NARRATIVE OF THE TEXAN SANTA FE EXPEDITION, Comprising a Description of a Tour Through Texas, and Across the Great Southwestern Prairies, the Camanche and Caygua Hunting-Grounds, with an Account of the Sufferings from Want of Food, Losses from Hostile Indians, and Final Capture of the Texans, and Their March, as Prisoners, to the City of Mexico
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1856. Seventh Edition. Hardcover. Two 5" x 8" volumes in the publisher's dark brown cloth with gilt-titled spines, housed in a cloth clamshell box with gilt-lettered morocco spine labels. Illustrated with 5 plates and a large folding map of Texas. This edition is the scarcest and most desirable due to the addition of two chapters and the inclusion of part of Thomas Falconer's diary that filled in gaps in Kendall's narrative and offered his own perspective. First published in 1844, this firsthand account of a failed 1841 attempt by the Republic of Texas to establish control over Santa Fe, then part of Mexico, is "one of the most cockeyed ventures in American history" (Lavender, David. BENT'S FORT. 1958, page 199). As a journalist who joined the expedition, Kendall vividly recounts the hardships faced by the poorly organized group, including harsh terrain, betrayal, and eventual capture by Mexican forces. Kendall and the surviving Texans were released from imprisonment in 1842. GRAFF 2306; HOWES K75 b; RAINES page 132: "No Texas library complete without it"; STREETER 1515n; WAGNER-CAMP 110. Clean and tightly bound; owner name of Aymar Van Buren on front endpaper. Minor repairs to spine tips. A beautiful and scarce set. About Fine in a Near Fine clamshell box. Item #022511
Price: $4,000.00