Welcome to the Republic of the Rio Grande.

Episode 3, Mexican Independence.

I'm Brandon Seal.

After his defeat outside of Mexico City, Father Miguel Idaalgo retreated northward,

bound for San Antonio where he hoped to regroup.

Somewhere between Saltillo and Monclova, Jose Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara caught up to the revolutionary priest,

who appointed him his emissary to the United States.

Without wasting any time, Gutierrez de Lara, and 12 of his closest allies, rode out of Father Iago's camp to the east,

and not a minute too soon.

Just four days after they left him, Father Iago was ambushed, captured, and sent off for execution.

For more details on Gutieres de Lara's epic journey that follows, I'll refer you back to

season two of this podcast, but I'll also give you the Cliff Notes version again here.

In the course of just two years, Gutieres de Lada traveled from New Orleans to Washington, D.C., met

with Secretary of State James Monroe, President James Madison, and many others, returned to Louisiana,

built a multi-ethnic army of Tejano's,

Native Americans, and Anglos, crossed the Sabine River, captured Nacadoches, marched on Goliad,

captured it, then marched on San Antonio and captured it, defeating every royalist army that he

encountered along the way, and making Texas, arguably, the first former Spanish province in the new world

to rid itself entirely of a Spanish royalist presence.

And even the first punitive expedition that the crown sent to recover Texas was beaten back

decisively by Gutierrez de Lara's army, which he proudly called the Republican Army of the

North.

...