Historical News from 1862

by Mario Marcel Salas

The information below is from a leaflet that German Americans in San Antonio passed out in the streets of San Antonio after they found out about the Germans being killed at the Nueces River during the Civil War. Many Texas Germans were anti-slavery and opposed to Texas secession. The wounded in the battle on the Nueces were also murdered by gun shot or trampled by horses. The books where you might find this information is in "Rip Ford’s Texas" and "Death on the Nueces" by Underwood. Rip Ford was a Confederate that killed Germans as well. He is buried in the Confederate Cemetery on the Eastside of San Antonio. The Menger in the leaflet probably refers to the owner (relative) of the Menger Hotel in San Antonio who was considered a "traitor" to German settlers. The Maverick is Samuel Maverick from the famous liberal Maverick family. This Maverick was reportedly a member and founder of a KKK type group and of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a group that advocated a slave empire in Texas, Mexico, and South America. In any event, he was a pro-slavery Confederate who hunted down and killed those who refused to support the Confederate slavers.

After the Germans were massacred at the Nueces River, San Antonio Germans issued the following call in the streets of downtown singing "John Brown’s Body" and "We’ll Hang Jeff Davis from a Sour Apple Tree." Confederate troops captured some and hanged them, and "Violence prevailed in the Alamo City and in other German communities until the end of the war." Germans from hotel rooftops shot at Confederates day and night. (From The Fremantle Diary, US War Department, 1862).

NEWS

German brothers, are your eyes not opened yet? After the rich took every picayune away from you, and the paper is worth only one-half what you so hard earned now that you have nothing left, now they go about and sell you, or throw you out of employment for Dunhauer, who left his wife and children, wants to do the same with you to the poor you might leave. Now is the time to stay the heads of Dunhauer, Maverick, Mitchel, and Menger to the last bone . . . Do away with that nuisance, and inform everybody the revolution is broke out. It is a shame Texas has such a brand. Hang them by their feet and burn them from below.