| Stanley S. McGowen, "Battle or Massacre?: The | | | | situation, and martial law was declared in |
| Incident on the Nueces, April 10, 1862," | | | | Gillespie County. After learning of plots to |
| Southwestern Historical Quarterly, vol. CIV, | | | | attack the Confederate troops, Captain James |
| no. 1 (2000), 64-86.This article examines the | | | | Duff arrested several local citizens and |
| events that led to the confrontation between | | | | executed two German immigrants that he |
| German unionists and Confederate soldiers on | | | | considered to be troublemakers. These |
| the banks of the Nueces River. Stanley | | | | incidents caused many German unionists to |
| McGowen presents evidence that the German | | | | decide to flee to Mexico.Informants told Duff |
| settlers were heavily armed and, therefore, | | | | of this exodus, and he sent ninety-six |
| not massacred as some later generations have | | | | soldiers in pursuit of them. They located the |
| claimed. However, the German unionists who | | | | German unionists on August 9 at the Nueces |
| were captured in the battle were killed later | | | | River. The soldiers planned to attack at 1 |
| under suspicious circumstances, and they | | | | a.m. while the Germans were asleep. The |
| could be said to have been massacred.German | | | | soldiers split into two forces to attack from |
| settlers did not initially participate in | | | | two directions. However, two Germans ran into |
| unionism after Abraham Lincoln's election to | | | | one of the Texas forces, and the battle was |
| the presidency. They organized the Union | | | | begun prematurely. The Germans took what |
| Loyal League in 1861, and earned the title of | | | | cover they could and fought back, killing and |
| traitors and insurrectionists from | | | | wounding twenty-one men, but were overrun by |
| secessionists. Although many people assert | | | | superior forces. About twenty-three men |
| that the Union's purpose was to maintain | | | | escaped early in the battle, and six others |
| neutrality in the war and prevent animosity | | | | escaped after the Confederates overran the |
| between Union and Confederate sympathizers, | | | | camp. What happened after the Confederates |
| McGowen contends that soon after Texas | | | | took the camp can be considered a massacre; |
| seceded the Union Loyal League organized | | | | nine or eleven of the wounded Germans were |
| militias in eighteen German communities to | | | | dragged into the woods and shot in the |
| actively oppose the Confederacy. Members of | | | | head.The Battle of the Nueces resulted in a |
| the militia swore oaths never to betray the | | | | bushwhacker war between Unionists and |
| United States of America and were well armed | | | | Confederate sympathizers. Ambushes from both |
| with rifles and ammunition. McGowen presents | | | | sides were so common that many features of |
| the testimony of a Union Loyal League member | | | | the surrounding terrain were named |
| as to the Union's purpose, which was to join | | | | Bushwhacker. Many homes and farms were set on |
| the Federal troops as soon as they invaded | | | | fire, and sometimes the occupants were shot. |
| Texas. Some of the actions taken by the | | | | These incidents created animosity between the |
| German unionists were to write letters of an | | | | two factions and it continues today among the |
| insurrectionist nature to Northern | | | | descendants of German unionists and |
| newspapers, establish an underground | | | | Confederate sympathizers.Mary Arnold |
| communication system between themselves and | | | | graduated from University of Houston-Clear |
| the United States, and to intimidate anyone | | | | Lake with a B.A. in literature and |
| who supported the Confederacy.Soldiers were | | | | history.She is an author on which is a site |
| sent to Fredericksburg to control the | | | | for Writers. |