II. ARKANSAS POST AND THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR

C. Captain Colbert Intervenes

4. The Spanish Counterattack

a) Acting-Governor Miró Outlines a Course of Action

After studying Madame Cruzat’s declaration, Acting-Governor Miró decided against acceding to Captain Colbert’s request for an exchange of prisoners. Writing Governor Gálvez, he asked authority to organize a 1,400-man expedition (1,000 regulars and 400 militia), reinforced by Indians, to lead against Colbert’s band.

While awaiting Gálvez’s reply, he proposed to proceed to Natchez with 200 regulars and “try to calm the inhabitants by tact treatment, and to instill respect by increasing the garrison there which” numbered 173 effectives. Much of the difficulty, he believed, was caused by Grand-Pré’s severity, such as the arrest and transportation of John Smith and Parker Caridine to New Orleans for no other reason than that they were suspected of corresponding with some of the fugitives. Miró, in hopes of conciliating and weaning away from Colbert many of his partisans, released Smith and Caridine. He would release Mrs. Judah Holston, for whose return Colbert had offered five men. Mrs. Holston was elderly, and the charge against her was that of harboring fugitives.

Miró have Colbert pursued and captured by Indians and woodsmen, but if he were captured, Miró was at a loss how to handle him, since Colbert claimed to have a captain’s commission signed by General Campbell. Not having taken an oath of allegiance to the Spanish Crown, Colbert could not be considered in the same category as the Natchez rebels.

By inviting the “Great Chief” of the Chickasaws to come and “give him the hand,” Colonel Miró hoped to make him a client of the Spanish or prevail upon him to remain neutral. The “extensive territories” added by Governor Gálvez to “His Catholic Majesty’s” domain east of the Mississippi made it mandatory for Spain, Colonel Miró observed, to establish two new forts on that river’s left bank, one at Chickasaw Bluffs and another between there and Natchez to prevent organization of additional bands such as Colbert’s. Arkansas Post, he pointed out, might as well be abandoned, especially since the fort had been relocated 10 or 12 leagues up the Arkansas to avoid the annual inundations. Situated as it was some distance from the Mississippi, the new fort did not protect river commerce.[73]

Governor Gálvez on July 21, 1782, approved all of Mir proposals, except for the punitive expedition. He advised Miró not to regard Colbert as a captain in the British establishment, nor to release Captain Blommart who was to be transported, along with other leaders of the revolt then in custody, to Mexico or Cuba. While approving the clemency extended by Miró, Gálvez cautioned him to hold most of the relatives and friends of the rebels, so it would be possible to retaliate if any prisoners held by Colbert were abused.[74]