Don Jose Bernardo Maxmilliano Gutierrez de Lardo, often called Bernardo, was a merchant and blacksmith at Revilla, a village near the junction of the Rio Salado and the Rio Grande. He was a follower of Padres Miguel Hidalgo y Castillo and Jose Maria Morelos, who were encouraging a revolt among the Indian and Indian halfbreeds called _mestizos_.
Gutierrez with Captain Jose Manchaca, a Texas rebel and a deserter from the Royalist Army of Mexico, and ten others left Revilla with thirty thousand dollars in Mexican silver. Their objective was to reach Natchitoches, a border town on the Neutral Strip. The money was for organizing a filibuster campaign into Texas. They were pursued by the Royalists and were caught up with near the village of Bayou Pierre (a village at that time located on a road between the present-day Pleasant Hill and Lake End on Red River). Gutierrez and Manchaca escaped but lost the silver, finding refuge at a small trading post at Campti, Louisiana. When they arrived in Natchitoches and began recruiting men for the filibustering campaign they found many ready and willing to participate. The merchants, sensing enormous profits, offered every assistance.
Captain Manchaca went immediately into the Neutral Strip to solicit recruits among the bandits, or anyone else who desired to join the filibusterers.
Gutierrez wrote a letter to James Monroe, Secretary of State in Washington, explaining that although Texas was not yet a Republic the people of that area had all the necessary qualifications for becoming a nation, that it would be to the advantage of the United States and the people of the future Republic of Texas for them to seek assistance where they could find it. It would, therefore, be advantageous to the United States, should their undertaking be successful in overthrowing the yoke of the Mexican Government, and Texas become a Republic.
Gutierrez secured letters of recommendation and two hundred dollars from Dr. John Sibley and departed immediately for Washington where he met with officials and made requests for men, money, munitions and other supplies necessary for the filibustering campaign. Gutierrez brought out the importance to the United States of the Texas commerce. The proposal was dropped by the officials when Gutierrez insisted that he be in command of the expedition. However, Monroe did see the advantage of the United States having a Republic to the west to help guard the border, as at that time the United States was having difficulties with Spain and England, and because of the Florida question. Therefore the Secretary of State did offer encouragement to Gutierrez.