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Coordinates: 29°58′10″N 98°54′49″W / 29.96944°N 98.91361°W / 29.96944; -98.91361
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{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NRHP | name = Treue der Union Monument
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Treue der Union Monument
| nrhp_type =
| nrhp_type =
| nrhp_type2 = cp
| image = Treue der Union monument, Comfort TX.jpg
| partof = Comfort Historic District
| partof_refnum = 79002989<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
| image = Treue der Union Monument.jpg
| caption = Treue der Union Monument
| caption = Treue der Union Monument
|locmap_label=Treue der Union Monument
| map_label = Treue der Union Monument
|locmap_label_position=
| locmapin = Texas#USA
| locmapin = Texas#USA
| locmap_relief = yes

| location = High Street, between Third and Fourth<br />[[Comfort, Texas]]
|locmap_relief=y.
| location= High Street, between Third and Fourth<br>[[Comfort, Texas]]
| coordinates = {{coord|29|58|10|N|98|54|49|W|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|29|58|10|N|98|54|49|W|display=inline,title}}
| area =
| area = less than one acre
| built = 1866
| built = {{Start date|1866}}
| added = November 29, 1978
| added = November 29, 1978
| designated_nrhp_type2 = May 29, 1979
| governing_body = Local government
| refnum=78002966<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2010a}}</ref>
| refnum=78002966<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
| designated_other1 = TSAL
| designated_other1_date = January 1, 1996
| designated_other1_number = [https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/Details/8200000407 8200000407]
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
}}
}}
The German-language '''Treue der Union Monument''' (loyalty to the Union), is located in the [[Kendall County, Texas|Kendall County]] community of [[Comfort, Texas|Comfort]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Texas]]. It was dedicated on August 10, 1866 to commemorate those who died at the 1862 [[Nueces massacre]]. Thirty-four were killed, some executed after being taken prisoner. With the exception of those drowned in the [[Rio Grande]], the remains of the deceased are buried at the site of the monument. Although scholars have debunked some too-broad claims about its uniqueness, the monument has notably been asserted to be the "only" monument to the Union on formerly Confederate soil (with some qualification necessary for the assertion to be true).
The German-American '''Treue der Union Monument''' (Loyalty to the Union), is located in the [[Kendall County, Texas|Kendall County]] community of [[Comfort, Texas|Comfort]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Texas]]. It was dedicated on August 10, 1866 to commemorate the German-Texans who died at the 1862 [[Nueces massacre]]. Thirty-four were killed, some executed after being taken prisoner, for refusing to sign loyalty oaths to the Confederacy. With the exception of those drowned in the [[Rio Grande]], the remains of the murdered are buried at the site of the monument. This monument was the first authorized to fly the Star-Spangled Banner at half-mast in perpetuity.

It was listed on the U.S. [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1978.<ref name=nris/>
It was listed on the U.S. [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1978.<ref name=nris/>


==The battle==
==The battle==
In 1862, the [[Confederate States of America]] imposed [[martial law]] on Central Texas, due to resistance to the [[Civil War (United States)|Civil War]]. [[Jacob Kuechler]] served as a guide for sixty-one [[conscientious objector]]s attempting to flee to Mexico. [[Scottish people|Scottish]] born Confederate irregular James Duff<ref>{{cite web|last=Shook|first=Robert W|title=James Duff|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fdu06|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=2 February 2011}}</ref> and his [[Texas Civil War Confederate units|Duff’s Partisan Rangers]] pursued and overtook them at the [[Nueces River]].
In 1862, the [[Confederate States of America]] imposed [[martial law]] on Central Texas, due to resistance to the [[Civil War (United States)|Civil War]]. [[Jacob Kuechler]] served as a guide for sixty-one [[conscientious objector]]s attempting to flee to Mexico. [[Scottish people|Scottish]] born Confederate irregular James Duff<ref>{{cite web|last=Shook|first=Robert W|title=James Duff|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fdu06|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=2 February 2011}}</ref> and his [[Texas Civil War Confederate units|Duff's Partisan Rangers]] pursued and overtook them at the [[Nueces River]].


Thirty-four were killed, some executed after being taken prisoner. Jacob Kuechler survived the Nueces massacre. The cruelty shocked the people of [[Gillespie County, Texas|Gillespie County]] and surrounding areas. Two thousand took to the hills to escape Duff's reign of terror.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kohout|first=Martin Donell|title=Gillespie County, Texas|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcg04|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=2 February 2011}}</ref>
Thirty-four were killed, some executed after being taken prisoner. Jacob Kuechler survived the Nueces massacre. The cruelty shocked the people of [[Gillespie County, Texas|Gillespie County]] and surrounding areas. Two thousand took to the hills to escape Duff's reign of terror.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kohout|first=Martin Donell|title=Gillespie County, Texas|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcg04|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=2 February 2011}}</ref>


==The monument==
==The monument==
On August 19, 1865, [[Edward Degener|Eduard Degener]], Eduard Steves, and William Heuermann paid $20 for a lot in Comfort, for the purpose of building a monument. The bodies of those who drowned in the massacre were never recovered. The bodies of the remaining massacre victims were recovered for burial by local residents in a mass grave on the lot purchased by Degener, Steves and Heuermann. On August 20, 1865, at [[Comfort, Texas]], three hundred people attended the funeral for the remains of the victims of the massacre. The funeral cortege was accompanied by Federal troops who fired a salute over the mass grave. Eduard Degener, father of victims Hugo and Hilmar, delilvered the eulogy.<ref name="Marker-Treue Der Union Monument">{{cite web|title=Marker-Treue Der Union Monument|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=34985&Result=1|work=Texas Historic Markers|publisher=HMdb.org|accessdate=2 February 2011}}</ref>
On August 19, 1865, [[Edward Degener|Eduard Degener]], Eduard Steves, and William Heuermann paid $20 for a lot in Comfort, for the purpose of building a monument. The bodies of those who drowned in the massacre were never recovered. The bodies of the remaining massacre victims were recovered for burial by local residents in a mass grave on the lot purchased by Degener, Steves and Heuermann. On August 20, 1865, at [[Comfort, Texas]], three hundred people attended the funeral for the remains of the victims of the massacre. The funeral cortege was accompanied by Federal troops who fired a salute over the mass grave. [[Edward Degener]], father of victims Hugo and Hilmar, delivered the eulogy.<ref name="Marker-Treue Der Union Monument">{{cite web|title=Marker-Treue Der Union Monument|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=34985&Result=1|work=Texas Historic Markers|publisher=HMdb.org|accessdate=2 February 2011}}</ref>


[[File:Treue der union monumant 2009.jpg|thumb|left|Treue der Union monument, with flag flying at half mast]]
[[File:Treue der union monumant 2009.jpg|thumb|left|Treue der Union monument, with flag flying at half mast]]
With donations from local residents and families of the victims, the Treue der Union Monument was dedicated on August 10, 1866 in [[Kendall County, Texas|Kendall County]]. The [[obelisk]] stands twenty feet high and was constructed of native [[limestone]] by local stonemasons and several carvers.<ref>{{cite web|title=List of names- Treue der Union Monument|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txchf/treue.htm|publisher=Comfort, Texas Heritage Foundation|accessdate=2 February 2011}}</ref> The main obelisk weighs 35,700 pounds, with the top containing the original four name tablets. The United States 1865 flag has thirty-six stars, representing the number of states at the time of the monument dedication. On the lawn at the base are four name tablets in German. Inside the second course of the monument is a time capsule.<ref name="Marker-Treue Der Union Monument"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Pohlsander|first1=Hans A|title=German Monuments in the Americas: Bonds Across the Atlantic|date=2010|publisher=Peter Lang International Academic Publishers|isbn=978-3-0343-0138-1|page=16|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kCDYByxCSYC&pg=PA16&dq=%22Treue+der+Union%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-KPBU5rxM8zpoAS8voH4CQ&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22Treue%20der%20Union%22&f=false}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Herzog|first=Brad|title=States of Mind|year=2001|publisher=Pocket|isbn=978-0-7434-1782-2|page=92|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4k0xL-NaeaYC&pg=PA92&dq=treue+der+union+%22States+of+Mind%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwikj4KuxIjPAhUG4WMKHf9OCLIQ6AEIHjAA#v=onepage&q=treue%20der%20union%20%22States%20of%20Mind%22&f=false}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Evans|first1=Brent|title=Boerne (Images of America Series)|year=2010|publisher=Arcadia|isbn=978-0-7385-7943-6|page=26|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A9zyYP2tRgcC&pg=PA26&dq=%22Treue+der+Union%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=saTBU9rBMsfZoASR2ICABQ&ved=0CDIQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=%22Treue%20der%20Union%22&f=false}}</ref>
With donations from local residents and families of the victims, the Treue der Union Monument was dedicated on August 10, 1866 in [[Kendall County, Texas|Kendall County]]. The [[obelisk]] stands twenty feet high and was constructed of native [[limestone]] by local stonemasons and several carvers.<ref>{{cite web|title=List of names- Treue der Union Monument|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txchf/treue.htm|publisher=Comfort, Texas Heritage Foundation|accessdate=2 February 2011}}</ref> The main obelisk weighs {{convert|35,700|lb}}, with the top containing the original four name tablets. The United States 1865 flag has thirty-six stars, representing the number of states at the time of the monument dedication. On the lawn at the base are four name tablets in German. Inside the second course of the monument is a time capsule.<ref name="Marker-Treue Der Union Monument"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Pohlsander|first1=Hans A|title=German Monuments in the Americas: Bonds Across the Atlantic|date=2010|publisher=Peter Lang International Academic Publishers|isbn=978-3-0343-0138-1|page=16|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kCDYByxCSYC&q=%22Treue+der+Union%22&pg=PA16}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Herzog|first=Brad|title=States of Mind|year=2001|publisher=Pocket|isbn=978-0-7434-1782-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/statesofmind00brad/page/92 92]|url=https://archive.org/details/statesofmind00brad|url-access=registration|quote=treue der union States of Mind.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Evans|first1=Brent|title=Boerne (Images of America Series)|year=2010|publisher=Arcadia|isbn=978-0-7385-7943-6|page=26|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A9zyYP2tRgcC&q=%22Treue+der+Union%22&pg=PA26}}</ref>


In 1994, the Comfort Heritage Foundation oversaw a restoration conducted by [[Boerne, Texas|Boerne]] stonemason Karl H. Kuhn.<ref>{{cite book|last=Little|first=Carol Morris|title=A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas|year=1996|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-76036-3|page=118|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NgEAMI9BjkYC&pg=PA118&dq=treue+der+union+%22A+Comprehensive+Guide+to+Outdoor+Sculpture+in+Texas%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiKzsLexIjPAhVE62MKHZaoAPYQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q=treue%20der%20union%20%22A%20Comprehensive%20Guide%20to%20Outdoor%20Sculpture%20in%20Texas%22&f=false}}</ref>
In 1994, the Comfort Heritage Foundation oversaw a restoration conducted by [[Boerne, Texas|Boerne]] stonemason Karl H. Kuhn.<ref>{{cite book|last=Little|first=Carol Morris|title=A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas|year=1996|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-76036-3|page=118|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NgEAMI9BjkYC&q=treue+der+union+%22A+Comprehensive+Guide+to+Outdoor+Sculpture+in+Texas%22&pg=PA118}}</ref>


==Names on Treue der Union Monument==
==Names on Treue der Union Monument==


{| class="wikitable sortable" | border="1" style="background:white" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|+| '''List of the Deceased, Treue der Union Monument'''
|+ Treue der Union Monument
! scope="col" | Name
|--
! scope="col" | 1862 death
!| Name || Date and Place of Death ||Notes
! scope="col" | Place of death
|--
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|{{sortname|Leopold|Bauer|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River|| {{refn|group=Note| name=names|Source book editor Dr. Walter D. Kamphoefner is a professor in the History Dept. at Texas A & M University. Dr. Kamphoefner has written numerous books regarding German families who came to Texas, all well written and documented.<ref name="questia.com">{{cite book|last1=Kamphoefner|first1=Walter D.|last2=Helbich|first2=Wolfgang|last3=Vogel|first3=Susan Carter|title=Germans in the Civil War: The Letters They Wrote Home|date=2006|publisher=University of North Carolina Press {{Subscription required |via=[[Questia]]}}|location=Chapel Hill, NC|isbn=978-0-8078-3044-4|page=437|url=https://www.questia.com/read/125462478/germans-in-the-civil-war-the-letters-they-wrote}}</ref>}}
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Tooltip|Ref.|References}}
|--
|-
|{{sortname|F|Behrens|nolink=1}} ||10 August 1862, Nueces River||
!scope="row"|{{sort|Bauer|Leopold Bauer}}
|--
|August 10
|{{sortname|Ernst|Beseler|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||
|Nueces River
|--
|
|{{sortname|Conrad|Bock|nolink=1}}||Captured and murdered||Fredericksburg
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=BAUER, LEOPOLD (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} LEOPOLD (CLOSE UP) BAUER - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233100 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
|--
|-
|{{sortname|Louis|Boerner|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River|| Comfort
!scope="row"|{{sort|Behrens|Frederick Behrens}}
|--
|August 10
|{{sortname|Wilhelm|Boerner|nolink=1}}||Captured and murdered|| Comfort
|Nueces River
|--
|aka Fritz Beherens
|{{sortname|Peter|Bonnet|nolink=1}}||18 October 1862, Rio Grande || Comfort
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=BEHRENS, FREDERICK "FRITZ" (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} FREDERICK "FRITZ" (CLOSE UP) BEHRENS - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233101 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|--
|-
|{{sortname|Theo|Bruckisch|nolink=1}}||Captured and murdered||
!scope="row"|{{sort|Beseler|Ernst Beseler}}
|--
|August 10
|{{sortname|Albert|Bruns|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||
|Nueces River
|--
|
|{{sortname|Hilmar|Degener|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=BESELER, ERNST (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} ERNST (CLOSE UP) BESELER - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233102 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|--
|-
|{{sortname|Hugo|Degener|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||
!scope="row"|{{sort|Bock|Conrad Andreas Christian Bock}}
|--
|Unknown
|{{sortname|Pablo|Diaz|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||
|Fredericksburg
|--
|
|{{sortname|Joseph|Elstner|nolink=1}}||18 October 1862, Rio Grande ||
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=BOCK, CONRAD ANDREAS CHRISTIAN - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} CONRAD ANDREAS CHRISTIAN BOCK - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233043 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|--
|-
|{{sortname|Edward|Felsing|nolink=1}}||18 October 1862, Rio Grande ||
!scope="row"|{{sort|Boerner|Louis Boerner}}
|--
|August 10
|{{sortname|Herman|Flick|nolink=1}}||Captured and murdered||Fredericksburg
|Nueces River
|--
|
|{{sortname|H|Herrmann|nolink=1}}||18 October 1862, Rio Grande ||
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=BOERNER, LOUIS (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} LOUIS (CLOSE UP) BOERNER - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233103 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
|--
|-
|{{sortname|V|Hohmann|nolink=1}}||18 October 1862, Rio Grande ||
!scope="row"|{{sort|Boerner|Wilhelm Boerner}}
|--
|August 10
|{{sortname|J.H.|Kallenberg|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River|| Fredericksburg
|Nueces River
|--
|
|{{sortname|Fritz|Lange|nolink=1}}||18 October 1862, Rio Grande || Comfort
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maytum |first1=Ashley |title=Treue Der Union (Loyalty to the Union) - Marker in/near Comfort |url=https://www.kendallcountyhistory.org/post/treue-der-union-loyalty-to-the-union-marker-in-near-comfort |website=KCHC |publisher=Kendall County History |access-date=12 April 2023 |date=23 March 2021}}</ref>
|--
|-
|{{sortname|August|Luckenbach|nolink=1}}||Captured and murdered|| Fredericksburg<ref>{{cite web|title=1860 Gillespie County Census Family 451- 500 So Grape Creek|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txgilles/1860-10.html|publisher=Gillespie County Historical Society|accessdate=2 February 2011}}</ref>
!scope="row"|{{sort|Bonnet|Johann Peter Bonnet}}
|--
|October 18
|{{sortname|Henry|Markwardt|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||[[Sisterdale, Texas|Sisterdale]], [[Cherry Spring, Texas|Cherry Spring]]<ref>{{cite web|title=1860 Gillespie County Census Family 401- 450 Cherry Spring|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txgilles/1860-9.html|publisher=Gillespie County Historical Society|accessdate=2 February 2011}}</ref>
|Rio Grande
|--
|
|{{sortname|A|Ruebsamen|nolink=1}}||Captured and murdered||
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=BONNET, JOHANN PETER (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} JOHANN PETER (CLOSE UP) BONNET - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233097 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
|--
|-
|{{sortname|L|Ruebsamen|nolink=1}}||Captured and murdered||
!scope="row"|{{sort|Bruckisch|Theo Bruckisch}}
|--
|
|{{sortname|Christian|Schaefer Sr.|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River|| Fredericksburg
|--
|
|New Braunfels carpenter
|{{sortname|Louis|Schierholz|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||
|align="center"|{{sfn|Kiel|2013|p=13}}<ref>{{cite web |title=BRUCKISH, THEODOR (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} THEODOR (CLOSE UP) BRUCKISH - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233130 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
|--
|-
|{{sortname|A.|Schreiner|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River|| Kerrville
!scope="row"|{{sort|Bruns|Albert Bruns}}
|--
|August 10
|{{sortname|Heinrich|Steves|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||Comfort
|Nueces River
|--
|
|{{sortname|Heinrich|Stieler|nolink=1}}||Captured and murdered||Comfort
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=BRUNS, ALBERT (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} ALBERT (CLOSE UP) BRUNS - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233104 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
|--
|-
| {{sortname|F|Tays|nolink=1}}||Captured and murdered||Comfort
!scope="row"|{{sort|Degener|Hilmar Degener}}
|--
|August 10
|{{sortname|Wilhelm|Telgmann|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||
|Nueces River
|--
|
| {{sortname|A|Vater|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=DEGENER, HILMAR (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} HILMAR (CLOSE UP) DEGENER - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233105 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
|--
|-
| {{sortname|F|Vater|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||
!scope="row"|{{sort|Degener|Hugo Degener}}
|--
|August 10
| {{sortname|H|Weyershausen|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||
|Nueces River
|--
|
| {{sortname|M|Weyrich|nolink=1}}||10 August 1862, Nueces River||
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=DEGENER, HUGO (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} HUGO (CLOSE UP) DEGENER - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233106 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
|--
|-
| {{sortname|Frank|Weiss|nolink=1}}||18 October 1862, Rio Grande ||
!scope="row"|{{sort|Diaz|Pablo Diaz}}
|--
|August 10
| {{sortname|Moritz|Weiss|nolink=1}}||18 October 1862, Rio Grande ||
|Nueces River
|--
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=DIAZ, PABLO (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} PABLO (CLOSE UP) DIAZ - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233107 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Elstner|Joseph Elstner}}
|October 18
|Rio Grande River
|
|align="center"|{{sfn|Kiel|2013|p=13}}<ref>{{cite web |title=ELSTNER, JOSEPH (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} JOSEPH (CLOSE UP) ELSTNER - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233091 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Felsing|Edward Felsing}}
|October 18
|Rio Grande River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=FELSING, EDUARD (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} EDUARD (CLOSE UP) FELSING - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233092 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Flick|Herman Flick}}
|August 20
|[[Medio Creek]]
|Sources vary on when and where
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=FLICK, HERMAN - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} HERMAN FLICK - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233059 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Herrmann|Henry Herrmann}}
|October 18
|Rio Grande River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=HERMANN, HENRY (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} HENRY (CLOSE UP) HERMANN - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233093 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Hohmann|Valentine Hohmann}}
|October 18
|Rio Grande River
|Local cattle-rancher.
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=HOHMANN, VALENTIN (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} VALENTIN (CLOSE UP) HOHMANN - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233094 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Kallenberg|John George Kallenberg}}
|August 10
|Nueces River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=KALLENBERG, JOHN GEORGE (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} JOHN GEORGE (CLOSE UP) KALLENBERG - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233113 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Lange|Fritz Lange}}
|October 18
|Rio Grande
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=LANGE, FREDERICK "FRITZ" - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} FREDERICK "FRITZ" LANGE - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233063 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Luckenbach|August Luckenbach}}
|Unknown
|
|One of the original Luckenbach family that settled in the hill country.
|align="center"|{{sfn|Kiel|2013|p=94}}<ref>{{cite web |title=LUCKENBACH, AUGUST - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} AUGUST LUCKENBACH - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233064 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}; {{cite web |title=TSHA {{!}} Luckenbach, Jacob |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/luckenbach-jacob |website=www.tshaonline.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Markwardt|Henry Markwardt}}
|August 10
|Nueces River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=MARKWARDT, HEINRICH (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} HEINRICH (CLOSE UP) MARKWARDT - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233114 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Ruebsamen, A|Adolph Ruebsamen}}
|October 18
|Rio Grande River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=RUEBSAMEN, ADOLPH - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} ADOLPH RUEBSAMEN - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233069 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Ruebsamen, L|Louis Ruebsamen}}
|August 10
|Nueces River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=RUEBSAMEN, LOUIS - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} LOUIS RUEBSAMEN - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233070 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Schaefer|Christian Schaefer}}
|August 10
|Nueces River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=SCHAEFER, CHRISTIAN (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} CHRISTIAN (CLOSE UP) SCHAEFER - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233115 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Schierholz|Louis Schierholz}}
|August 10
|Nueces River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=SCHIERHOLZ, LOUIS - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} LOUIS SCHIERHOLZ - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233072 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Schreiner|Aime Schreiner}}
|August 10
|Nueces River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=SCHREINER, AIME - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} AIME SCHREINER - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233073 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Steves|Heinrich Steves Jr.}}
|August 10
|Nueces River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=STEVES, HEINRICH - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} HEINRICH STEVES - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233074 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Stieler|Heinrich Stieler}}
|August 10
|Comfort
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=STIELER, HEINRICH "HENRY" - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} HEINRICH "HENRY" STIELER - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233075 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Tays|Frederich "Fritz" Tays}}
|August 10
|Comfort
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=TAYS, FREDERICH "FRITZ" - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} FREDERICH "FRITZ" TAYS - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233076 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Telgmann|Wilhelm Telgmann}}
|August 10
|Nueces River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=TELGMANN, WILHELM - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} WILHELM TELGMANN - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233077 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Vater|Adolph Vater}}
|August 10
|Nueces River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=VATER, ADOLPH - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} ADOLPH VATER - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233078 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Vater|Friedrich "Fritz" Vater}}
|August 10
|Nueces River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=VATER, FRIEDRICH "FRITZ" - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} FRIEDRICH "FRITZ" VATER - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233079 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Weirich|Michael Weirich}}
|August 10
|Nueces River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=WEIRICH, MICHAEL - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} MICHAEL WEIRICH - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233080 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Weiss|Franz Weiss}}
|October 18
|Rio Grande River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=WEISS, FRANZ - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} FRANZ WEISS - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233081 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Weiss|Moritz Weiss}}
|October 18
|Rio Grande River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=WEISS, MORITZ (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} MORITZ (CLOSE UP) WEISS - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233095 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Weyershausen|Heinrich "Henry" Weyershausen}}
|August 10
|Nueces River
|
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web |title=WEYERSHAUSEN, HEINRICH "HENRY" - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} HEINRICH "HENRY" WEYERSHAUSEN - Texas Gravestone Photos |url=https://texasgravestones.org/view.php?id=233083 |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=11 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
|}
|}


==In popular culture==
==In popular culture==


With and without qualifications, the Treue der Union has been broadly asserted to be the only monument to the Union on former Confederate soil. If the assertion is made with no qualification, it is demonstrably false.{{refn|group=Note|Other monuments to the Union on former Confederate soil include the [[Grand Army of the Republic Memorial (Judsonia, Arkansas)]], the [[Grand Army of the Republic Memorial (Siloam Springs, Arkansas)]], the [[Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall (St. Cloud, Florida)]], many Union memorials in [[Arlington Cemetery]] (located in Virginia, a Confederate state, on land associated with Robert E. Lee), and numerous monuments at battlefields such as at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Note that Civil War veterans have erected monuments on battlefields frequently. At the perhaps-most-memorialized battlefield, the Gettysburg Battlefield, where veterans from the North and South attended reunions until [[1938 Gettysburg reunion|at least 1938]], the [[List of monuments of the Gettysburg Battlefield|monuments at the battlefield]] include 30 monuments to the Confederacy or to Confederate states, military units, or individuals, as well as more than 450 monuments to Union states, units and individuals.}} More limited claims, among many, include:
The Treue der Union monument (1866) has been broadly asserted to be the first monument of the Civil War, and the first Union monument raised on "Confederate" soil. Other Union monuments in former slave states include the [[Grand Army of the Republic Memorial (Judsonia, Arkansas)]], the [[Grand Army of the Republic Memorial (Siloam Springs, Arkansas)]], the [[Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall (St. Cloud, Florida)]], Union memorials and graves at [[Arlington National Cemetery]], and numerous monuments at battlefields such as at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
* In an undated entry about the [[Nueces massacre]] in ''The Handbook of Texas Online'', the Texas State Historical Association asserts ""It is the only German-American monument to the Union in the South where the remains of those killed in battle are buried, and where, since 1866, a thirty-six star U.S. flag is permitted to fly at half-staff."<ref>{{cite web|title=Nueces, Battle of the|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qfn01|website=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=September 11, 2016}}</ref>
* As recently as 2012, in the book ''Texans and War: New Interpretations of the State's Military History'' published by Texas A & M University Press, authors Alexander Mendoza and Charles David Grear make the claim that it is "the only shrine to the Union erected by inhabitants on former Confederate soil."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mendoza|first1=Alexander|last2=Grear|first2=Charles David|title=Texans and War: New Interpretations of the State's Military History|date=2012|publisher=Texas A & M University Press|location=College Station, TX|isbn=978-1-60344-124-7|page=140|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v5zybQXmUFYC&q=monument}}</ref>
* The 2008 book ''Civil War Sites: The Official Guide to the Civil War Discovery Trail'', compiled by the [[Civil War Preservation Trust]], lists it as "the only memorial to the Union (outside national cemeteries) in Confederate territory, and only one of six places in the nation permitted by Congress to fly the flag at half-staff in perpetuity (and the only one of these to fly the flag with thirty-six stars)."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Civil War Preservation Trust|title=Civil War Sites: The Official Guide to the Civil War Discovery Trail|date=2008|publisher=Globe Pequot Press|location=Guilford, CT|isbn=9780762744350|page=310|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ksajfpd8cawC&q=%22Treue+der+Union+Monument%22&pg=PA310}}</ref>
* In 2006, authors Walter D. Kamphoefner, Wolfgang Helbich Susan Carter Vogel and asserted in ''Germans in the Civil War: The Letters They Wrote Home'' that it is "the only monument of its kind in the South."<ref name="Kamphoefner">{{cite book|last1=Kamphoefner|first1=Walter D.|last2=Helbich|first2=Wolfgang|last3=Vogel|first3=Susan Carter|title=Germans in the Civil War: The Letters They Wrote Home|date=2006|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|location=Chapel Hill, NC|isbn=978-0-8078-3044-4|page=437|url=}}</ref>


According to the [[National Park Service]], the [[32nd Indiana Monument]] at [[Cave Hill Cemetery|Cave Hill National Cemetery]] in Kentucky "is the oldest Civil War memorial in the country." The [[32nd Indiana Infantry Regiment]] of the [[Union Army]] was composed primarily of soldiers of German ancestry. After the December 1861 [[Battle of Rowlett's Station]], regiment private August Bloedner created the limestone memorial in the [[German language]] as a tribute to his regiment's fatalities. Also known as the August Bloedner Monument, both the monument and the bodies of those it honors are together in the cemetery.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cave Hill National Cemetery Louisville, Kentucky|url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/national_cemeteries/Kentucky/Cave_Hill_National_Cemetery.html|website=nps.gov|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=September 13, 2016}}</ref>
*In an undated entry about the [[Nueces massacre]] in ''The Handbook of Texas Online'', the Texas State Historical Association asserts ""It is the only German-language monument to the Union in the South where the remains of those killed in battle are buried, and where an 1866 thirty-six star American flag flies at half-staff."<ref>{{cite web|title=NUECES, BATTLE OF THE|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qfn01|website=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=September 11, 2016}}</ref>
*As recently as 2012, in the book ''Texans and War: New Interpretations of the State's Military History'' published by Texas A & M University Press, authors Alexander Mendoza and Charles David Grear make the claim that it is "the only shrine to the Union erected by inhabitants on former Confederate soil."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mendoza|first1=Alexander|last2=Grear|first2=Charles David|title=Texans and War: New Interpretations of the State's Military History|date=2012|publisher=Texas A & M University Press{{Subscription required |via=[[Questia]]}}|location=College Station, TX|isbn=978-1-60344-124-7|page=140|url=https://www.questia.com/read/122836330/texans-and-war-new-interpretations-of-the-state-s}}</ref>
*The 2008 book ''Civil War Sites: The Official Guide to the Civil War Discovery Trail'', compiled by the [[Civil War Preservation Trust]], lists it as "the only memorial to the Union (outside national cemeteries) in Confederate territory, and only one of six places in the nation permitted by Congress to fly the flag at half-staff in perpetuity (and the only one of these to fly the flag with thirty-six stars)."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Civil War Preservation Trust|title=Civil War Sites: The Official Guide to the Civil War Discovery Trail|date=2008|publisher=Globe Pequot Press|location=Guilford, CT|isbn=9780762744350|page=310|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ksajfpd8cawC&pg=PA310&dq=%22Treue+der+Union+Monument%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi8kMr1u4fPAhUC-mMKHTi2C64Q6AEIJjAB#v=onepage&q=%22Treue%20der%20Union%20Monument%22&f=false}}</ref>
*In 2006, authors Walter D. Kamphoefner, Wolfgang Helbich Susan Carter Vogel and asserted in ''Germans in the Civil War: The Letters They Wrote Home'' that it is "the only monument of its kind in the South."<ref name="questia.com">{{cite book|last1=Kamphoefner|first1=Walter D.|last2=Helbich|first2=Wolfgang|last3=Vogel|first3=Susan Carter|title=Germans in the Civil War: The Letters They Wrote Home|date=2006|publisher=University of North Carolina Press {{Subscription required |via=[[Questia]]}}|location=Chapel Hill, NC|isbn=978-0-8078-3044-4|page=437|url=https://www.questia.com/read/125462478/germans-in-the-civil-war-the-letters-they-wrote}}</ref>


In a 2012 article for ''The Southwestern Historical Quarterly'', physician and US Army veteran Frank Wilson Kiel sorted known facts from lore about the monument. Citing monuments to the Union on Southern soil, he names two memorials in Tennessee, [[Greeneville, Tennessee|Greeneville]] and [[Cleveland, Tennessee|Cleveland]], as well as three others in Texas, [[Denison, Texas|Denison]], [[Dallas]] and [[New Braunfels, Texas|New Braunfels]]. The claim of Treue der Union being the oldest is discredited by the 1863 [[Hazen Brigade Monument]] at [[Stones River National Battlefield]] in Tennessee and the 1861 August Bloedner Monument in Kentucky. Kiel traces the trail of misinformation back as far as 1938. Accordingly, he states that there is no protocol for flying a flag at half-mast, but rather a matter of choice for non-governmental institutions such as the Comfort Heritage Foundation. The misunderstanding stemmed from personal communications between one congressman and two different individuals associated with the monument. Congress never passed legislation on the issue.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kiel|first1=Frank Wilson|title=Treue der Union: Myths, Misrepresentations, and Misinterpretations|journal=The Southwestern Historical Quarterly|date=January 2012|volume=115|issue=3|pages=282–292|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|doi=10.1353/swh.2012.0004|jstor=41617001|s2cid=143613462 }}</ref>
According to the [[National Park Service]], the [[32nd Indiana Monument]] at [[Cave Hill Cemetery|Cave Hill National Cemetery]] in Kentucky "is the oldest Civil War memorial in the country." The [[32nd Indiana Infantry Regiment]] of the [[Union Army]] was composed primarily of soldiers of German ancestry. After the December 1861 [[Battle of Rowlett's Station]], regiment private August Bloedner created the limestone memorial in the [[German language]] as a tribute to his regiment's fatalities. Also known as the August Bloedner Monument, both the monument and the bodies of those it honors are together in the cemetery.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cave Hill National Cemetery Louisville, Kentucky|url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/national_cemeteries/Kentucky/Cave_Hill_National_Cemetery.html|website=nps.gov|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=September 13, 2016}}</ref>

In a 2012 article for ''The Southwestern Historical Quarterly'', physician and US Army veteran Frank Wilson Kiel sorted known facts from lore about the monument. Citing monuments to the Union on Southern soil, he names two memorials in Tennessee, [[Greeneville, Tennessee|Greeneville]] and [[Cleveland, Tennessee|Cleveland]], as well as three others in Texas, [[Denison, Texas|Denison]], [[Dallas]] and [[New Braunfels, Texas|New Braunfels]]. The claim of Treue der Union being the oldest is discredited by the 1863 Hazen Brigade Monument in [[Stones River National Battlefield]] in Tennessee and the 1861 August Bloedner Monument in Kentucky. Kiel traces the trail of misinformation back as far as 1938. Accordingly, he states that there is no protocol for flying a flag at half-mast, but rather a matter of choice for non-governmental institutions such as the Comfort Heritage Foundation. The misunderstanding stemmed from personal communications between one congressman and two different individuals associated with the monument. Congress never passed legislation on the issue.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kiel|first1=Frank Wilson|title=Treue der Union: Myths, Misrepresentations, and Misinterpretations|journal=The Southwestern Historical Quarterly|date=January 2012|volume=115|issue=3|pages=282–292|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|jstor=41617001}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|National Register of Historic Places|Texas}}
* [[German Americans in the Civil War]]
* [[German Americans in the Civil War]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Kendall County, Texas]]

===Bibliography===


*{{cite journal|last1=McGowen|first1=Stanley S|title=Battle or Massacre?: The Incident on the Nueces, August 10, 1862 |journal=Southwestern Historical Quarterly|date=July 2000|volume=104| issue = 1|pages=64–86|url=http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101221/m1/93/|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|location=Denton, TX}}
===Footnotes===
*{{cite web |title=Treue Der Union Memorial Cemetery - Kendall County, Texas {{!}} Burial & Family History Records |url=https://texasgravestones.org/cemetery.php?cemID=17088#B |website=texasgravestones.org |access-date=12 April 2023}}
{{reflist|group=Note}}
*{{cite book |last1=Kiel |first1=Frank Wilson |title=Civil War soldiers of Kendall County, Texas : a biographical dictionary |date=2013 |publisher=The Portal to Texas History |location=Comfort, Texas |isbn=978-0-9834160-1-2 |edition=First |url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth460183/}}


===Citations===
===References===
{{commonscat|Treue Der Union Monument}}
{{Reflist|colwidth=20em}}
{{Reflist|colwidth=20em}}


==External links==
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{commons category-inline|Treue Der Union Monument}}

{{National Register of Historic Places in Texas}}
{{Kendall County, Texas}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Treue Der Union Monument}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Treue Der Union Monument}}
[[Category:1866 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:1866 sculptures]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1866]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1866]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Kendall County, Texas]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Kendall County, Texas]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Texas]]
[[Category:German-American culture in Texas]]
[[Category:German-American culture in Texas]]
[[Category:Texas in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Historic district contributing properties in Texas]]
[[Category:1866 sculptures]]
[[Category:Stone sculptures in Texas]]
[[Category:1866 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:Limestone sculptures in the United States]]
[[Category:Limestone sculptures in the United States]]
[[Category:American Civil War military monuments and memorials]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Texas]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Kendall County, Texas]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Kendall County, Texas]]
[[Category:Obelisks in the United States]]
[[Category:Stone sculptures in Texas]]
[[Category:Texas in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Union (American Civil War) monuments and memorials]]
[[Category:Texas history-related lists]]

Latest revision as of 18:06, 26 August 2024

Treue der Union Monument
Treue der Union Monument
Treue der Union Monument is located in Texas
Treue der Union Monument
Treue der Union Monument
Treue der Union Monument is located in the United States
Treue der Union Monument
Treue der Union Monument
LocationHigh Street, between Third and Fourth
Comfort, Texas
Coordinates29°58′10″N 98°54′49″W / 29.96944°N 98.91361°W / 29.96944; -98.91361
Arealess than one acre
Built1866 (1866)
Part ofComfort Historic District (ID79002989[1])
NRHP reference No.78002966[1]
TSAL No.8200000407
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 29, 1978
Designated CPMay 29, 1979
Designated TSALJanuary 1, 1996

The German-American Treue der Union Monument (Loyalty to the Union), is located in the Kendall County community of Comfort in the U.S. state of Texas. It was dedicated on August 10, 1866 to commemorate the German-Texans who died at the 1862 Nueces massacre. Thirty-four were killed, some executed after being taken prisoner, for refusing to sign loyalty oaths to the Confederacy. With the exception of those drowned in the Rio Grande, the remains of the murdered are buried at the site of the monument. This monument was the first authorized to fly the Star-Spangled Banner at half-mast in perpetuity. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1]

The battle

[edit]

In 1862, the Confederate States of America imposed martial law on Central Texas, due to resistance to the Civil War. Jacob Kuechler served as a guide for sixty-one conscientious objectors attempting to flee to Mexico. Scottish born Confederate irregular James Duff[2] and his Duff's Partisan Rangers pursued and overtook them at the Nueces River.

Thirty-four were killed, some executed after being taken prisoner. Jacob Kuechler survived the Nueces massacre. The cruelty shocked the people of Gillespie County and surrounding areas. Two thousand took to the hills to escape Duff's reign of terror.[3]

The monument

[edit]

On August 19, 1865, Eduard Degener, Eduard Steves, and William Heuermann paid $20 for a lot in Comfort, for the purpose of building a monument. The bodies of those who drowned in the massacre were never recovered. The bodies of the remaining massacre victims were recovered for burial by local residents in a mass grave on the lot purchased by Degener, Steves and Heuermann. On August 20, 1865, at Comfort, Texas, three hundred people attended the funeral for the remains of the victims of the massacre. The funeral cortege was accompanied by Federal troops who fired a salute over the mass grave. Edward Degener, father of victims Hugo and Hilmar, delivered the eulogy.[4]

Treue der Union monument, with flag flying at half mast

With donations from local residents and families of the victims, the Treue der Union Monument was dedicated on August 10, 1866 in Kendall County. The obelisk stands twenty feet high and was constructed of native limestone by local stonemasons and several carvers.[5] The main obelisk weighs 35,700 pounds (16,200 kg), with the top containing the original four name tablets. The United States 1865 flag has thirty-six stars, representing the number of states at the time of the monument dedication. On the lawn at the base are four name tablets in German. Inside the second course of the monument is a time capsule.[4][6][7][8]

In 1994, the Comfort Heritage Foundation oversaw a restoration conducted by Boerne stonemason Karl H. Kuhn.[9]

Names on Treue der Union Monument

[edit]
Treue der Union Monument
Name 1862 death Place of death Notes Ref.
Leopold Bauer August 10 Nueces River [10]
Frederick Behrens August 10 Nueces River aka Fritz Beherens [11]
Ernst Beseler August 10 Nueces River [12]
Conrad Andreas Christian Bock Unknown Fredericksburg [13]
Louis Boerner August 10 Nueces River [14]
Wilhelm Boerner August 10 Nueces River [15]
Johann Peter Bonnet October 18 Rio Grande [16]
Theo Bruckisch New Braunfels carpenter [17][18]
Albert Bruns August 10 Nueces River [19]
Hilmar Degener August 10 Nueces River [20]
Hugo Degener August 10 Nueces River [21]
Pablo Diaz August 10 Nueces River [22]
Joseph Elstner October 18 Rio Grande River [17][23]
Edward Felsing October 18 Rio Grande River [24]
Herman Flick August 20 Medio Creek Sources vary on when and where [25]
Henry Herrmann October 18 Rio Grande River [26]
Valentine Hohmann October 18 Rio Grande River Local cattle-rancher. [27]
John George Kallenberg August 10 Nueces River [28]
Fritz Lange October 18 Rio Grande [29]
August Luckenbach Unknown One of the original Luckenbach family that settled in the hill country. [30][31]
Henry Markwardt August 10 Nueces River [32]
Adolph Ruebsamen October 18 Rio Grande River [33]
Louis Ruebsamen August 10 Nueces River [34]
Christian Schaefer August 10 Nueces River [35]
Louis Schierholz August 10 Nueces River [36]
Aime Schreiner August 10 Nueces River [37]
Heinrich Steves Jr. August 10 Nueces River [38]
Heinrich Stieler August 10 Comfort [39]
Frederich "Fritz" Tays August 10 Comfort [40]
Wilhelm Telgmann August 10 Nueces River [41]
Adolph Vater August 10 Nueces River [42]
Friedrich "Fritz" Vater August 10 Nueces River [43]
Michael Weirich August 10 Nueces River [44]
Franz Weiss October 18 Rio Grande River [45]
Moritz Weiss October 18 Rio Grande River [46]
Heinrich "Henry" Weyershausen August 10 Nueces River [47]
[edit]

The Treue der Union monument (1866) has been broadly asserted to be the first monument of the Civil War, and the first Union monument raised on "Confederate" soil. Other Union monuments in former slave states include the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial (Judsonia, Arkansas), the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial (Siloam Springs, Arkansas), the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall (St. Cloud, Florida), Union memorials and graves at Arlington National Cemetery, and numerous monuments at battlefields such as at Vicksburg, Mississippi.

  • In an undated entry about the Nueces massacre in The Handbook of Texas Online, the Texas State Historical Association asserts ""It is the only German-American monument to the Union in the South where the remains of those killed in battle are buried, and where, since 1866, a thirty-six star U.S. flag is permitted to fly at half-staff."[48]
  • As recently as 2012, in the book Texans and War: New Interpretations of the State's Military History published by Texas A & M University Press, authors Alexander Mendoza and Charles David Grear make the claim that it is "the only shrine to the Union erected by inhabitants on former Confederate soil."[49]
  • The 2008 book Civil War Sites: The Official Guide to the Civil War Discovery Trail, compiled by the Civil War Preservation Trust, lists it as "the only memorial to the Union (outside national cemeteries) in Confederate territory, and only one of six places in the nation permitted by Congress to fly the flag at half-staff in perpetuity (and the only one of these to fly the flag with thirty-six stars)."[50]
  • In 2006, authors Walter D. Kamphoefner, Wolfgang Helbich Susan Carter Vogel and asserted in Germans in the Civil War: The Letters They Wrote Home that it is "the only monument of its kind in the South."[51]

According to the National Park Service, the 32nd Indiana Monument at Cave Hill National Cemetery in Kentucky "is the oldest Civil War memorial in the country." The 32nd Indiana Infantry Regiment of the Union Army was composed primarily of soldiers of German ancestry. After the December 1861 Battle of Rowlett's Station, regiment private August Bloedner created the limestone memorial in the German language as a tribute to his regiment's fatalities. Also known as the August Bloedner Monument, both the monument and the bodies of those it honors are together in the cemetery.[52]

In a 2012 article for The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, physician and US Army veteran Frank Wilson Kiel sorted known facts from lore about the monument. Citing monuments to the Union on Southern soil, he names two memorials in Tennessee, Greeneville and Cleveland, as well as three others in Texas, Denison, Dallas and New Braunfels. The claim of Treue der Union being the oldest is discredited by the 1863 Hazen Brigade Monument at Stones River National Battlefield in Tennessee and the 1861 August Bloedner Monument in Kentucky. Kiel traces the trail of misinformation back as far as 1938. Accordingly, he states that there is no protocol for flying a flag at half-mast, but rather a matter of choice for non-governmental institutions such as the Comfort Heritage Foundation. The misunderstanding stemmed from personal communications between one congressman and two different individuals associated with the monument. Congress never passed legislation on the issue.[53]

See also

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Bibliography

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  • McGowen, Stanley S (July 2000). "Battle or Massacre?: The Incident on the Nueces, August 10, 1862". Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 104 (1). Denton, TX: Texas State Historical Association: 64–86.
  • "Treue Der Union Memorial Cemetery - Kendall County, Texas | Burial & Family History Records". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  • Kiel, Frank Wilson (2013). Civil War soldiers of Kendall County, Texas : a biographical dictionary (First ed.). Comfort, Texas: The Portal to Texas History. ISBN 978-0-9834160-1-2.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Shook, Robert W. "James Duff". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  3. ^ Kohout, Martin Donell. "Gillespie County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Marker-Treue Der Union Monument". Texas Historic Markers. HMdb.org. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  5. ^ "List of names- Treue der Union Monument". Comfort, Texas Heritage Foundation. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  6. ^ Pohlsander, Hans A (2010). German Monuments in the Americas: Bonds Across the Atlantic. Peter Lang International Academic Publishers. p. 16. ISBN 978-3-0343-0138-1.
  7. ^ Herzog, Brad (2001). States of Mind. Pocket. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7434-1782-2. treue der union States of Mind.
  8. ^ Evans, Brent (2010). Boerne (Images of America Series). Arcadia. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-7385-7943-6.
  9. ^ Little, Carol Morris (1996). A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas. University of Texas Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-292-76036-3.
  10. ^ "BAUER, LEOPOLD (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | LEOPOLD (CLOSE UP) BAUER - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  11. ^ "BEHRENS, FREDERICK "FRITZ" (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | FREDERICK "FRITZ" (CLOSE UP) BEHRENS - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  12. ^ "BESELER, ERNST (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | ERNST (CLOSE UP) BESELER - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  13. ^ "BOCK, CONRAD ANDREAS CHRISTIAN - Kendall County, Texas | CONRAD ANDREAS CHRISTIAN BOCK - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
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  16. ^ "BONNET, JOHANN PETER (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | JOHANN PETER (CLOSE UP) BONNET - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Kiel 2013, p. 13.
  18. ^ "BRUCKISH, THEODOR (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | THEODOR (CLOSE UP) BRUCKISH - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  19. ^ "BRUNS, ALBERT (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | ALBERT (CLOSE UP) BRUNS - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  20. ^ "DEGENER, HILMAR (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | HILMAR (CLOSE UP) DEGENER - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  21. ^ "DEGENER, HUGO (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | HUGO (CLOSE UP) DEGENER - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  22. ^ "DIAZ, PABLO (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | PABLO (CLOSE UP) DIAZ - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  23. ^ "ELSTNER, JOSEPH (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | JOSEPH (CLOSE UP) ELSTNER - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  24. ^ "FELSING, EDUARD (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | EDUARD (CLOSE UP) FELSING - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  25. ^ "FLICK, HERMAN - Kendall County, Texas | HERMAN FLICK - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  26. ^ "HERMANN, HENRY (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | HENRY (CLOSE UP) HERMANN - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  27. ^ "HOHMANN, VALENTIN (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | VALENTIN (CLOSE UP) HOHMANN - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  28. ^ "KALLENBERG, JOHN GEORGE (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | JOHN GEORGE (CLOSE UP) KALLENBERG - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  29. ^ "LANGE, FREDERICK "FRITZ" - Kendall County, Texas | FREDERICK "FRITZ" LANGE - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  30. ^ Kiel 2013, p. 94.
  31. ^ "LUCKENBACH, AUGUST - Kendall County, Texas | AUGUST LUCKENBACH - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.; "TSHA | Luckenbach, Jacob". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  32. ^ "MARKWARDT, HEINRICH (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | HEINRICH (CLOSE UP) MARKWARDT - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  33. ^ "RUEBSAMEN, ADOLPH - Kendall County, Texas | ADOLPH RUEBSAMEN - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  34. ^ "RUEBSAMEN, LOUIS - Kendall County, Texas | LOUIS RUEBSAMEN - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  35. ^ "SCHAEFER, CHRISTIAN (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | CHRISTIAN (CLOSE UP) SCHAEFER - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  36. ^ "SCHIERHOLZ, LOUIS - Kendall County, Texas | LOUIS SCHIERHOLZ - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  37. ^ "SCHREINER, AIME - Kendall County, Texas | AIME SCHREINER - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  38. ^ "STEVES, HEINRICH - Kendall County, Texas | HEINRICH STEVES - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  39. ^ "STIELER, HEINRICH "HENRY" - Kendall County, Texas | HEINRICH "HENRY" STIELER - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  40. ^ "TAYS, FREDERICH "FRITZ" - Kendall County, Texas | FREDERICH "FRITZ" TAYS - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  41. ^ "TELGMANN, WILHELM - Kendall County, Texas | WILHELM TELGMANN - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  42. ^ "VATER, ADOLPH - Kendall County, Texas | ADOLPH VATER - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  43. ^ "VATER, FRIEDRICH "FRITZ" - Kendall County, Texas | FRIEDRICH "FRITZ" VATER - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  44. ^ "WEIRICH, MICHAEL - Kendall County, Texas | MICHAEL WEIRICH - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  45. ^ "WEISS, FRANZ - Kendall County, Texas | FRANZ WEISS - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  46. ^ "WEISS, MORITZ (CLOSE UP) - Kendall County, Texas | MORITZ (CLOSE UP) WEISS - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  47. ^ "WEYERSHAUSEN, HEINRICH "HENRY" - Kendall County, Texas | HEINRICH "HENRY" WEYERSHAUSEN - Texas Gravestone Photos". texasgravestones.org. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  48. ^ "Nueces, Battle of the". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  49. ^ Mendoza, Alexander; Grear, Charles David (2012). Texans and War: New Interpretations of the State's Military History. College Station, TX: Texas A & M University Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-60344-124-7.
  50. ^ Civil War Preservation Trust (2008). Civil War Sites: The Official Guide to the Civil War Discovery Trail. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press. p. 310. ISBN 9780762744350.
  51. ^ Kamphoefner, Walter D.; Helbich, Wolfgang; Vogel, Susan Carter (2006). Germans in the Civil War: The Letters They Wrote Home. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. p. 437. ISBN 978-0-8078-3044-4.
  52. ^ "Cave Hill National Cemetery Louisville, Kentucky". nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  53. ^ Kiel, Frank Wilson (January 2012). "Treue der Union: Myths, Misrepresentations, and Misinterpretations". The Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 115 (3). Texas State Historical Association: 282–292. doi:10.1353/swh.2012.0004. JSTOR 41617001. S2CID 143613462.
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