USA > Texas > History of the German element in Texas from 1820-1850, and historical sketches of the German Texas singers' league and Houston turnverein from 1853-1913, 1st ed > Part 3
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German Element in Texas
passengers the opinion prevailed that the Sabine was wrecked purposely, in order to get the amount for which she was insured. The wrecked boat was sold at public auction in Brazoria and was bought by a man who had come a few days afterward in the steamer Ocean from New Orleans for $30. It is impossible for me to name with cer- tainty the exact point of the island at which we stranded, but I think it was not far from the center of the island, about 10 miles from the present site of the city of Gal- veston.
"The island was a perfect wilderness inhabited only by deer, wolves and rattlesnakes. (Kleberg doesn't mention the Indians of which Mrs. Ernst spoke in her interview.) All the passengers were safely brought to shore and were provided with provisions, partly from those on board ship and partly by the game on the island.
"Two or three days after our vessel was beached, the steamer Occan hove in sight, and observing our distress signal, anchored opposite our camp and sent a boat ashore with an officer to find out the situation. The captain agreed to take a few of us to Brazoria, charging a doubloon ($20) each. I, with Rudolph von Roeder, took passage on it as an agent of the remaining passengers to charter a boat, to take them and their belongings to the main land. Finding no boat at either Brazoria or Bells Landing, the only Texas ports at that time, I proceeded on foot to San Felipe, where I was told I would find a small steamer, the Cuyuga, Captain W. Harris. I found the steamer, but did not succeed in chartering her, the price of $1000 asked being too high.
"In San Felipe I heard for the first time of the where- abouts of my relatives who had preceded us. Here I also made the acquaintance of Colonel Johnson and Captain Moseley Baker, under whose command I afterward fought at the battle of San Jacinto. These gentlemen informed me that my two friends, Louis and Albert von Roeder, had
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located about 14 miles from San Felipe on a league of land, the present Cat Spring, but that Joachim and Valeska von Roeder had died. I found Louis and Albert in a miserable hut and in a pitiful condition. They were emaciated by disease and want of proper treatment and nourishment. Tears of joy streamed from their eyes when they beheld me and my companion. After a few days of rest I con- tinued my search for a boat. I had a letter of introduction to Stephen F. Austin and Sam Williams from a New Orleans merchant, but both gentlemen were absent from Harrisburg, when I reached there. Fortunately, I suc- ceeded in chartering a small vessel from Mr. Scott, the father of Mrs. Williams, for three trips to Galveston, for $100, and immediately returned to Galveston, landing on the bay side, opposite the camp of the stranded passengers, just four weeks after I had left it. I found all the pas- sengers in good health and spirits. They had spent most of their time in hunting and fishing. Those who could not shoot were employed to drive the deer to the hunters. There were deer by the thousands.
"The next day I left with the first cargo of passengers, including my wife, her parents and Caroline von Roeder. After a stormy trip we arrived in the evening of the same day at Mr. Scott's place, where we were hospitably treated. I was fortunate to find quite a comfortable house in Harris- burg, which I rented, as we intended to remain there until all passengers had arrived from the island.
"The last passengers did not come until the fall of 1835, although I had hired another small sloop from Cap- tain Smith in Velasco, that also made three trips. The win- ter of 1835 was unusually severe."
Thus ended the lengthy and eventful voyage of some of the earliest German pioneers from the Fatherland to Texas. While only the main incidents are related, they are suf- ficient to show the difficulties and privations to which Texas emigrants in those early days were subjected. But
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their troubles were by no means ended. From Harrisburg they had to travel in ox-carts for more than 50 miles over almost impassable roads before they reached their point of destination in Austin County. Then their first task was to erect some houses, but, as Mr. Kleberg writes, "not being accustomed to manual labor, we proceeded very slowly." Fortunately for these settlers the Indian tribe living in their neighborhood, the Kickapoos, were friendly, and of great help to them. They furnished them with game of all kinds and the squaws would hunt and bring into their camp the horses and oxen that had strayed.
Kleberg continues in his notes: "We had supplied our- selves with everything necessary to commence a settlement in a new country. We had wagons, farming implements, all sorts of tools, household and kitchen furniture, and clothing which we had brought with us from Germany. Early in summer, 1835, we had finished building two log houses, one of them had even a floor and a ceiling, having sawed by hand the planks from post oak trees.
"We had also enclosed and planted a field of ten acres in corn and cotton and we now moved the members of our family who had remained in Harrisburg to our settlement. Such of our goods for which we had no room or immediate use, we left at the house we had rented at Harrisburg. Among the objects we left was a fine piano, belonging to my wife, many valuable oil paintings, music, books, etc., all of which fell a prey to the flames, which consumed Har- risburg during the war that followed in the following spring."
This was the beginning of the present town of Cat Spring, Austin County, which up to date has preserved a thoroughly German character. Industry and Cat Spring, Austin County, and Biegel's settlement in Fayette County, founded 1835, were the first pure German settlements in Texas. Baron Bastrop's colony in Bastrop County was es- tablished some years previous to these settlements, but most
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of the colonists there were Americans from the States, only interspersed with some Germans from Oldenburg.
Of the pioneer German settlers in Texas, Robert Kle- berg was by far the most prominent and influential. Men- tion of his eventful career and long and useful life will be made in succeeding chapters. The principles which found expression in his whole life, rested upon a broad and comprehensive philosophy of which absolute honesty and righteousness were a controlling element, and when the shadows of death gathered around him, he met the supreme moment with a mind serene and in peaceful composure.
CHAPTER VI. Causes of the Texas Revolution.
Anastasia Bustamente, a bigoted, unprincipled military chieftain, had deposed President Guerrero of Mexico in 1829, and had assumed the Presidency. Being a devout Catholic, he wished to exclude further immigration of Protestants from the United States into Texas. There- fore, on April 1, 1831, he issued a decree, the eleventh article of which prohibited further immigration of Amer- icans into Texas. The colonization law of 1824 was re- pealed and another, based on Bustamente's decree, was passed by the Mexican Congress.
In 1831 Mexican custom houses were established at Nacogdoches, San Antonio, Copano, Velasco and Anahuac. By decree of April 7, 1832, foreigners (meaning Amer- icans) were forbidden to carry on retail trade in the coun- try. To overawe the colonists, a considerable body of Mex- ican troops was sent into Texas. Colonel Piedras, the ranking officer, had 320 men at Nacogdoches; Colonel Bradburn, 150 at Anahuac; Colonel Ugartechea, 120 at Velasco. Colonel Bean had a small force at Fort Teran, on the Netches, and there were also companies at Tenoxti- clan, Goliad and San Antonio. By a military order all ports of Texas, except Anahuac, at the head of Galveston Bay, were closed. The Mexicans soon became very arro- gant and annoyed the Texans in every way possible. The commanders shielded their soldiers from punishment, even after their misdemeanors had been clearly proven. They received runaway slaves in their forts and refused to give them up, under the plea that they had already enlisted in the Mexican Army. In the spring of 1832, Bradburn ar- rested and imprisoned in his fort, without authority of law. a number of the most prominent American citizens for
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.
whom he had conceived a dislike. Among these prisoners were William B. Travis, Patrick C. Jack and Samuel T. Allen, who in vain demanded to be informed of the charges against them, and to be tried by civil authorities.
When the Texans heard of this arbitrary act of military despotism, they became furious. Meetings were held and measures devised to effect the release of the prisoners in the stockade. A company was organized under the com- mand of F. W. Johnson, and the immediate and uncondi- tional release of the prisoners was demanded. This com- pany marched against Anahuac, when Bradburn refused to accede to the demand, but at that time Colonel Piedras arrived from Nacogdoches and as soon as he had ascer- tained the true state of affairs, released the prisoners.
At this juncture, a new revolution in Mexico put Santa Anna in power. He proclaimed anew the constitution of 1824, but the people of Texas were then clamoring for a constitution of their own, and wished Texas to be separ- ated from Coahuila, of which State it was then a part, and have Texas proclaimed a sovereign State. An election was held in the different municipalities in March, 1833, and in April a convention met in San Felipe. A constitution which was drafted by Sam Houston was adopted and submitted to the national authorities for approval. Judge Burnet drew up an able memorial, showing the disadvantages un- der which Texas labored, and the necessity for a separate State Government, and Stephen F. Austin carried the doc- uments to the City of Mexico. There the political situation had again changed with lightning rapidity. Santa Anna had abandoned the liberal party and was making strides to- ward an absolute dictatorship. The constitution of 1824 had again been swept away and the mass of the people dis- armed. On the 11th of May, 1835, Santa Anna won a com- plete victory near the City of Mexico over the last Repub- lican leader, Governor Garcia of Zacatecas. The Republic had disappeared and was replaced by a military dictator-
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ship. In October, 1835, Santa Anna issued a decree sus- pending the functions of all State Legislatures, and cen- tralizing all power in the supreme government at the cap- ital; the end of all State Government was at hand.
At this period, Austin, who had been kept in confinement in Mexico for two years, returned to Texas. The people were anxious for his advice. To secure concerted action, he advised the assembling of delegates from all municipali- tics for a general consultation. This meeting, after two adjournments, finally took place at San Felipe on Novem- ber 3, 1835. After much discussion a declaration for a pro- visional State Government under the Mexican confederacy was adopted on November 7. Many Texans then believed that there existed in Mexico a strong Federal Liberal party, and the declaration was so framed as to invite a co-opera- tion with them in restoring the constitutional government of 1824. But Santa Anna ruled in Mexico with an iron hand and was resolved to punish the Texans for their in- solence. By the middle of February, 1836, he was ready to invade Texas in three divisions. The momentous strug- gle for the independence of Texas began, a struggle during which untold barbarities were committed by the invading Mexican armies and during which the young German set- tlements on the Colorado River and Mill Creek suffered terribly. Santa Anna seemed determined to destroy all for- eign civilization by burning and pillaging all farms through which he came with his troops, but the imminent danger of utter ruin tended greatly to unite the different factions in Texas into a harmonious body for the defense of their adopted country, in which Americans and Germans equally shared.
CHAPTER VII. The War for Independence.
During the five years from 1831-1836 quite a number of Germans had come to Texas, most of them bringing their families with them. When the conflict with Mexico was inevitable and the call for volunteers was issued by Presi- dent Burnet of the Provisional Government, the German settlers, true to their democratic character and love of lib- erty, responded readily. Many had been the privations and severe the task which these early settlers had already un- dergone, but their trials were far from being ended. The furies of war threatened to devastate their settlements, erected with tender care only a few years before.
After the fall of the Alamo (March 6, 1836) and the sub- sequent massacre at Goliad (March 27) it was evident that the colonists could expect but scant consideration from Santa Anna and his minions. Two courses were left to them, viz .: Either to abandon their new homes and flee with their families to the United States, or fight for their freedom. Many of the Texas settlers chose the former course. To quote the historian: "The general dismay in- duced many brave men, impelled irresistibly by natural im- pulses, to go to their abandoned wives and children to ten- der them protection. The flight of the wise and worthy men of the country from danger tended to frighten the old. young and helpless, furnished excuses to the timid and sanctioned the course of the cowardly."
Under the direction of Robert Kleberg, the German set- tlers of Industry and Cat Spring held-a meeting to decide whether to fight for Texas independence or to cross her borders into the United States, to seek shelter under the protecting aegis of the American eagle. This council of war was held under the sturdy oaks on the newly acquired
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possessions. It was a supreme moment in the lives of those who participated. They found themselves in the midst of a terrible panic, and they were now called to de- cide between love of country and love of self, and it may well be presumed that the debates in this little convention were of a stormy nature. It was principally through the eloquence of the venerable lieutenant, Von Roeder, and Robert Kleberg that the decision was finally reached that the men would remain to share the fate of the heroic few who had rallied under Sam Houston to fight for the inde- pendence of Texas against Mexican despotism, while their families should be sent to places of safety. It was a pathetic scene, when these brave men bade good-bye to their wives, who, mounted on Texas ponies, started eastward, driving their cattle and horses before them over the wide prairies, to cross the border of Texas into Louisiana.
The muster rolls of the participants in the war for the independence of Texas in the State archives at Austin con- tain the following German names: Carl Amsler, Louis Amelung, Jacon Albrecht, William Ahlert, Joseph Biegel, Joh. Burgiesky, Joh. Baumbacher, Thomas Bertram, W. M. Burch, Franz Dietrich, M. Dombriski, Georg Erath, F. G. Elm, Herman Ehrenberg, Conrad Eigenauer, Bernard Eilers, Fritz Ernst, Albert Emanuel, Joseph Ellinger, Carl Fordtran, Carl Felder, Abraham Formann, Peter Fullen- weider, Wilhelm Frels, Wilhelm Friedlander, F. W. Grass- meyer, Jacob Geiger, F. Griebenrath, C. Giesecke, J. Herz, Christian Hildebrandt, Moritz Heinrich, G. Herder, Joh. Hollien, Joh. Heunecke, Ed Harkort, J. A. Heiser, F. Heuse- mann, H. Halt, C. Hammacher, F. Hellmueller, Conrad Jurgens, Thomas Kemp, Louis Kleberg, Robert Kleberg, A. Kinschel, L. Krup, J. Kolmann, Joh. Kopf. L. D. Kess- ler, F. Keller, L. Kranz, A. Lehmkuhl, G. Luckenhoger, C. Luenenburg, William Langenheim, Charles Lantz, G. Luck, F. Lundt, F. Luders, William Mayer, Peter Mattern, C. Messler, J. Miller, F. Niebling, J. Oberlander, J. Peske, P.
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Pieper, W. Preusch, J. Reinhardt, E. Pucholaski, A. C. Redlich, John Reese, G. W. Ricks, Louis v. Roeder, Otto v. Roeder, Rud v. Roeder, Joachim v. Roeder, William v. Roeder, L. Schulz, H. Schultz, J. Schur, A. Stern, A. Stolke, F. Schrack, C. Schultz, F. Schroeder, B. Strunck, G. Sulls- bach, H. Thuerwachter, C. Tapps, J. Volkmar, Sam Wolf- enberger, William Wagner, Henry Wilke, Phil Weppler, J. Wilhelm, R. Wilhelm, A. Winter, L. v. Zacharias, J. Ze- kainski, William Zuber.
Most of these brave defenders of Texas fought under Sam Houston, while the following were members of Colonel Fannin's gallant command, that was murdered at Goliad, viz :
In Captain Duval's company, First Regiment Texas Vol- unteers, William Mayer, J. Volkmar; in Captain Pettus' company, San Antonio Grays, William Preusch, John Reese; in Captain Bullock's company, First Regiment Texas Volunteers, H. Schultz; in Captain Ticknor's com- pany, First Regiment Texas Volunteers, Charles Lantz ; in Captain Wyatt's company, Huntsville Volunteers, M. Dombrinski, J. H. Fisher, F. Peterswich ; in Captain Burke's company, New Orleans Grays, Jacob Kolmann, Peter Mat- tern, Hermann Ehrenberg, Conrad Eigenauer, G. Kurt- mann, Joseph Spohn, Thomas Kemp; in Captain Shackle- ford's company, Red Rovers, A. Winter, Robert Finner, J. Heiser, J. Miller, B. Strunck.
Of the 365 men of Fannin's command, only 27 escaped the brutal and unprovoked, cold-blooded murder. Some were saved before the execution by the Mexican Colonel Garay, some were employed as nurses at the hospital, while some escaped by feigning death after the first fusillade. Among the latter was Hermann Ehrenberg of the New Or- leans Grays, who a few years after this horrible drama, published his experience in book form, "Texas und seine Revolution" (Texas and Its Revolution) Leipzig, 1843, which contains a graphic description of the surrender of
,
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Fannin to a superior Mexican force, of the seven days' im- prisonment of the Texans in the fort at Goliad and their uncalled-for massacre on Palm Sunday. We quote the following: "On the fifth day of our imprisonment all the German captives were called out by Colonel Holzinger of the Mexican artillery, who asked them to enter the Mex- ican service as artillerymen, but his proposition was dis- dainfully rejected by all of us. What a shameful sugges- tion! We should assist to destroy a young Nation fight- ing for her rights, for her freedom of humanity! 'No,' answered Mattern, our spokesman, 'if you left us the choice between a high office in Mexico or a life of hardship in your mines among your criminals, we should select the lat- ter, before raising one arm in a service for suppression of liberty. No, Colonel, we thank you, but our views differ widely. Our minds are going forward with the times, yours and that of the Mexican Government are marching in the opposite direction. But it is useless, your time is gone, the people know that it is they who have the authority to make laws for their governments.'
"The eighth day of our imprisonment began. A courier from Santa Anna had arrived during the night, bringing, without doubt, the decision of our fate. We were anxiously awaiting the news, to be brought at once to Matamoras or Copano, according to the stipulations of the surrender, to greet again the blue waves of the Gulf of Mexico, to cross its placid waters, and finally to ascend the mighty Missis- sippi to that city which we had left seven months ago. We would be free.
"To our surprise we noticed that during the night the cannon at the gates had been turned toward our camp in the fort and loaded, for the artillerymen stood beside them with lighted fuse, ready to fire. It was S o'clock when an officer stepped toward us reading from Santa Anna's or- der that we should march off immediately. Whither, was not stated and left to our imagination. In a few minutes
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we were ready, and, after roll call, we marched in double file through the gloomy gates of the fort, as we believed, to our expected freedom. Outside the gates we were sur- rounded by Mexican infantry on both sides and silently marched on. But the road we were taking did not lead to either Copano or Matamoras, but to Victoria. Turning around, I noticed to my intense surprise that only a part of us were marching with our column, while the others were taking an opposite direction. We had been separated. What was the purpose of this action? To what place were we marching? After a silent march of a quarter of an hour we turned to the right toward the San Antonio River, and when we reached a mesquite fence running along the beau- tiful stream, the guard line on our right side fell back and took position behind the one on our left side. Then the un- expected command, 'Halt!' that sounded to us like a death knell, for at that very moment we heard from afar the rumbling sound of a volley of musketry and we instantly thought of our comrades who had been led in that direc- tion. Astonished and frightened, we looked at cach other and at the Mexicans, when the second command, 'kneel down,' completely terrified us and at the same instant the Mexican rifles were pointed at our breasts. A second vol- ley from another direction than the first sounded in our ears, then we heard the command, 'fire!' and then-all was still. A thick powder smoke rolled slowly towards the San Antonio River. The blood of my lieutenant was spattered on my clothing, and around me my friends were writhing in agony ; beside me lay Kurtmann and Mattern, breathing their last, but I was not wounded. Hastily I rose and, protected by the dense smoke, I rushed toward the river. Pursued by some Mexicans, I dived in the clear waters, shouting, 'The Republic of Texas forever,' and succeeded in reaching the opposite bank, although the Mexicans sent several bullets after me that fortunately missed their mark. After a last look backward, and a parting greeting to my
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murdered comrades and friends, I hurried through the prai- rie to a nearby wood, where I was comparatively safe from further pursuit. By a miracle I had been saved from an ignominious death, and now, being under shelter, I fell down to the ground trembling and exhausted."
Ehrenberg, William Langenheim and Joseph Spohn, who had been detailed to hospital service, were the only Ger- mans who escaped the ruthless massacre of Goliad. This cruel and wholesale murder is perhaps the darkest blot of modern history, exposing beyond a shadow of doubt the blood-thirsty and treacherous Mexican character that this decadent Latin race is still possessed of today, despite the civilization of the Twentieth Century.
A history of the early German settlers in Texas would be incomplete without mentioning Squire Adolf Stern, the German justice of Nacogdoches. Stern was commissioned by the Provisional Government of Texas in the fall of 1835 to go to New Orleans in order to appeal for assistance in the coming struggle with Mexico. He very ably fulfilled his mission. He succeeded not only in raising $10,000 from the people of the Crescent City, but also organized three companies of volunteers, the New Orleans Grays, the Mo- bile Greys and the Tampico Greys, a most valuable addi- tion to the limited fighting force of the Texans. The first of these companies left New Orleans for Texas on October 12, 1835, the second following on the next day. There were seven Germans in these two companies. The Tampico Greys, as their name indicates, went directly to Mexico for an attack of Tampico.
CHAPTER VIII. The Battle of San Jacinto.
While this book is not a history of Texas and some may believe that special mention of the Battle of San Jacinto be unnecessary, the author is of the opinion that a short de- scription of this momentous affair, in which quite a num- ber of Germans were active participants, will not be amiss.
General Sam Houston, commander in chief of the "Army of Freedom," had slowly retreated before the superior forces of Santa Anna from Gonzales to the mouth of the San Jacinto River, picking up during his retreat all the settlers who wished to join in the defence of Texas liberty. He was closely followed by Santa Anna. On the memora- ble morning of April 21, he had under his command 783 men, while Santa Anna's force numbered about 1600. About 12 o'clock a. m. a council of officers met in the Texas camp, after which Sam Houston issued the following order to the little band under his command: "Today we are ready to meet Santa Anna. It is the only chance of saving Texas. From time to time I have looked for reinforcements. We will have only 700 men to attack with, besides the camp guard. We go to conquer. It is wisdom growing out of necessity to meet the enemy now. Every consideration en- forces it. No previous occasion would justify it. The troops are in the spirit now. It is time for action.
"Sam Houston, Commander in Chief."
With these brave and courageous words still ringing in their ears the heroic little band of Texans was ready for the assault. At the sound of the bugle, about 4 o'clock, the whole Texas line shouted the battle cry, "Remember the Alamo!" "Remember Goliad!" and rushed impetuously upon the foe. The Mexicans at that late hour were not expecting an attack. Many of them were taking their even-
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