In 1796, when Andrew Ellicott began his journey to the border of Spanish West Florida to survey the boundary between the United States Territory and that of the Spanish realm, he most likely never envisioned the cast of characters that assembled around over the next three years.

Ellicott eventually ran the boundary survey between the two countries, which carried him through the northern portion of Baldwin County. There is a historic marker standing within Stockton today that indicates the path followed by the venerable surveyor.

Within his own party of surveyors and through the acquaintances he met along his journey, Ellicott encountered a who’s who of frontier leaders and scoundrels that played an integral part in the development of the land of the Old Southwest.

One of these unique characters was Philip Nolan, who has been alternately described as a horse trader, frontiersman, and revolutionary (filibusterer) by different historians. He made his reputation on his exploits within the Spanish territory in North America as a filibusterer, which is a terminology primarily assigned Americans who sought to lead insurrections in the largely Spanish maintained world of North and Central America. And, in turn, they operated, for the most part, in the early 19^th century. Nolan became a part of the Ellicott expedition as it made its way south along the Mississippi River to Natchez.

A fictional character loosely based on Nolan and carrying the name of Nolan became the focus of author Edward Everett Hale’s short story, “The Man Without a Country.” In the story, the primary character, Philip Nolan, was sentenced to spend the remainder of his life at sea, never being allowed to see or speak of the United States again. His punishment came as a result of a co-conspiracy with Aaron Burr to create a new Empire at the expense of the United States and at the risk of creating hostilities with Spain.

In life, Nolan was no less dramatic, although his life took a different route than the fictional character.

He was born in Ireland, but immigrated to the United States at least by his 15^th birthday. In 1788, at the age of 17, he began working for James Wilkinson as his business secretary. Wilkinson, a unique figure in his own right, was, at different points in his life, the commander general of the United States Army, the first governor of the Louisiana Territory and a spy for the Spanish crown. By 1791, Nolan was able to leave Wilkinson’s employ and begin his own venture trading in Spanish West Florida.

Over the next four to five years, Nolan traded legally and illegally throughout the Spanish holdings in North America, sending most of his trade items, especially horses, to New Orleans and Natchez to sell.

He worked for a short time for the Ellicott survey team in 1796. A year later, Nolan purchased a large number of trade goods and headed to Texas to trade with the residents in what is now San Antonio, Texas. He subsequently made several trips to and from Texas to acquire horses and sell them in New Orleans and Natchez.

In the spring of 1801, Nolan left Natchez leading and expedition back into Texas with the goal of capturing wild mustangs to sell in Spanish West Florida. He led a group of around 30 men into Texas, where they were pursued by Spanish authorities who were unwilling to provide the group with trade passports into the heart of the Spanish dominion.

Nolan and his men were confronted by a Spanish force led by a Lieutenant Muzquiz near the Brazos River. Nolan was killed and his men surrendered, thus ending the adventures of the real Philip Nolan.