While working on an essay about LSU Press, I came across a title I wanted to buy for my library. I searched for months—nothing. I finally made a two-hour roundtrip to a university library that lends books to locals. That’s where I found Harris Gaylord Warren’s The Sword Was Their Passport.
Published in 1943 by Louisiana State University Press, Warren’s The Sword Was Their Passport digs deep into the chaotic world of American filibustering in Spanish Texas from 1812 to 1821. Drawing from several archives, Warren unearths a mix of motives and players—Mexican patriots, French pirates, Spanish adventurers, and land-hungry Americans. These men walked a thin line between ideals and ambition, their ventures set against the twilight of Spain’s rule and the dawn of American expansion.
Critics called the writing plain, the footnotes heavy, but the work remains vital. It captures a time when borders blurred and men reached for what was not theirs to take.
This rare, previously undigitized book, is yours to read—no swords needed.
