Athanase de Mézières shows off his tattoos in Paris (DRAWING BY JACK JACKSON)
TROUBLED INDIAN AGENT
Early in life, Athanase de Mézières experienced loss and rejection. Following the death of his father, young Athanase’s mother sent him from France to the French colony in Louisiana. He adapted remarkably well to life in America. Living with Indians, he allowed his entire body to be tattooed. This experience later made him a useful agent in the service of the French crown. However, in the 1760s the king of France gave Louisiana to Spain. At that time, Athanase de Mézières became an Indian agent for the Spanish crown on the Texas-Louisiana frontier. His familiarity with the natives, their languages and customs, and their lands proved valuable. At the same time, many Spaniards distrusted him because he was French, and they were jealous of his power. He spent much of his wealth and the last ten years of his life serving the Spanish in America. In doing so, don Athanase was an early example of multiculturalism. Studying his life teaches us about an exceptional man. We also learn about the complex relationships between the French, the Spanish, and the Indians in early Texas history.
Athanase de Mézières was born in Paris, France, in 1719. His father, Louis Christophe, died when the boy was about fifteen years of age. His mother, the attractive Marie de Mauget, quickly remarried to a handsome, rich nobleman. Wanting to be rid of the children from her first marriage, she sent her daughter to a convent and Athanase to a boarding school. She later declared her son “an undesirable subject” and exiled him to Louisiana in 1738.
From Louisiana, Athanase ventured up the Mississippi River to Canada. Presenting himself as an abandoned child, he lived among Indians who valued tattooing. During his four years with people he called “savages,” De Mézières learned several native languages. At the same time, he was determined not to forget his European education. He wrote words and numbers on bark tablets and saved them with the greatest of care. When he was twenty-two, his Native American friends made him a chief.
He soon left them, however, to join the French army. Returning to Louisiana as a junior officer around 1742, De Mézières was stationed at Natchitoches. The commander there was Louis St. Denis. He and Athanase had important similarities. Both knew Indians and spoke some of their languages. Their family ties deepened when don Athanase married St. Denis’s daughter in 1746. The De Mézières couple had a daughter that same year. Sadly, Athanase’s wife died in 1748.
The young Frenchman soon became actively engaged in the Indian trade. His efforts earned him promotions in the 1750s, and he became lieutenant commander at Natchitoches. He also married a second time to a young woman from New Orleans. His new wife, Pélagie Fazende, gave birth to Athanase’s first son in 1756, and the couple eventually had seven more children.
During the 1750s and 1760s, De Mézières’s homeland of France became involved in a war with England. This Seven Years’ War proved disastrous for France and her ally, Spain. Both nations lost valuable territory in America to England. The French king wanted to repay Spain for its losses. By a secret treaty (1762), he gave the Louisiana Territory west of the Mississippi River to King Charles III of Spain. In a separate and public treaty (1763), France’s lands east of the Mississippi River were taken by the English.
French colonists living in Louisiana objected to their coming under Spanish rule, and it was hard for Charles III to gain control of this new territory. Spain and France had been allies in the Seven Years’ War, but on earlier occasions, as we have noted, the two nations had been enemies. Finally, in August 1769, Alejandro O’Reilly and more than two thousand troops took possession of Louisiana in the name of Charles III.
Charles feared that English colonists east of the Mississippi River might eventually threaten Spanish claims to the lands west of the river. Hostile Apaches were another problem that Spain faced on the frontier. These natives raided civilian settlements and Catholic missions, stole horses and mules, and carried out other acts of revenge.
Important Indian groups also lived on both sides of the Red River, the boundary between Louisiana and Texas. These Nations of the North (Norteños) could be important allies to help Spain against her English and Apache enemies.
In the past, Norteños had relied on trade with the French and received gifts from them. At the same time, these Indians had been hostile to Spain. After the Seven Years’ War, the Nations of the North found themselves living on Spanish soil as subjects of Charles III. Somehow, Spain had to persuade these natives to become allies rather than enemies.
Spain had used two major approaches in dealing with natives on the Texas frontier. The most common was the mission-presidio system. This method used Catholic missionaries who tried to Christianize and “civilize” the Indians. At times, Spain also used military force. Neither of these approaches had worked well with the Nations of the North. Spain needed to find better ways of dealing with these Native Americans. It was suggested that Spain could learn lessons from what had worked for the French in Louisiana.
Gradually, Spain developed a new Indian policy. It aimed at gaining the friendship of key tribes and keeping them hostile to foreigners. Royal officials would use trade to pressure the Norteños into cooperation, because these Native Americans wanted European goods, especially weapons. Spain could also turn some tribes against each other. While using Indians to its advantage, the Spanish crown would honor its promise to convert Native Americans to the Catholic faith.
How could Spain best accomplish its goals on the isolated northern frontier? When Alejandro O’Reilly took control of Louisiana, he ordered Athanase de Mézières to come to New Orleans to give “correct information regarding everything relating to your district.” Impressed with the Frenchman, O’Reilly named him lieutenant governor of Natchitoches. So by 1769 De Mézières was a commissioned soldier (officer), a skillful trader, and a successful planter. He also owned about three dozen slaves, including some Indians. Don Athanase took his new appointment seriously. He helped get the people of Natchitoches to accept Charles III and Spanish rule. He enforced the law, took a census, and performed many other duties. In 1770 O’Reilly wrote about “the good opinion which I have formed of his [De Mézières’s] personal conduct.”
Not everyone approved of the Frenchman’s activities, however. Some criticized him for doing too much; others, for doing too little. And he made enemies. Despite these obstacles, he served Charles III and was loyal to him for the next ten years.
De Mézières’s greatest contributions to Spain involved his work with Indians such as the Nations of the North. O’Reilly told don Athanase to select and license traders. These men would exchange European goods with the friendly tribes for furs and crops. Spanish officials would copy the French practice of giving annual presents to the natives to win their loyalty. Don Athanase was assured that he would receive guns, blankets, and other gifts for the Indians of his district.
The lieutenant governor was determined to restore the “peace, so disturbed by the ferocious and numerous gentiles [non-Christian Indians] who surround us.” He also knew that unfriendly tribes must be told that the French and Spanish were no longer enemies. De Mézières advised his superiors that war was not the best way to deal with the Nations of the North. He proposed better methods to gain the “love” and “gratitude” of the Norteños. Spain should use royal officials to influence the friendly chiefs, while cutting off supplies to warlike natives.
Early in 1770, don Athanase told two chiefs, named Tinhioüen and Cocay, that Charles III had chosen them as medal chiefs. This was a great honor. In a ceremony at Natchitoches, these leaders of the Kadohadacho and Yatasi nations each received a medal and a flag. For these gifts, they signed an agreement to give up their lands to the Spanish king. The chiefs vowed to love, respect, and obey Charles III. They also agreed to help keep the peace and not give military supplies to enemy tribes.
De Mézières worked closely with the friendly chiefs like Tinhioüen, also called Bigotes (Whiskers). The Frenchman used them to arrange a meeting with the leaders of some hostile tribes. Don Athanase hoped to convince these Native Americans to go to San Antonio and meet with the governor of Texas, the Barón de Ripperdá. To do this, don Athanase needed gifts to persuade the chiefs to cooperate. He asked Governor Ripperdá for goods, ranging from flags to muskets to mirrors. De Mézières said that he would pay for the presents out of his own pocket to serve God and his new king.
Don Athanase waited at Natchitoches for official permission to proceed with his plan. While he waited, three friendly caciques (chiefs) came to that post with many followers. They wanted to take the Frenchman to a site where heads of the enemy nations were waiting. De Mézières decided to proceed without formal orders from his governor.
He took soldiers from forts at Natchitoches and Los Adaes with him. A Catholic missionary named Father Miguel de Santa María y Silva also went on the expedition. The party crossed the lands of various Indian tribes to reach San Luis de Cadodachos. Seven chiefs of the hostile Taovayas, Tawakonis, Yscanis, and Kichais were waiting there to negotiate. Some had come great distances to talk with the Indian agent.
At San Luis in October 1770, Athanase de Mézières delivered a forceful speech. He informed the Indians that Louisiana now belonged to Spain rather than to France. And he assured the chiefs that Charles III would grant them peace if they deserved it. But, if not, the armies of the most powerful king in the world would fall upon them. The choice was theirs.
The enemy leaders defended their past actions. They complained that Spain had aided other natives who were the worst enemies of the Nations of the North. This had created bad feelings between the Norteños and the Spaniards. Those problems, however, were in the past. The chiefs insisted that they now desired peace.
De Mézières replied that Texas had been the scene of many outrages committed by the Norteños. He asked the caciques to go with him to San Antonio and beg forgiveness from Governor Ripperdá, but the Indians were suspicious and feared a trap. Because they would not cooperate, he refused to give them the gifts he had brought.
When he returned to Natchitoches, don Athanase reported these events to his superior officer, Governor Luis de Unzaga. The Frenchman admitted that his methods for peace had not yet worked. He stressed, however, that the Indians had agreed to meet with him again in the spring. The French officer also wrote of the fierce Comanches, who were “so skillful in horsemanship that they have no equal; so daring that they never ask for or grant truces.” To defeat them, he said, would be “costly and difficult.” So he planned to create conflicts between the Comanches and other Indian nations.
Even though Athanase de Mézières was working to the best of his ability for his new king, he had enemies among the Spaniards. Perhaps they distrusted the lieutenant governor because he was French, or maybe they were jealous of his power and position. In one case, a sergeant complained that relations with the Nations of the North had actually become worse and blamed the French agent. The soldier claimed that the Indians were angry at not receiving the gifts De Mézières had promised. Father Santa María y Silva also charged that the October expedition would result in “graver insults” from the natives. Others criticized Don Athanase for giving special treatment to his young sons, who were cadets at Natchitoches.
Why were the Frenchman’s sons cadets at Natchitoches? To carry out his duties as lieutenant governor and Indian agent was expensive. De Mézières had debts and had to sell his plantation and slaves to pay his bills. After doing that, he could not support his sons at home. So Alejandro O’Reilly had agreed to allow them to be cadets at the Natchitoches fort where their father was stationed. That way, the sons would have food, clothing, and shelter. They would also be near their father.
Don Athanase admitted that he had been made “a little depressed” by those who criticized him, but he would not resign. Instead, he promised to serve honorably the king and the Spanish nation.
Fortunately for don Athanase, Governor Unzaga paid little attention to unfavorable rumors about his Indian agent. He gave the Frenchman his full support. However, the governor of Louisiana insisted that “boys under the protection of their parents and not subject to the discipline … of the army become effeminate [sissies] and useless for military service.”
With don Athanase under personal attack, the Barón de Ripperdá continued efforts to pacify the Norteños. He sent gifts to Chief Bigotes of the Hasinais, who convinced four other caciques to make peace with the Spaniards.
With Bigotes’s help, De Mézières organized a “peace party” in 1771 to invite the Norteño chiefs to come to Natchitoches. The caciques of the Yscanis, Tawakonis, Kichais, and Cahinnios accepted the invitation. Treaties were signed. The European and Indian leaders wrapped themselves in the same Spanish flag as a sign of unity. Don Athanase presented gifts to the four cooperative chiefs. Bigotes then went to San Antonio, where Governor Ripperdá also gave his approval to the treaties.
Still, complaints about De Mézières continued. Nevertheless, both Governor Unzaga and Barón de Ripperdá were impressed with the Frenchman’s skills in pacifying the Native Americans. And the lieutenant governor continued to prove his capabilities.
In late October 1771, the French officer signed a treaty with the Taovayas. These natives (Wichitas) also claimed to speak for their friends, the Comanches. The Taovayas promised to stop attacking Spanish forts and accepted responsibility for the good behavior of the Comanches. As proof of their word, the Taovayas publicly buried a hatchet. Anyone who used it again would die. Don Athanase joined other officials in signing this treaty with the Taovayas. By the end of the year, he also reached an agreement with Gorgoritos, medal chief of the Bidais.
Despite these alliances, the situation on the frontier remained unstable. Royal officials did not know if they could trust the promises of their former enemies. Rumors also spread that the warlike Apaches were trying to undermine Spanish relations with other tribes. Other alarming reports stated that some of the treaty nations had been in communication with the English. This, of course, was absolutely forbidden.
Once again, the Spanish chose De Mézières to negotiate with the Indians. Accompanied by interpreters and a small troop of soldiers, he left Natchitoches in March 1772. On an expedition that lasted for months, he made contact with several key tribes. Don Athanase strengthened their commitment to Spain and investigated rumors of an English threat.
The French agent noted that the Tonkawas were nomadic Indians with no fixed homes. They had little interest in “instruction and civilization.” Don Athanase concluded that these Indians would never change their ways. Only through fear of their enemies would they accept peace.
De Mézières said that the Comanches also had no fixed homes. They lived in continual motion in many small bands. Comanches would rather lose their lives than lose their liberty. Interestingly, they adopted their captives and were disgusted with other natives who feasted on human flesh. De Mézières believed that because the Comanches were divided into so many small bands, it would be easier to conquer them if necessary. He hoped that they would someday live in “fixed settlements” and become farmers.
As the French officer continued his journey from one tribe to another, friendly Indians joined him. Don Athanase and seventy natives reached San Antonio in June. At a formal ceremony, several chiefs did a feather dance as a sign of peace and wrapped Governor Ripperdá in buffalo skins.
At this time, De Mézières offered to lead a military campaign in the spring against the increasingly hostile Apaches. He proposed inviting the Nations of the North to participate. The Frenchman offered to supply them with weapons at his own expense. Ripperdá approved of the plan and sent it to the viceroy in Mexico City. Nothing could be done without that official’s approval.
The reaction in Mexico City was negative. The fiscal was an important legal adviser to the viceroy. This official strongly opposed giving guns and ammunition even to friendly Indians. There was also the danger that hostile natives might become involved in this trade and acquire Spanish weapons. These enemies could then find themselves armed and powerful enough to make war on Spain’s settlers. The fiscal thought that the Indians should be given tools of agriculture rather than weapons of war.
As for Viceroy Antonio María de Bucareli, he feared that a war with the Apaches would make the situation in Texas even worse. A council of war should make the final decision. In the meantime, De Mézières should return to his post in Louisiana.
Back in Natchitoches, the French officer learned that several Apache chiefs were on their way to the Bidais and Kadohadachos to make a treaty. Don Athanase ruthlessly sent orders for a medal chief named Sauto to kill these enemies of Spain. The cacique followed his brutal instructions. Sauto murdered three Apache leaders who had accepted the hospitality of his own home!
Meanwhile, Luis de Unzaga had increasing suspicions about don Athanase’s effectiveness as an Indian agent. He hired a spy to report on the Frenchman’s activities. The informant, José de la Peña, claimed that the lieutenant governor had lied about his “great doings.” Peña also charged De Mézières with trying to prevent unfavorable reports about him from reaching Governor Ungaza.
Perhaps to escape from this hostile environment, De Mézières asked the Spanish crown for permission to visit Europe. Giving business and health as his reasons for making the trip, he received a passport in April 1773. The Frenchman spent nearly a year in Europe and acquired the rank of lieutenant colonel from the king of Spain. During a visit to France, don Athanase displayed his tattoos. He had flowers imprinted on his chest and arms, as well as snakes on his legs. The sight of a Frenchman with these designs on his body astonished his upper-class family and friends.
Athanase de Mézières shows off his tattoos in Paris (DRAWING BY JACK JACKSON)
When De Mézières returned to America in 1774, he was still the object of rumors and suspicion. However, don Athanase enjoyed the support of Charles III. The king was concerned about reports of trade between the “savage” nations and the English. He expressed confidence in the French officer’s ability to stop the illegal trade.
The treaty chiefs clearly regarded Lieutenant Colonel De Mézières as the man with whom they should deal. Upon his return from Europe, they visited Natchitoches to assure him of their pledge to peace and harmony.
Don Athanase’s ability to work effectively with the Indians was complicated by many problems over which he had no control. As an example, Louisiana and Texas belonged to different governmental units, even though both were part of the Spanish empire. Louisiana was under the direct authority of a royal official stationed in Cuba. The province of Texas was part of a vast area known as New Spain. The viceroy in Mexico City was the chief official in America with control over New Spain, and thus over Texas.
Rules for dealing with Indians differed from one province to another. When the Spanish crown acquired Louisiana, for example, it decided to continue the French practice of legal trade with Indians in that province. But trade with Native Americans in Texas was not permitted.
Matters got more complicated when the viceroy reacted to negative reports about questionable activities on the frontier. It was charged that De Mézières in Louisiana and Governor Ripperdá in Texas were making personal profits from trade with Indians, not all of which were legal. So in the mid-1770s, the viceroy ordered De Mézières not to have any contact with the governor of Texas. Similarly, Ripperdá received orders to “cut off communication” with the French in Louisiana.
Don Athanase was very upset over these instructions. The Nations of the North did not confine themselves to just one province or the other. They lived and operated on both sides of the Red River. These restrictions on royal officials made it difficult for De Mézières to carry out his duties.
Don Athanase’s problems were not limited to his work as an Indian agent and royal official. In 1777 a severe epidemic hit Natchitoches. Among the dead were the Frenchman’s wife, one son, and perhaps another child. The lieutenant governor, who never remarried after this, was left a single parent with several children. The epidemic, possibly smallpox, killed many Native Americans as well.
Ironically, at this time of great personal loss things began to go better for De Mézières in his career as a Spanish Indian agent. In 1776–1777 major changes occurred in Spain’s American empire. Bernardo de Gálvez became governor of Louisiana. He encouraged liberal trade policies that allowed don Athanase a freer hand in Indian matters.
More important, the northern provinces of New Spain became part of a new governmental unit known as the Interior Provinces. This included Texas. Teodoro de Croix was appointed commandant general of the Interior Provinces, which were now almost independent of the viceroy in Mexico City. Croix also removed many restrictions that had caused problems for officials like De Mézières. All of this made it easier for the Frenchman to do his job.
In Texas, Governor Ripperdá reported to the new commandant general about his problems with Native Americans. The Comanches and Apaches posed serious threats. Croix knew that many tribes of Indians lived in the Interior Provinces. Some were friendly, but others were not.
The new commandant general asked for advice on Indian matters. He called for a council of war to be held at Monclova in northern Mexico. Officers with “highest rank, longest experience, and greatest knowledge” of Indian affairs attended this meeting in December 1777. Croix asked them if Spain should ally itself with the Lipan Apaches to make war on the Comanches and Nations of the North. But he also asked whether it would be wiser to do the opposite—join with the Comanches and Nations of the North to make war on the Apaches. He was open to either possibility!
The men at the Monclova council advised that Spain make war on the Lipan Apaches, because these Native Americans were not to be trusted. Besides, the Northern Nations and the Comanches were believed to be more numerous and more powerful, and they were already enemies of the Apaches.
Members of the Monclova council had no personal knowledge of the Nations of the North. So they suggested that a second war council be held at San Antonio and a third at Chihuahua. Afterward, a final decision based on information from the three meetings could be made.
The second war council began in San Antonio in early 1778. Delegates agreed that peace treaties with the “lying” Lipans were useless. They also said that De Mézières’s treaties had improved relations with the Norteños. These agreements, however, did not include the Comanches. The San Antonio group suggested that Croix have don Athanase come to San Antonio without delay. The Frenchman would know the best way to get an alliance of other Indian tribes against the Apaches.
Lieutenant Colonel De Mézières arrived in San Antonio by February 1778. He studied the secret records of the second war council and prepared a report for the commandant general. According to the Frenchman, trade conducted from Louisiana was important to ensure the friendship of the Indians. If trade did not win over the Comanches, however, he thought Spain should use arms.
Don Athanase stressed the need for secrecy in organizing a military campaign against the Apaches. He wrote a carefully detailed plan. It proposed to use more than a thousand warriors recruited from the treaty nations. Three hundred Spanish soldiers would also participate. A combined military force from the Interior Provinces and Louisiana should be used to show the unity and cooperation of all Spanish subjects.
De Mézières then traveled among tribes along the Trinity, Brazos, and Red Rivers. He wrote detailed accounts of his meetings with the natives, which he sent to the commandant general. Among the groups De Mézières visited were the Taovayas, a settled people of Wichita Indians who lived on both sides of the Red River. Don Athanase gave them gifts in Croix’s name. They, in return, gave up two bronze cannons that had been abandoned years earlier by a Spanish expedition.
Don Athanase was unhappy to learn that the Taovayas had ten Spanish captives from New Mexico, which they had bought from the Comanches. The prisoners, of course, begged for freedom. Despite their pleas, the French officer did not try to pay ransom for their release. He believed that this would only encourage the Indians to take more Spanish captives. He could not lose sight of his major goal—to get the Taovayas to ally with Spain against the Apaches.
De Mézières learned that the Comanches had been raiding and killing Spaniards in Texas. He therefore refused to negotiate directly with them at that time. He sent word that if the Comanche leaders sincerely desired peace, he would meet with them at another time.
Croix was pleased with don Athanase’s reports of his travels among the Indians. The commandant general also appreciated the Frenchman’s energetic efforts and good judgment. But he waited until the third war council met before making his reply.
While secret plans for making war against the Apache were underway, other important events were occurring. Domingo Cabello y Robles was appointed governor of Texas to replace Barón de Ripperdá. It would take time, however, for Cabello to travel to Texas from his post in Nicaragua.
The third war council at Chihuahua suggested that don Athanase should return immediately to San Antonio. The Frenchman should replace Ripperdá until Cabello arrived. Croix agreed that don Athanase should serve as interim (temporary) governor of Texas. His “knowledge, practical experience, zeal, and conduct might contribute much to the success” of the commandant general’s overall Indian policy.
De Mézières received orders to proceed immediately to San Antonio, but he chose not to do so. He claimed that the rivers he would have to cross were at flood stage. In truth, he probably hesitated to leave his children and his friends. He actually attempted to go to New Orleans to plead his cause before Governor Bernardo de Gálvez. Unfortunately, Don Athanase suffered an accident and had to return to Natchitoches. However, he wrote the governor and asked to remain under his command rather than go to Texas. If he did have to go there, he asked permission to take his sons with him.
In the meantime, Cabello arrived in San Antonio in the fall of 1778 to assume the office of governor. This meant that De Mézières would not have to hurry to Texas. In the following year, don Athanase asked Bernardo de Gálvez to approve still another visit to the Norteños. Among his reasons was a desire to contact the Comanches who were interfering with trade in Louisiana and Texas. The lieutenant colonel asked for goods from New Orleans to give as presents to the Indians.
Governor Bernardo de Gálvez granted don Athanase’s requests. He provided muskets, hatchets, glass beads, tobacco, and other gifts. The governor also sent equipment and supplies for the Spanish troops that were to accompany the Frenchman.
Weather conditions and swollen rivers delayed the proposed expedition to the Indians. When it did depart, the lieutenant colonel learned that colonists in East Texas needed help. The new town of Nacogdoches was poorly defended. Settlers there were afraid of the Comanches and other natives. Heading to Nacogdoches, don Athanase had a serious accident near the Attoyac River. His horse pitched him down the side of a steep hill. He had “such a shock … that fever, delirium, and other symptoms resulted.” His condition became so grave that servants carried him back to Natchitoches on a stretcher. Experiencing two serious accidents in a matter of months took a toll on don Athanase’s health.
After two months in bed, De Mézières improved enough to complete the journey to Nacogdoches. Arriving there, he scolded the settlers for being cowardly, and he showed little sympathy for their situation. Continuing on his way to San Antonio, the French agent distributed many gifts to Kichai, Tonkawa, and Tawakoni Indians.
The new governor of Texas was unhappy about the arrival of De Mézières and his party. Domingo de Cabello complained about the cost of providing food and housing for don Athanase and the Native Americans who accompanied him. At church services, don Domingo placed a chair next to his for don Athanase. The governor also provided medicines, because De Mézières suffered from a serious case of diarrhea and a sexually transmitted disease.
Despite ill health, the French officer tried to carry on his duties. He sent a forceful letter to Teodoro de Croix. Perhaps De Mézières’s words were so strong because he realized that he had only a few more days to live.
Don Athanase wrote about the province of Texas. He asked why so little progress had been made there. Then he answered his own question: It was laziness on the part of the settlers. He warned that the English posed a serious threat, one that Texas was ill-prepared to meet. The sick man warned the commandant general not to be blind to the discouraging situation in Texas, because it placed Spain’s interests at risk. His own desire, De Mézières insisted, was for the whole of Texas to be prosperous and happy.
On October 12, 1779, don Athanase received word that he been appointed to replace Cabello as governor of Texas. The French officer had little desire for the position. Writing to Croix, he begged to be excused. He claimed to be unfit and inexperienced for that office. He was also in poor health and had no money. Don Athanase insisted that his experience could best be used in Louisiana. Besides, he wanted to return to his family in Natchitoches. If Croix insisted, De Mézières would “sacrifice his own views and his personal comfort” in order to do what the commandant general ordered. In that event, his family should be brought safely to San Antonio. He asked Croix to provide protection for his sons, the youngest of whom was only twelve.
De Mézières never assumed the office of governor of Texas. His health declined rapidly. The Frenchman was “overcome with … a strong melancholy [sadness], knowing that he was dying.” He wrote out his will, but he had little to leave to his family.
Don Athanase also penned a final letter to Teodoro de Croix. It was in his native language of French, because he was so ill that he could no longer think or write in Spanish. The Frenchman stated that he had only debts to leave his daughters. The debts were the result of his journeys on behalf of the Spanish crown. Don Athanase asked the commandant general to arrange for his two daughters to receive a military pension.
Athanase de Mézières received the Catholic sacraments and died at one o’clock in the afternoon on November 2, 1779. He was buried the next day at the parish church of San Antonio for a cost of five dollars.
Croix was saddened by the death of this remarkable Frenchman who he felt had such “excellent” qualities. He took steps to secure a pension for the Frenchman’s daughters, and he arranged for the cadet sons to be placed in a frontier presidio.
Athanase de Mézières was an exceptional individual. Despite the death of his father and rejection by his mother, this Frenchman had a productive life in America. Because he was French-born, his loyalty to his new king and country were often questioned. But he never let these or other obstacles defeat him.
Tattooed don Athanase served the Spanish crown for a decade. He willingly faced the challenges of being a military officer and Indian agent on the Texas-Louisiana frontier. He recognized the importance of trade and gifts in winning the allegiance of Native Americans. De Mézières was also a practical man. He knew the Spanish could use peaceful approaches with some tribes. He thought other tribes must be dealt with by using military strength. And he was ruthless when he considered it necessary.
Twice a widower, De Mézières did his best as a single parent to care for his children. However, his duties as an official on the Spanish frontier often took him away from his family and put him in debt. Before he died, he tried to provide for his children’s future.
By studying the life of this Frenchman who dealt with Native Americans for the Spanish crown, we learn about Texas and Louisiana in the colonial period. There are also valuable lessons about one man’s ability to make the best of any situation that faced him.
Materials used in preparing this chapter are described below. You can find more information about these sources in the Bibliography at the end of the book.
The most important collection of documents and letters relating to De Mézières is found in Athanase de Mézières and the Louisiana-Texas Frontier, 1768–1780, edited and translated by Herbert E. Bolton. A more complete biographical treatment of the Troubled Indian Agent may be found in Donald E. Chipman and Harriett Denise Joseph’s Notable Men and Women of Spanish Texas, which draws heavily on the contents of Bolton’s two-volume work.
Quotes in this chapter are from the following sources: Betje B. Klier, “Théodore Pavie” (unpublished manuscript in the possession of the authors); Herbert E. Bolton, editor and translator, Athanase de Mézières and the Louisiana-Texas Frontier, 1768–1780; Lawrence Kinnaird, editor, Spain in the Mississippi Valley, 1765–1794: Translations of Materials from the Spanish Archives in the Bancroft Library; Juan Agustín Morfi, History of Texas, 1673–1779, translated and edited by Carlos E. Castañeda; and Cabello to Croix, November 12, 1779, Béxar Archives Translations, Reel 11.