Robert Neighbors
Encyclopedia
Robert Simpson Neighbors (November 3, 1815 – September 14, 1859) was an Indian agent
and Texas
state legislator. Known as a fair and determined protector of Indian interests as guaranteed by treaty, he was murdered for his beliefs by a Texan who disagreed with giving any rights to the Comanches.
, Virginia
, on November 3, 1815. He was the sole son of William and Elizabeth (Elam) Neighbours. In later life he chose to drop the u from his last name. He was orphaned at a mere four months old, when both parents evidently died from disease, probably smallpox, which was epidemic in those years. He was later educated by private tutors, who were retained by his guardian, Samuel Hamner, a Virginia planter.
, which he did in the early spring of 1836. He promptly joined the army of the Republic of Texas
, where he served for a number of years. In 1839, with the rank of lieutenant and later of captain, he was assistant quartermaster
and acting quartermaster of the Texas army. He continued in this post until 1841, when he was reassigned to a line unit.
made his invasion of Texas and captured the city. Along with approximately forty other individuals, including the officers of the court, he was forcibly marched to Mexico
, where he was subsequently imprisoned.
for the Republic of Texas
. As Indian Agent for the Lipan Apaches and Tonkawa
s, he invented the field system of Indian control; instead of remaining at the agency headquarters and waiting for the Indians to pay him a visit, as was the common practice, Neighbors dealt with them directly in their homelands.
Later, when he was Federal Indian Agent for the Comanche
s, he continued what was then a most unusual practice, that of actually visiting the Indians in their homes, and learning their language and culture. Called the "field system" it was unique for its time. The ultimate result was that he spent much time far beyond the then frontier and in the opinion of historians exercised greater influence over the Indians in Texas than any other white man of his generation. Indeed, other than Sam Houston
he probably was one of the few white men to bother to learn their language
and culture, let alone travel to the heart of the Comancheria
.
After the annexation of the Republic of Texas
by the United States, he received a federal appointment as special Indian agent, on March 20, 1847. He was then party to numerous councils, including one between commissioners of the United States and the Texas Comanches near the site of Waco
in 1846 and one between the Comanche and the German colonists
on the San Saba River
in March 1847, which resulted in the so-called Meusebach-Comanche Treaty
.
arrived with 40 warriors, and in a manner the Major called “most insolent,” demanded that the Tonkawa feed the war party and their horses, and provide for them entertainment. The Tonkawas, in fear of their lives, provided 40 women, food, and shelter, and cared for the horses at once. Neighbors, known as a fearless man, took this opportunity to be introduced to the Comanches. Neighbors, who was the Indian Agent for all Texas Indians, told the bemused Comanches he wanted to give them the benefits of civilization. Old Owl, introduced to Neighbors, first complimented him on his fine blue coat. Neighbors, understanding the meaning of this compliment, presented the Chief with the coat immediately. Other warriors admired his pants, boots, and other clothing, and soon Neighbors was standing only in a nightshirt.
Old Owl however, took a liking to the fearless Neighbors. He told him though most whites irritated him, he liked Neighbors, and invited him to accompany the war party, and he proposed instead of Neighbors making a civilized man of him, that he would make a fine horse thief out of Neighbors, and adopt him into the tribe. Neighbors, feeling this was an opportunity few men would ever receive, accepted at once. The war party went to Mexico, where Neighbors attempted to buy beef on credit to feed the warriors. When the Mexicans declined to sell beef to a Republic of Texas official on credit, Old Owl told them two beeves were to be forthcoming immediately, or the hacienda would be burned down and every living being killed. This proved highly effective, and the food was immediately forthcoming.
Neighbors, having left an indelible impression on Old Owl as the first (and only) Republic of Texas official to ever ride with a Comanche War Party, took his leave of them with thanks, and went home.
, who was in command of the Eighth Military Department, which included the former Republic of Texas, determined to send an expedition to map a dependable road between San Antonio and El Paso. The General, headquartered in San Antonio, selected Neighbors to lead the expedition to establish the so-called "upper route" to El Paso. His reasoning was that Neighbors was perhaps the only man in Texas who could safely ride into the Comancheria.
Neighbors led a combined military-Ranger force that included his personal friend "Rip" Ford
and did in fact map a route that not only became the route used by the Overland Stage Company, but is the same route taken by the highway today. Indeed, Neighbors reported 598 miles between Austin (as the state capital) and El Paso – exactly the same milege listed today between the two cities. In addition to Ford on the expedition, Neighbors was able to convince Buffalo Hump
to lead it. Though the chief later left the party, it remained under his protection, and another Comanche Chief led the party the remainder of the distance from the Colorado River to El Paso. Neighbors ability to communicate with the Comanche, and his relationship with them, made the expedition possible.
, so his services as Indian agent were terminated by the elections and subsequent national Whig
administration in September 1849. Neighbors stayed in public life however. Appointed as a Texas commissioner, he was sent by Governor Peter Hansborough Bell
, to organize El Paso County in February and March 1850. He then attempted, without success, to organize counties in New Mexico
as a part of Texas.
As a member of the Fourth Texas Legislature
under the United States sitting from 1851 to 1853, he was able to convince his fellow legislators to establish reservations for Indians, and he then successfully sponsored a law that opened the way for establishing those Indian reservations. He became a presidential elector
in 1852, and shortly following the election of Franklin Pierce
he was again appointed a federal Indian agent. In 1853 he was made Supervising Federal Agent for the Texas Indians. The following year in 1854 he joined Capt. Randolph B. Marcy
and a unit of the United States Army to travel to Northwest Texas in search of recommended sites for Indian reservations. The Penateka Comanches were located on a reservation in what is now Throckmorton County, and the other Texas tribes, the Caddo
, Lenape
, and Tonkawa
, at a second site now in Young County
.
officers located at the posts of Fort Belknap and Camp Cooper, near the reservations, failed to give adequate support to him and his resident agents, and adequate protection to the Indians. The military’s attitude was shared by the settlers, who believed the reservation Indians were committing continuing raids on white settlements. In spite of continuous threats against his life, Neighbors never faltered in his determination to protect the Indians.
With the aid of federal troops, who he finally shamed and politically forced to assist him, he managed to protect the Indians on the reservations. Convinced however that the Indians, especially the Comanche, due to the continuing raids of those bands still resisting white settlement of the Comancheria, would never be safe in Texas, he determined to move them to safety in the Indian territories. In August 1859 he succeeded in moving the Indians without loss of life to a new reservation in Indian Territory
. Forced to return to Texas on business, he stopped at the village near Fort Belknap. On September 14, 1859, while he was speaking with one settler, a man named Edward Cornett shot him in the back. Historians believe this assassination was a direct result of Neighbors' actions protecting the Comanche. He was buried in the civilian cemetery at Fort Belknap.
. He had married Elizabeth Ann Mays in Seguin, Texas
, on July 15, 1851, and their home was in San Antonio, Texas
. Two sons survived childhood.
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
state legislator. Known as a fair and determined protector of Indian interests as guaranteed by treaty, he was murdered for his beliefs by a Texan who disagreed with giving any rights to the Comanches.
Early life
Robert Simpson Neighbors was born in Charlotte CountyCharlotte County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,472 people, 4,951 households, and 3,435 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 5,734 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, on November 3, 1815. He was the sole son of William and Elizabeth (Elam) Neighbours. In later life he chose to drop the u from his last name. He was orphaned at a mere four months old, when both parents evidently died from disease, probably smallpox, which was epidemic in those years. He was later educated by private tutors, who were retained by his guardian, Samuel Hamner, a Virginia planter.
Immigration to Texas
Neighbors left Virginia at the age of nineteen, and while he stayed briefly in New Orleans, his intention was always to immigrate to TexasGone to Texas
Gone to Texas , was a phrase used by Americans immigrating to Texas in the 19th century often to escape debt incurred during the Panic of 1819...
, which he did in the early spring of 1836. He promptly joined the army of the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
, where he served for a number of years. In 1839, with the rank of lieutenant and later of captain, he was assistant quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
and acting quartermaster of the Texas army. He continued in this post until 1841, when he was reassigned to a line unit.
Capture by General Adrian Woll
On September 11, 1842, as a member of Captain John C. Hays's company of volunteers, Neighbors was in San Antonio attending court, when General Adrian WollAdrián Woll
Adrián Woll was a French soldier of fortune and mercenary who served as a general in the army of Mexico during the Texas Revolution and the Mexican-American War.-Biography:...
made his invasion of Texas and captured the city. Along with approximately forty other individuals, including the officers of the court, he was forcibly marched to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, where he was subsequently imprisoned.
Indian Agent and the field system
Neighbors was released on March 24, 1844 and returned to Texas. At this point Neighbors ended his army service, and early the next year he began his service as an Indian AgentIndian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
for the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
. As Indian Agent for the Lipan Apaches and Tonkawa
Tonkawa
The Tickanwa•tic Tribe , better known as the Tonkawa , are a Native American people indigenous to present-day Oklahoma and Texas. They once spoke the now-extinct Tonkawa language believed to have been a language isolate not related to any other indigenous tongues...
s, he invented the field system of Indian control; instead of remaining at the agency headquarters and waiting for the Indians to pay him a visit, as was the common practice, Neighbors dealt with them directly in their homelands.
Later, when he was Federal Indian Agent for the Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
s, he continued what was then a most unusual practice, that of actually visiting the Indians in their homes, and learning their language and culture. Called the "field system" it was unique for its time. The ultimate result was that he spent much time far beyond the then frontier and in the opinion of historians exercised greater influence over the Indians in Texas than any other white man of his generation. Indeed, other than Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
he probably was one of the few white men to bother to learn their language
Comanche language
Comanche is a Uto-Aztecan language spoken by the Comanche people, who split off from the Shoshone soon after they acquired horses in around 1705...
and culture, let alone travel to the heart of the Comancheria
Comancheria
The Comancheria is the name commonly given to the region of New Mexico, west Texas and nearby areas occupied by the Comanche before the 1860s.-Geography:...
.
After the annexation of the Republic of Texas
Texas Annexation
In 1845, United States of America annexed the Republic of Texas and admitted it to the Union as the 28th state. The U.S. thus inherited Texas's border dispute with Mexico; this quickly led to the Mexican-American War, during which the U.S. captured additional territory , extending the nation's...
by the United States, he received a federal appointment as special Indian agent, on March 20, 1847. He was then party to numerous councils, including one between commissioners of the United States and the Texas Comanches near the site of Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
in 1846 and one between the Comanche and the German colonists
German Texan
German Texan is an ethnic category that includes residents of the state of Texas with German ancestry who identify with the term. This identification may include cultural agreements—German language, German cuisine, feasts, music, hard work, frugality, and close family ties. From their first...
on the San Saba River
San Saba River
The San Saba River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. It is an undeveloped and scenic waterway located on the northern boundary of the Edwards Plateau.-Course:...
in March 1847, which resulted in the so-called Meusebach-Comanche Treaty
Meusebach-Comanche Treaty
The Meusebach-Comanche Treaty was a treaty between the private citizens of the Fisher-Miller Land Grant in Texas , who were predominantly German in nationality, and the Penateka Comanche Tribe. The treaty was officially recognized by the United States government...
.
Adoption by the Comanche
In his early days as an Indian Agent, Robert Neighbors recorded one of the best known meetings with the Comanche, and their Chief Old Owl. While he was beginning as a Texas Indian Agent, for the Republic, in 1845, Major Neighbors was at a Tonkawa camp. Chief Old OwlOld Owl
Old Owl was a Native American Civil Chief of the Penateka band of the Comanche Indians. His name, Mo'pe-choko-pa, in Comanche literally meant "Old Owl."-Early life:...
arrived with 40 warriors, and in a manner the Major called “most insolent,” demanded that the Tonkawa feed the war party and their horses, and provide for them entertainment. The Tonkawas, in fear of their lives, provided 40 women, food, and shelter, and cared for the horses at once. Neighbors, known as a fearless man, took this opportunity to be introduced to the Comanches. Neighbors, who was the Indian Agent for all Texas Indians, told the bemused Comanches he wanted to give them the benefits of civilization. Old Owl, introduced to Neighbors, first complimented him on his fine blue coat. Neighbors, understanding the meaning of this compliment, presented the Chief with the coat immediately. Other warriors admired his pants, boots, and other clothing, and soon Neighbors was standing only in a nightshirt.
Old Owl however, took a liking to the fearless Neighbors. He told him though most whites irritated him, he liked Neighbors, and invited him to accompany the war party, and he proposed instead of Neighbors making a civilized man of him, that he would make a fine horse thief out of Neighbors, and adopt him into the tribe. Neighbors, feeling this was an opportunity few men would ever receive, accepted at once. The war party went to Mexico, where Neighbors attempted to buy beef on credit to feed the warriors. When the Mexicans declined to sell beef to a Republic of Texas official on credit, Old Owl told them two beeves were to be forthcoming immediately, or the hacienda would be burned down and every living being killed. This proved highly effective, and the food was immediately forthcoming.
Neighbors, having left an indelible impression on Old Owl as the first (and only) Republic of Texas official to ever ride with a Comanche War Party, took his leave of them with thanks, and went home.
Neighbors Expedition
Early in the spring of 1849, Major General William J. Worth, of the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, who was in command of the Eighth Military Department, which included the former Republic of Texas, determined to send an expedition to map a dependable road between San Antonio and El Paso. The General, headquartered in San Antonio, selected Neighbors to lead the expedition to establish the so-called "upper route" to El Paso. His reasoning was that Neighbors was perhaps the only man in Texas who could safely ride into the Comancheria.
Neighbors led a combined military-Ranger force that included his personal friend "Rip" Ford
John Salmon Ford
John Salmon Ford , better known as "Rip" Ford, was a member of the Republic of Texas Congress and later of the State Senate, and mayor of Brownsville, Texas. He was also a Texas Ranger, a Confederate colonel, and a journalist...
and did in fact map a route that not only became the route used by the Overland Stage Company, but is the same route taken by the highway today. Indeed, Neighbors reported 598 miles between Austin (as the state capital) and El Paso – exactly the same milege listed today between the two cities. In addition to Ford on the expedition, Neighbors was able to convince Buffalo Hump
Buffalo hump
Buffalo Hump was a Native American War Chief of the Penateka band of the Comanche Indians...
to lead it. Though the chief later left the party, it remained under his protection, and another Comanche Chief led the party the remainder of the distance from the Colorado River to El Paso. Neighbors ability to communicate with the Comanche, and his relationship with them, made the expedition possible.
Return as an Indian Agent
In those days, appointments for such posts as federal Indian Agent were determined in great part by the political party in power, and the political affiliation of the agent. Neighbors was a DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, so his services as Indian agent were terminated by the elections and subsequent national Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
administration in September 1849. Neighbors stayed in public life however. Appointed as a Texas commissioner, he was sent by Governor Peter Hansborough Bell
Peter Hansborough Bell
Peter Hansborough Bell was an American military officer and politician who served as the third Governor of Texas and represented the state for two terms in the United States House of Representatives.-Background:Bell was born March 11, 1810 in Culpeper County, Virginia...
, to organize El Paso County in February and March 1850. He then attempted, without success, to organize counties in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
as a part of Texas.
As a member of the Fourth Texas Legislature
Fourth Texas Legislature
The Fourth Texas Legislature met from 3 November 1851 to 7 February 1853 in its regular session and one called session. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1850.-Sessions:...
under the United States sitting from 1851 to 1853, he was able to convince his fellow legislators to establish reservations for Indians, and he then successfully sponsored a law that opened the way for establishing those Indian reservations. He became a presidential elector
United States Electoral College
The Electoral College consists of the electors appointed by each state who formally elect the President and Vice President of the United States. Since 1964, there have been 538 electors in each presidential election...
in 1852, and shortly following the election of Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
he was again appointed a federal Indian agent. In 1853 he was made Supervising Federal Agent for the Texas Indians. The following year in 1854 he joined Capt. Randolph B. Marcy
Randolph B. Marcy
Randolph Barnes Marcy was a career officer in the United States Army, achieving the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in 1881. Although beginning in 1861 his responsibilities were those of a brigadier general, the U.S...
and a unit of the United States Army to travel to Northwest Texas in search of recommended sites for Indian reservations. The Penateka Comanches were located on a reservation in what is now Throckmorton County, and the other Texas tribes, the Caddo
Caddo
The Caddo Nation is a confederacy of several Southeastern Native American tribes, who traditionally inhabited much of what is now East Texas, northern Louisiana and portions of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma. Today the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma is a cohesive tribe with its capital at Binger, Oklahoma...
, Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
, and Tonkawa
Tonkawa
The Tickanwa•tic Tribe , better known as the Tonkawa , are a Native American people indigenous to present-day Oklahoma and Texas. They once spoke the now-extinct Tonkawa language believed to have been a language isolate not related to any other indigenous tongues...
, at a second site now in Young County
Young County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,943 people, 7,167 households, and 5,081 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 8,504 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...
.
Death
It was during this period, when settlers began to attack the Indians, that Neighbors became hated among white Texans. Neighbors alleged that the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
officers located at the posts of Fort Belknap and Camp Cooper, near the reservations, failed to give adequate support to him and his resident agents, and adequate protection to the Indians. The military’s attitude was shared by the settlers, who believed the reservation Indians were committing continuing raids on white settlements. In spite of continuous threats against his life, Neighbors never faltered in his determination to protect the Indians.
With the aid of federal troops, who he finally shamed and politically forced to assist him, he managed to protect the Indians on the reservations. Convinced however that the Indians, especially the Comanche, due to the continuing raids of those bands still resisting white settlement of the Comancheria, would never be safe in Texas, he determined to move them to safety in the Indian territories. In August 1859 he succeeded in moving the Indians without loss of life to a new reservation in Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
. Forced to return to Texas on business, he stopped at the village near Fort Belknap. On September 14, 1859, while he was speaking with one settler, a man named Edward Cornett shot him in the back. Historians believe this assassination was a direct result of Neighbors' actions protecting the Comanche. He was buried in the civilian cemetery at Fort Belknap.
Personal life
Robert Simpson Neighbors was a Methodist, a Mason, and a leader in the temperance movementTemperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
. He had married Elizabeth Ann Mays in Seguin, Texas
Seguin, Texas
Seguin is a city in Guadalupe County, Texas, in the United States. It is part of the San Antonio-New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,011; the July 1, 2009 Census estimate, however, showed the population had increased to 26,842...
, on July 15, 1851, and their home was in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. Two sons survived childhood.