HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

Site of Bivouac and Banquet for The New Orleans' Greys

Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Led by Adolphus Sterne, citizens of Nacogdoches helped outfit a volunteer force, the New Orleans' Greys, to fight in the Texas War for Independence. One company of Greys traveled overland to San Antonio by way of Nacogdoches in Nov. 1835. The 50-100 men camped for a few days at this site near Sterne's home. They were honored with a banquet of bear, raccoon, and other meat, and were praised in toasts and speeches. The Greys reached San Antonio before the Siege of Bexar, Dec. 5-9, 1835. Most of the volunteers died in later battles of the revolution.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

In November 1835, as Texas fought for independence, Nacogdoches citizens led by Adolphus Sterne helped equip a volunteer company known as the New Orleans Greys. One company marching overland to San Antonio camped for several days at this site near Sterne's home, where townspeople feasted them on bear, raccoon, and other game and toasted their cause. The Greys reached San Antonio before the Siege of Bexar, and most of the volunteers would die in later battles of the revolution.

Why it matters

It marks a moment of frontier hospitality and volunteer sacrifice in the Texas Revolution, when outside recruits gave their lives for Texas independence.

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Related people

  • ยท Adolphus Sterne

Related events

  • ยท Texas Revolution
  • ยท New Orleans Greys
  • ยท Siege of Bexar

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

Nicholas Adolphus Sterne

Nacogdoches, TX

Born in Germany and arriving in New Orleans in 1817, Adolphus Sterne was a Jewish emigrant who settled in Nacogdoches in 1826 and threw himself into the turbulent birth of Texas. A merchant and early Scottish Rite Mason, he backed the Fredonian Rebellion and the Texas Revolution with money and influence, then served in public office and the state legislature. His home became a gathering place in a raw frontier town on the edge of a new republic.

Haden Edwards

Nacogdoches, TX

A Virginia-born empresario, Haden Edwards received a contract to settle American families around Nacogdoches but fell into bitter conflict with Mexican authorities and existing residents. In 1826-27 he led the short-lived Fredonian Rebellion, an early and premature bid for Anglo independence in Texas that collapsed quickly. A decade later, during the Texas Revolution, he was sent to the United States to raise funds for the cause.