Editing Republic of Texas (section)

====Armed conflicts====
{{Main|Comanche Wars|Texas–Indian wars}}
The [[Comanche]] Indians, whose territory included northwest Texas,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wallace |first1=Ernest |last2=Hoebel |first2=E. Adamson |title=The Comanches: Lords of the South Plains |date=2013 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-5020-8 |page=20 |language=en}}</ref> furnished the main tribal opposition to the Republic, manifested in multiple raids on Mexican, indigenous, and European settlements.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gwinnett|first=S.C.|title=Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History|isbn=978-1-4165-9106-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/empireofsummermo00gwyn|year=2010|publisher=Simon and Schuster }}</ref> In the late 1830s, Sam Houston negotiated peace between Texas and the Comanches. When Lamar ascended to presidency in 1838 he reversed the Houston administration's policy towards the Native Americans. War soon resumed with the Comanches and Lamar ordered an invasion of [[Comancheria]] itself. In retaliation, the Comanches attacked Texas in a series of raids. After [[Council House Fight|peace talks]] in 1840 ended with the massacre of 34 Comanche leaders in [[San Antonio]], the Comanches launched a major attack deep into Texas, known as the [[Great Raid of 1840]]. Under command of Potsanaquahip ([[Buffalo Hump]]), 500 to 700 Comanche cavalry warriors swept down the [[Guadalupe River (Texas)|Guadalupe River]] valley, killing and plundering all the way to the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, where they sacked the towns of [[Victoria, Texas|Victoria]] and [[Linnville, Calhoun County, Texas|Linnville]]. The Comanches retreated after being pursued by 186 rangers and were caught at the [[Battle of Plum Creek]], in which they lost the plunder they had taken.<ref>{{cite web |title=Texas Military Forces Museum |url=http://texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/tnghist8.htm |access-date=July 30, 2019}}</ref> Houston became president again in 1841 and, with both Texians and Comanches exhausted by war, a new peace was established.<ref>
{{Harvnb|Hämäläinen|2008|pp=215–217}}.</ref>

Although Texas achieved self-government, Mexico refused to recognize its independence.<ref>[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qem02 Jack W. Gunn, "Mexican Invasions of 1842," Handbook of Texas Online], accessed May 24, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.</ref> On March 5, 1842, a Mexican force of over 500 men, led by [[Ráfael Vásquez (Mexican general)|Ráfael Vásquez]], invaded Texas for the first time since the revolution. They soon headed back to the Rio Grande after briefly occupying [[San Antonio]]. About 1,400 Mexican troops, led by the French mercenary general [[Adrián Woll]], launched a second attack and captured San Antonio on September 11, 1842. A Texas militia retaliated at the [[Battle of Salado Creek (1842)|Battle of Salado Creek]] while simultaneously, a mile and a half away, Mexican soldiers [[Dawson Massacre|massacred]] a militia of fifty-three Texas volunteers who had surrendered after a skirmish.<ref>[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qfs01 Thomas W. Cutrer, "Salado Creek, Battle of," Handbook of Texas Online] accessed May 24, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.</ref><ref>[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qfd01 "Dawson Massacre". ''Handbook of Texas Online''.] Retrieved September 24, 2006.</ref> That night, upon their defeat, the Mexican Army retreated from San Antonio, back to Mexico, while being pursued by Texas soldiers. The Texas Army took the city of Laredo, at which point they were given official orders from [[Sam Houston]] to return to San Antonio. Several soldiers ignored this order, and launched a failed battle to retake [[Ciudad Mier]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ivey |first1=Darren L. |title=The Ranger Ideal Volume 1: Texas Rangers in the Hall of Fame, 1823–1861 |date=2017 |publisher=University of North Texas Press |isbn=978-1-57441-701-2 |pages=134–142 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wlw6DwAAQBAJ&dq=Ivey+battle+of+salado+creek&pg=PA137 |language=en}}</ref>

The '''Naval Battle of Campeche''' took place on April 30, 1843, and May 16, 1843. The battle featured the most advanced warships of its day, including the [[Mexico|Mexican]] [[Steamship|steamer]] ''[[ARM Guadaloupe|Guadalupe]]'' and the equally formidable ''[[ARM Montezuma|Montezuma]]'' which engaged a squadron of vessels from the [[Republic of Yucatan]] and the Republic of Texas. The latter force consisted of the Texas Navy flagship sloop-of-war ''[[Texan sloop-of-war Austin|Austin]]'', commanded by [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] [[Edwin Ward Moore]], the [[brig]] ''[[Texan brig Wharton|Wharton]]'', and several [[schooner]]s and five [[gunboat]]s from the Republic of Yucatán, commanded by former [[Texas Navy]] [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] James D. Boylan. Texas had declared its independence in 1836, but by 1843, Mexico had refused to recognize it. In Yucatán, a similar rebellion had begun and was fought off-and-on from 1836 to 1846. The battle ended in a combined Yucatecan and Texian victory. A scene from this battle is engraved on the cylinder of every [[Colt 1851 Navy Revolver|Colt 1851 Navy]], 1860 Army, and [[Colt 1861 Navy Revolver|1861 Navy]] revolver.

The Republic of Texas's relationship with Native American tribes was marked by persistent conflict. Tribes such as the Comanche and the Cherokee occupied much of the territory claimed by the Republic, leading to significant controversy. Although some treaties were signed to establish peace, the terms were frequently violated, resulting in ongoing violence. The Republic struggled to maintain a strong military presence to defend its borders against these tribes due to limited resources. To resolve these tensions, Tehuacana Creek Councils, with the absence of the Comanches, led to a treaty. The negotiated treaty is known as the [[Treaty of Tehuacana Creek]], which was signed in 1844. The agreement led to the effective dismantilation of the Tehuacana Creek Council, which included tribes such as, the Cherokees, Wacos, Caddos, Anadarkos, Hainas, Delawares, Shawnees, Tawakonis,Lipan Apaches, and southern Comanches.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Association |first=Texas State Historical |title=The Last Indian Treaty of the Republic of Texas: A Historical Overview |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/texas-day-by-day/entry/980 |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Texas State Historical Association |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Cabinet Card of Comanche Chief Tosawa by W. S. Soule, edit.jpg|thumb|Penateka Comanche Chief, [[Tosahwi]].]]
The [[Treaty of Tehuacana Creek]], while significant in its attempt to establish lasting peace, faced considerable challenges in implementation. The diverse tribal groups involved held varying levels of commitment to the agreement, and the [[Republic of Texas]] lacked the resources and manpower to consistently enforce its terms. Furthermore, ongoing disputes over land and resources, coupled with the continued encroachment of settlers, fueled tensions and undermined the treaty's effectiveness. The fragile peace established by the treaty ultimately proved short-lived, as conflicts between the Republic and various [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes persisted throughout the remainder of the Republic's existence.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wharton |first=Clarence Ray |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.republicoftexasb00whar/?sp=11&st=image |title=The republic of Texas: a brief history of Texas from the first American colonies in 1821 to annexation in 1846 |date=1922 |publisher=C. C. Young printing company |location=Houston, Tex |language=english}}</ref>

Mexico's attacks on Texas intensified conflicts between political factions, including an incident known as the [[Texas Archive War]]. To "protect" the Texas national archives, President Sam Houston ordered them removed from Austin. The archives were eventually returned to Austin, albeit at gunpoint. The Texas Congress admonished Houston for the incident, and this episode in Texas history solidified Austin as Texas's seat of government for the Republic and the future state.<ref name="archivewar">{{cite web | title = The Archives War | work = Texas Treasures – The Republic | publisher = The Texas State Library and Archives Commission | date = November 2, 2005 | url = http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/treasures/republic/archwar/archwar.html | access-date = January 3, 2009}}</ref>

There were also domestic disturbances. The [[Regulator–Moderator War]] involved a land feud in Harrison and Shelby Counties in [[East Texas]] from 1839 to 1844. The feud eventually involved [[Nacogdoches, Texas|Nacogdoches]], San Augustine, and other East Texas counties. Harrison County Sheriff [[John J. Kennedy (Republic of Texas politician)|John J. Kennedy]] and county judge Joseph U. Fields helped end the conflict, siding with the law-and-order party. Sam Houston ordered 500 militia to help end the feud.