Schemers and Dreamers: Filibustering in Mexico, 1848-1921, (Hardcover)

In the mid-nineteenth century various groups formed north of the border to invade Mexico. They were called filibusters (from the Dutch <i>vribuiter</i>, meaning pirate or free booty). The Mexican government saw these invasions as a threat to sovereignty. To Mexico it was significant that the groups recruited, organized, and plotted their <i>entradas</i> from the United States in full view of the U.S. government even as newspapers in both countries published dozens of articles about the endeavors. <p>There were many types of filibusters, from small groups of cutthroats who were satisfied with raiding and stealing, to those whose goal was to conquer territory. </p><p>Many names of the privateers are familiar--William Walker and Henry Alexander Crabb, for instance. Others remain elusive, and they are the focus of Joseph A. Stout Jr.'s book. In the mid-nineteenth century José María Carvajal took his chances in Tamaulipas and Coahuila, and Charles de Pindray plotted to establish a mining colony in Sonora. Juan Napoleón Zerman had the audacity to raise a small army and invade Baja California wearing an absurd uniform capped off with a sombrero decorated with chicken feathers. None of the filibusters were successful and many men lost their lives in chimeric escapades along the border.</p>

• Schemers and Dreamers: Filibustering in Mexico, 1848-1921, (Hardcover)
• Author: Joseph A Stout
• ISBN: 9780875652580
• Format: Hardcover
• Publication Date: 2002-05-06
• Page Count: 148