Randall, A. F.
Name Entries
person
Randall, A. F.
Name Components
Name :
Randall, A. F.
Genders
Exist Dates
Biographical History
During the Civil War, the citizens of Brownsville, Texas, relied upon the smuggling trade to import goods into the region. Since most of the southern ports had been closed due to the blockade, many goods came though Matamoras, Mexico. After the Battle of Palmito Ranch on May 13, 1865, Brownsville was occupied by the Union army, and much of the smuggling halted. In 1867, Hugh McCulloch, U.S. Secretary of Treasury, suspected that some merchants were still smuggling merchandise from Mexico. He instructed A. F. Randall, a special treasury agent, to investigate several merchants, including Richard L. Robertson, a deceased collector of customs, and Henry M. Field, acting special deputy collector in charge of the customs house in Brownsville. The latter were accused of charging the government sums of money and furnishing fraudulent vouchers. McCulloch directed him to inspect ports along the Rio Grande River from Brownsville to Nuevo Laredo, among other directions. Randall confirmed McCulloch’s suspicions and ensured the merchants repaid the U.S. Treasury.
Sources:
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. Brownsville, Texas, http://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/hdb4.html (accessed October 15, 2010).
eng
Latn
External Related CPF
Other Entity IDs (Same As)
Sources
Loading ...
Resource Relations
Loading ...
Internal CPF Relations
Loading ...
Languages Used
Subjects
Commerce
Smuggling
Nationalities
Activities
Occupations
Legal Statuses
Places
Brownsville (Tex.)
AssociatedPlace