Treue der Union by: Matt Whelan
German Teacher: Ms. Sarah Smith
James E. Taylor High School
Katy, Texas
In the tiny Texas town of Comfort stands the Treue der Union monument. This monument marks the burial ground for the 35 German Texan Union loyalists killed by Confederate forces during the Civil War. The Treue der Union monument may be the most interesting piece of German history in Texas. As Frank Kiel (292) points out in his article debunking several inflated claims about the monument, it is still “distinctive for several reasons: it is a Union monument in the South over buried remains, a monument with German language inscriptions and one of the few places in Texas to fly a period flag. It flies the U.S. flag permanently at half-staff. …show more content…
These immigrant intellectuals brought with them a liberal attitude and a staunch abolitionist point of view. As the Civil War began, many of these German intellectuals and farmers opposed secession from the union. In the summer of 1862, they planned to travel to Mexico in order to avoid conscription into the Confederate army. A group of 94 Confederate soldiers led by lieutenant McRae followed after them. They approached the Germans in the night and massacred them with little resistance. While the Confederates only lost two men, 27 of the 65 Unionists were killed at the battle (Fehrenbach 364). Then, two months later, eight of the escapees were captured and executed at the Mexican border, bringing the total number of deaths to 35. This battle is referred to as the Battle of the Nueces or the Nueces Massacre. Some of the survivors went back to their homes in the hill country and joined a militia that protected from Confederate attacks and raids from the natives. Eventually, a majority of the survivors joined Unionists in New Orleans (“Battle”).
Following the war, a group of men traveled back to the site of the battle. They recovered the bones and buried the victims in 1865 in Comfort, Texas. Then, in 1866, they built the Treue der Union monument at this same site, which also can be considered a cemetery. The monument was dedicated to the German patriots on August 10, 1866. In the years following, ceremonies of tribute were performed annually in honor of the fallen (Kiel
German Teacher: Ms. Sarah Smith
James E. Taylor High School
Katy, Texas
In the tiny Texas town of Comfort stands the Treue der Union monument. This monument marks the burial ground for the 35 German Texan Union loyalists killed by Confederate forces during the Civil War. The Treue der Union monument may be the most interesting piece of German history in Texas. As Frank Kiel (292) points out in his article debunking several inflated claims about the monument, it is still “distinctive for several reasons: it is a Union monument in the South over buried remains, a monument with German language inscriptions and one of the few places in Texas to fly a period flag. It flies the U.S. flag permanently at half-staff. …show more content…
These immigrant intellectuals brought with them a liberal attitude and a staunch abolitionist point of view. As the Civil War began, many of these German intellectuals and farmers opposed secession from the union. In the summer of 1862, they planned to travel to Mexico in order to avoid conscription into the Confederate army. A group of 94 Confederate soldiers led by lieutenant McRae followed after them. They approached the Germans in the night and massacred them with little resistance. While the Confederates only lost two men, 27 of the 65 Unionists were killed at the battle (Fehrenbach 364). Then, two months later, eight of the escapees were captured and executed at the Mexican border, bringing the total number of deaths to 35. This battle is referred to as the Battle of the Nueces or the Nueces Massacre. Some of the survivors went back to their homes in the hill country and joined a militia that protected from Confederate attacks and raids from the natives. Eventually, a majority of the survivors joined Unionists in New Orleans (“Battle”).
Following the war, a group of men traveled back to the site of the battle. They recovered the bones and buried the victims in 1865 in Comfort, Texas. Then, in 1866, they built the Treue der Union monument at this same site, which also can be considered a cemetery. The monument was dedicated to the German patriots on August 10, 1866. In the years following, ceremonies of tribute were performed annually in honor of the fallen (Kiel