English Translation
Charles Stillman
Brownsville, March 8, 1859
Page 1
Mr. John J. Dougherty,
Dear Sir,
Your favor of the 24th ultimo came to hand yesterday, and the horse the day previous, both of them with sore backs, and one quite thin and fresh. I was sorry to receive a few sacks corn which I have ordered for my Bureau, and in a few days hope to give them some flesh. The sack he left at Matamoros, and the other you had instructed him to get on other terms. This I very much regret, and when I go to my ranch I will send one of my vaqueros for him, if he offers a chance of obtaining him previously; please inform Don Manuel Garza it is useless to confide to this man, makes no difference what objections they are under.
John Ross has been here for two or three days. I have not seen him, and should have declined to have purchased his hides or skins had he given me a chance; but it is not agreeable to know that he is making use of property I am interested in to test experiments. He is not one that merits such attention, and I was very glad to learn that he has left the ranch, and I trust never to return.
I was pleased to learn the safe arrival of your relatives; it must have been a great pleasure to you, and wish you full enjoyment thereof.
Page 2
I was some time at home. I had formed the idea that when Zack was claimed at the border, but upon being acquainted with the circumstances and my unsuccessful attempts in obtaining him through his isthmus route, and as I see these horses are his, I could not repugnance as no one objects to a friend for whom I acted.
I regret that Mr. Leach did not call and see you; he took the upper road to Reynosa. I deem it important for our interests that your business be acquainted; his pretensions for distribution of horses is equal to any one in the State.
The crowd is full of people from your city, and one business which is now to-day will probably bring Judge Ormsby here shortly.
I take 50 to 60 cows at 9½ for a pasture and milk; please endeavor to collect it for me.
I was at Santa Rosa a few days last week with my brother, very unwell, and I find the sickness also about increasing from news of New Orleans.
Hope that I shall hear from you often. I have had some little rain, but sufficient nowhere to fill the tanks.
Yours respectfully,
Charles Stillman
Traducción al español
Charles Stillman
Brownsville, 8 de marzo de 1859
Página 1
Sr. John J. Dougherty,
Estimado señor:
Su carta del día 24 del mes pasado llegó ayer a mis manos, y el caballo el día anterior; ambos con llagas en el lomo, y uno de ellos bastante flaco y recién llegado. Sentí recibir unos cuantos costales de maíz que había pedido para mi rancho, y en unos días espero poder darles algo de cuerpo. El costal que dejó en Matamoros, y el otro que usted le había indicado obtener en otros términos, lo lamento mucho; y cuando vaya a mi rancho enviaré a uno de mis vaqueros por él, si se presenta la oportunidad de obtenerlo antes. Por favor informe a don Manuel Garza que es inútil confiar en este hombre, no importa cuáles sean las objeciones que se le hagan.
John Ross ha estado aquí dos o tres días. No lo he visto, y de haber tenido oportunidad habría rehusado comprarle sus pieles; no es grato saber que está usando propiedades en las que tengo interés para hacer experimentos. No es una persona que merezca tal consideración, y me alegró mucho saber que ha dejado el rancho, y confío en que no vuelva.
Me dio gusto saber de la llegada segura de sus parientes; debió haber sido una gran satisfacción para usted, y le deseo que la disfrute plenamente.
Página 2
Estuve algún tiempo en casa. Había pensado que cuando Zack fue reclamado en la frontera, pero al conocer las circunstancias y mis intentos infructuosos por obtenerlo por la ruta del istmo, y al ver que estos caballos son de su propiedad, no pude oponerme, pues nadie se opone a un amigo por quien he actuado.
Lamento que el Sr. Leach no haya pasado a verlo; tomó el camino alto hacia Reynosa. Considero importante para nuestros intereses que se conozca su negocio; sus pretensiones en la distribución de caballos son comparables a las de cualquiera en el Estado.
La población está llena de gente proveniente de su ciudad, y un asunto que se trata hoy probablemente hará venir al juez Ormsby en breve.
Tomo de 50 a 60 vacas a 9½ para pastoreo y ordeña; le ruego procure cobrarlas por mí.
Estuve en Santa Rosa algunos días la semana pasada con mi hermano, quien se encontraba muy enfermo, y observo que la enfermedad también parece ir en aumento según las noticias de Nueva Orleans.
Espero tener noticias suyas con frecuencia. Hemos tenido algo de lluvia, pero en ninguna parte ha sido suficiente para llenar los estanques.
Suyo respetuosamente,
Charles Stillman
Brief Interpretation & Historical Context
This letter shows border life at its most practical and personal. Stillman is not writing as a distant capitalist but as a man managing animals, labor, trust, and illness in real time. Horses arrive injured, feed shipments are inadequate, and unreliable intermediaries cause immediate problems. Economic decisions are inseparable from human judgment.
Several themes stand out:
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Trust and Reputation
Stillman repeatedly warns against certain individuals (Ross, the unnamed handler) and explicitly instructs that they not be trusted. In this border economy, character mattered as much as capital. A single careless agent could damage animals, property, or relationships. -
Ranching as Business Infrastructure
Horses, cattle, pasture fees, and hides are not side concerns—they are the foundation of mobility, transport, and trade. This is the machinery that keeps commerce functioning between the interior, the river, and the ports. -
Mobility and Networks
References to Reynosa, Santa Rosa, New Orleans, and “people from your city” show a region in constant motion. South Texas is not isolated; it is connected by roads, animals, and news—especially news of disease, which influences movement and caution. -
Health and Vulnerability
Illness—both personal and regional—appears repeatedly. The mention of New Orleans underscores how epidemics traveled along the same routes as commerce, reminding us how fragile these systems were.
Overall, this correspondence reveals a working border society, governed less by grand ideology than by judgment, endurance, and adaptation. Stillman’s authority here is managerial, not imperial. He navigates uncertainty by balancing firmness with accommodation, always aware that the border’s greatest risks are not abstract—but immediate, human, and physical.
Index Tags for This Letter
Charles Stillman → Joseph McAllen
Brownsville, March 6, 1859
Primary Indexed Names
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Charles Stillman — author
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Joseph McAllen — recipient
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Garza — involved party in failed shipment and litigation
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Alfred McLane — referenced commercial actor
Institutions / Places
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Matamoros — customs authority, courts, import control
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United States courts — venue of appeal
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Port of Brownsville — inspection, duties, shipping point
Subjects / Themes
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Customs duties and inspection
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Anglo–Mexican commercial friction
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Litigation vs. accommodation
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Textiles, hardware, cotton goods
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Hides (cattle skins) and quality control
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River and coastal shipping (clippers)
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Seasonal trade planning
Brief Analysis: What This Letter Shows
This March 6, 1859 letter captures South Texas and the lower Rio Grande at a moment of commercial tension rather than conquest. Stillman is not expanding territory or asserting power; he is managing risk in a fragile cross-border trade system.
The immediate issue is a failed shipment involving Garza, which has escalated into litigation in U.S. courts. Rather than welcoming the dispute, Stillman treats it as costly and undesirable. His preference is clear: avoid lawsuits, maintain working arrangements with Matamoros customs officials, and keep goods moving. This reflects a border economy where legal victories mattered less than continued access to ports, inspectors, and local cooperation.
The letter also reveals Matamoros as a regulatory choke point, not a passive neighbor. Stillman notes active resistance by Matamoros interests to expanded import privileges, enforced through courts and administrative action. This challenges the idea of an unchecked American commercial advance; Mexican authorities and merchants are shown exercising real leverage.
McLane appears as a key intermediary, moving between places and markets, while Stillman remains fixed at the border, coordinating inspections, duties, and timing. The discussion of English textiles, cotton goods, and shipping vessels underscores how global this “local” trade already was—British manufactures, Gulf ports, New York capital, Mexican customs, and Texas merchants all intersect in a single transaction.
Even the section on cattle hides matters. It shows how material realities—damage from scraping, wind exposure, bundling methods—could determine profit or loss. This is commerce at ground level, shaped by climate, handling, and transport constraints rather than abstract speculation.
Taken together, the letter illustrates a border world defined by negotiation, caution, and interdependence. Power is not one-sided. Markets are not frictionless. Stillman’s authority comes less from dominance than from experience—knowing when to push, when to wait, and when to accept limits imposed by law, geography, and people on both sides of the river.
This is what economic life looked like in South Texas in 1859: practical, contingent, and deeply connected to forces far beyond the border itself.
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