Early American settler in Texas.

Born in South Hadley, Massachusetts, 1798; son of Richard Montague; surveyor and civil engineer; moved to Louisiana, 1820; worked as surveyor till 1836; went to Texas to participate in Texas independence effort, arrived after battle of San Jacinto; moved to old Warren on Red River, 1836; established a general store, 1838; surveyor of Fannin land district, helped settlers organize and fight indians; in 1843 led the attack in the last indian fight in Grayson county; member of the `infamous' Snively Expedition, 1843; commanded a Texas company in Mexican War of 1846. President of the Court at the `infamous' Great Hanging at Gainesville in 1862, in which 42 members of the Peace Party were executed by a `citizens court' for treason to the Confederacy.

Montague County [1] [2] , Texas, is named after him.

He acquired considerable land. After the Civil War he lived on the Tuxpan River in Mexico for 11 years.

The Snively Expedition and the Battalion of Invincibles

The "infamous" Snively Expedition in 1843 was an expedition to the Santa Fe trail to capture Mexican wagons on land claimed by Texas; it was thwarted by the intervention of U.S. troops. The Snively expedition was essentially a privaterring raid that would have been recognizable to those at Bergen (such as Edward Montague (1635-1665)) or many an older raid; it resembled a Viking operation more then one would expect for something that took place near the time of the Civil War, not much over 150 years ago; it is an obscure but fascinating piece of history. The following excerpt is from an article by H. Bailey Carroll:

"Jacob Snively, on January 28, 1843, petitioned the government of the Republic for permission to organize and fit out an expedition for the purpose of intercepting and capturing the property of Mexican traders who might pass through Texas claimed territory... The expedition was not to be regarded as a government undertaking, although the spoils of the campaign, to be taken only in honorable warfare, were to be divided equally between the government and the members of the expedition.

... By April 24 about 150 men had assembled and ... the expedition, which the members designated as the Battalion of Invincibles, was organized into three companies... After late arrivals joined... a fourth company was organized... (and) a spy company consisting of ten men...

The force marched westward .... and on May 27 reached... the vicinity of present Edwards County, Kansas. ... the spy company immediately became active... Snively moved his force to the head of Crooked Creek. This position enabled the Texans to command the Cimarron branch of the Santa Fe Trail and at the same time to screen their own presence in the country. ... When the Texans struck the Santa Fe Trail... they encountered one hundred Mexican soldiers. In the ensuing engagement seventeen Mexicans were killed and eighty-two taken prisoner while no Texans were injured.

... inactivity and ... no prospect of encountering a caravan ...brought a feeling of general depression... the prisoners were released and the battalion dissolved.... into two groups, the "mountaineers" and the "home boys".

The mountaineers, with Snively in command, ... were discovered by United States Dragoons under Captain Philip St. George Cooke, who ... had been sent to protect a Mexican caravan. Cooke ... said that he believed the Texans were on United States territory... Cooke... crossed over the Arkansas, surrounded the Texan camp, and ordered Snively's men to stack arms. Cooke first turned the Texans loose with only ten muskets for 170 men, but... offered to escort all who wished ... to Missouri. About fifty men accepted... the others rejoined (the home boys)... less then seventy were still holding to the original purpose on July 13 when they discovered a large body ... under Governor Manuel Armijo escorting the caravan... they abandoned pursuit... on August 6 the Texan force was disbanded." Carrol

The Great Hangings at Gainesville, Texas

Not all Texas Counties had voted to join the Confederacy. Union sympathy was especially strong in North Texas. The following excerpt is from an article by Sam Acheson describing the Great Hangings at Gainesville:

"The Great Hangings at Gainesville in October, 1862, grew out of the discovery of an alleged Peace Party Conspiracy and prompt and vigorous moves by Confederate authorities to suppress it. ... District Number 1 ... comprised eighteen north ... Texas counties, eight of which had cast majorities against the Ordinance of Secession ... Pro-Unionist counties included Cooke, Grayson, Montague, Wise, Jack, Collin, Fannin, and Lamar. ...

... Through the ... mail carrier ... the military authorities penetrated a secret organization said to number several hundred men. Early on the morning of October 1, 1862, armed forces carried out raids... and took sixty to seventy men into custody...

... Colonel ... Young ... presided over a mass meeting. He named a committee of five, which recommended the names of twelve citizens... to constitute a "citizens court". ... the jury elected Daniel Montague, long-time county surveyor and official... as president of the court....

... the "citizens court" tried and found guilty thirty-nine of those charged with "conspiracy and insurrection", "disloyalty and treason", or a combination... The court sentenced them to be hanged, and the sentences were carried out... Three other prisoners, who were members of Confederate military units were permitted trial by court martial ... and were subsequently hanged..." Acheson

Sources:
The Handbook of Texas.

http://www.montaguemillennium.com/familyresearch/h_1876_daniel.htm