Overview

Could the British have stopped Manifest Destiny in its tracks in 1836? A Scottish doctor named James Grant was the agent who tried to make it happen, and Texas was the stage on which the secret battle was fought. On the eve of the Texas uprising, only two things stood in the way of American ambitions to reach the Pacific Ocean: the British claim to the Oregon country and the vast but sparsely populated Mexican province of Texas. Britain was therefore almost as concerned with the outcome of the Texians' war as Mexico was. At a crucial point when Texians had to decide whether to seek rights within the Federal Republic of Mexico or to secede and ally with the United States, James Grant led a band of followers toward Mexico, with the intent of forming a state within that nation. His efforts met enduring accusations that he fatally weakened the Alamo by stripping it of men, ammunition, and medical supplies. When Grant was killed on the ill-fated Matamoros expedition, British hopes of blocking the upstart Americans died, too. Yet, despite his important role, Grant remains a shadowy and often sinister figure routinely condemned by historians and frequently dismissed out of hand as merely an unscrupulous land speculator. Drawing heavily on British sources, Reid tells the forgotten story of Dr. James Grant and the twelve-year-long secret war for Texas, from his involvement in the """"silly quixotic"""" Fredonian Rebellion to the bloody battles along the Atascosita Road. The international scope of the story makes this far more than just another tale of the Texas Revolution.

Full Product Details

9781585445653

Table of Contents

Reviews

... carefully clarifies the fascinating adventure of Dr. James Grant, the 'rogue British agent' of the Texas Revolution. Reid removes the enigmatic historical shroud from Grant and eloquently illustrates the Scotsman as a key player in Great Britain and the United States' long-term struggle for North America. - William R. Chemerka, founder of The Alamo Society, editor of The Alamo Journal

"""... carefully clarifies the fascinating adventure of Dr. James Grant, the 'rogue British agent' of the Texas Revolution. Reid removes the enigmatic historical shroud from Grant and eloquently illustrates the Scotsman as a key player in Great Britain and the United States' long-term struggle for North America."" - William R. Chemerka, founder of The Alamo Society, editor of The Alamo Journal"""

""... carefully clarifies the fascinating adventure of Dr. James Grant, the 'rogue British agent' of the Texas Revolution. Reid removes the enigmatic historical shroud from Grant and eloquently illustrates the Scotsman as a key player in Great Britain and the United States' long-term struggle for North America."" - William R. Chemerka, founder of The Alamo Society, editor of The Alamo Journal""

Author Information

STUART REID is a historical consultant to the National Trust for Scotland for the Culloden Moor Memorial Project. He has been a librarian, a boatman, a professional soldier, a cartographer, and a surveyor, among other things. He has written twelve entries for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and is the author of fourteen previous books. He lives in the United Kingdom.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available