Michael Robert Pilley
Bellville, Austin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A member of the Mier Expedition, 1842. Born in Grantham, England March 30, 1820, died January 4, 1865. (1936)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Grantham, England, in 1820, Michael Robert Pilley joined the Mier Expedition of 1842 — the ill-fated raid in which Republic of Texas forces crossed into Mexico and were captured, an episode remembered for the deadly "black bean" lottery imposed on the prisoners. This marker, placed in 1936, commemorates his part in that chapter of the young Republic's turbulent border struggles.
Why it matters
The Mier Expedition was one of the defining ordeals of the Republic of Texas era, and markers to its participants keep alive the memory of the perilous years before Texas joined the Union.
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Related people
- · Michael Robert Pilley
Related events
- · Mier Expedition
Themes & tags
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