Ken Bridges: The short but impactful life of Texan James Fannin, part 1

Some men live only a short life, but one moment can be remembered for generations. James Fannin was a planter, businessman, solider, and family man. He was only 32 when he died during the Texas Revolution. Fannin’s death would be a rallying cry across Texas, but his early life was one far from the concerns of the Texas frontier and the politics of Mexico.

James Walker Fannin, Jr., was born on New Year’s Day in 1804 in rural Georgia. He came from a noted family that included veterans of the American Revolution, and later, the War of 1812. His cousin, Samuel F. B. Morse, would later invent the telegraph. Fannin’s father was a physician and a planter, but the circumstances of his birth created a scandal. His parents were not married. As a result, he was soon adopted by his grandfather, James Walker, and raised on his plantation at the other end of the state.

In 1818, he enrolled at the University of Georgia. The next year, however, he earned an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point and enrolled as a cadet. Only 15, he was wild and unfocused, even with military discipline. His grades were poor, and his temper was sharp. At the beginning of his third year, he challenged a fellow cadet to a duel. This deeply upset his instructors, and he resigned from West Point.

He returned to Georgia, went into business for himself, and married a young woman named Minerva Fort. Within a few years, his life had completely turned around. By 1828, he moved to Columbus, Georgia, where he was now focused, successful, and a respected member of the community. He joined the Georgia state militia, served as a Grand Master for the local Masonic lodge, and was a leader in the local temperance society. His wife eventually gave birth to two daughters. His business thrived. He attempted to become a local judge, but his dueling scandal at West Point ended that bid.

In 1834, Fannin moved his family to Velasco, then a prosperous port city in BrazoriaCounty at the mouth of the Brazos River. He bought a plantation and became a slave trader. Though illegal across the rest of Mexico, Fannin’s business was in high demand among the Texas colonists. He arrived in Velasco at a time when tensions were high amid the bitter memories of a vicious battle between residents of Velasco and the Mexican Army two years before in which a dozen men died over a Mexican garrison nearby. Relations between the colonists and Mexico were disintegrating rapidly, and Fannin was soon swept up in the excitement.

Fannin became part of a rising chorus of voices calling for Texas independence by early 1835. In Mexico City, one government after another came to power and collapsed, with each regime unable to contain the rising resentment across the country. Mexico tried to tighten its grip on the Texas colonists, with their rage only rising in response as Mexico’s ideas of law and order clashed with Texas ideals and ambitions. Uprising and rebellions would soon erupt across southern and central Mexico, with Texas following suit.

In Texas, a group of citizens formed the Committee of Safety and Correspondence, echoing the American Revolution, and contacted Fannin in August to use his influence in the cause. Fannin called for the Consultation, a meeting to be held later that year to discuss the possibility of independence. Fannin also contacted old friends and powerful allies in Georgia and from his days at West Point to solicit funds for a possible fight against Mexico. A militia was formed in Velasco, the Brazos Guards, with Fannin appointed as captain.

Mexico made its first move in October at the Battle of Gonzales. The army attempted to repossess a cannon on loan to the community used for defense against Native American tribes. Word had spread of the arrival of the army, and Fannin’s Brazos Guards had arrived to rally the people and to intercept the arriving force. Gunfire erupted on October 2, making Gonzales the first battle of the Texas Revolution. Mexican forces were repelled for the time being, but Fannin realized it was only the beginning.

Ken Bridges is a writer, historian and native Texan. He holds a doctorate from the University of North Texas. Bridges can be reached by email at drkenbridges@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Ken Bridges The short but impactful life of Texan James Fannin, part 1