastern Internal Provinces. Folsom's study reveals the pivotal role that Arredondo and the region he commanded, which encompassed Coahuila, Texas, Nuevo Santander (since renamed Tamaulipas), and Nuevo León, played in subduing revolution-minded insurrectionists and foreign invaders. Arredondo's methods, however, cast a pall over his contemporary and historical reputation, which the author seeks to explain but not to whitewash.

Folsom's thoroughly researched monograph brings together abundant primary and secondary sources, including scholarship both recent and over a century old from a variety of historical fields, all united in the person of Joaquín de Arredondo, Spanish descendant of an illustrious family and son of Nicolás Arredondo, a viceroy of the Río de la Plata region of South America. His father's approach to rule influenced the son, as did his education in a Spanish military college. The younger Arredondo moved up quickly through the military ranks, seeking advantage and promotion through every means that presented itself. Folsom weaves together nebulous strands of extant documents to present as complete a portrait of Arredondo as sources allow, showing that Arredondo was fixated on his own advancement and convinced of the superiority of his own policies, no matter how they deviated from his superiors' orders. The unintended consequences of Arredondo's stubbornness devastated New Spain's northeastern region for decades. His decision to disarm all civilian residents of Texas after the battle of Medina in 1813, for example, left them defenseless against increasing raids by Comanches and Lipan Apaches. Much of the population of the Eastern Internal Provinces lost their weapons because of taxes Arredondo imposed, leaving them susceptible to attacks as well.

An intriguing aspect of Folsom's monograph is the important role New Orleans played as a gathering place for filibusters, insurrectionists, pirates, and unemployed American soldiers, all seeking to separate Texas from New Spain. These filibusters served as a constant source of frustration for Arredondo as he sought to roust them out of the Eastern Internal Provinces with few troops and supplies, which he also had to use to quell revolutionaries and to ward off Comanches and Lipan Apaches. Arredondo's efforts to rid East Texas of "enemy combatants," another poor policy decision on his part, opened the area to American traders, filibusters, and squatters (p. 95). Desperate for settlers to counteract the filibusters, Arredondo created an alliance with the peaceful Caddos and in 1821 agreed to allow American Moses Austin to settle a colony in Texas near the mouth of the Colorado River. Arredondo hoped these immigrants would introduce cotton and provide "'an important augmentation in agriculture, industry, and arts'" (p. 206).

The events of 1821, however, pulled Arredondo's attention away from Texas. Agustín de Iturbide's revolutionary forces eventually convinced much of the leadership of the Eastern Internal Provinces that independence was inevitable. Arredondo, in hopes of a peaceful transition and of maintaining his power, switched his loyalty from royalist Spain to independent Mexico on July 4, 1821. His cruel actions as commandant general, however, created many enemies, who challenged Arredondo and gave him no option but to leave for Cuba, where he spent the remainder of his days. Folsom insightfully concludes that "Arredondo's methodological use of violence, intimidation, and political jockeying prevented Americans and revolutionaries from taking the eastern provinces until 1821, but his actions, and the fact that he was...