A Guide to the William W.S. Bliss Letter

Scope and Contents

Two-page letter from Assistant Adjutant General William W.S. Bliss to Colonel W.S. Harney, commanding at Bexar, relating the command of General Zachary Taylor that Harney move his troops out of Bexar in anticipation of increased Indian hostilities. Bliss served as chief of staff to General Taylor during the Mexican War. Taylor's orders reflect a reluctance to engage in conflict with the Indians, particularly the Comanches: "...the General would deem it a great misfortune to embroil our government with any Indian tribe, without the most imperative necessity, resulting from our obligation to defend the settlement of Texas...."

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

William W.S. Bliss Letter, 1845, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Detailed Description of the Collection