First Lieutenant William Logan Crittenden

Fifth Infantry

Goat of the Class of 1845

William Logan Crittenden, the Goat of the Class of 1845, had fought well in Mexico, but had not received a brevet or attained the recognition he felt he deserved. One of his classmates and fellow officers said he was “a brave, fearless officer – I may say a somewhat reckless fellow.” Lucy Holcombe, a renowned Texas belle and Crittenden’s fiancée, gave a more sympathetic description:

[He] must have been in early youth very beautiful; for the free careless grace of childhood still lingered on the bold brow of the man, though passion had pressed its pallor on his cheek. The lines around the mouth denoted thought, even care; and the smile of the lip, though sweet, was uncertain. It was a frank and generous face... [with] large fearless eyes, with their half tender, half defiant charm.

Seeing no future as a career officer in peacetime, Crittenden resigned his commission in March 1849 to seek more profitable opportunities as a mercenary. He was certainly well qualified, being young, ambitious, West Point trained and experienced in war. The years after the Mexican War were a time of ferment in Latin America, hence a time of opportunity for men with military experience and a sense of adventure. To some young men the war was an inspiration – if a relatively small army of Americans could humble mighty Mexico, what might others do in the less powerful, less stable countries to the south? He and other mercenaries were called Filibusters, a term originally used to refer to Caribbean pirates.

Crittenden joined a group seeking to liberate Cuba from Spanish rule, led by a tall, white-haired, distinguished looking Spaniard, General Narciso Lopez. Their 1851 expedition led to one of the most notorious international incidents in 19th Century American history.

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