The Nueces Massacre, also known as the Massacre on the Nueces, was a violent confrontation between Confederate soldiers and Texas Germans on August 10, 1862, in Kinney County, Texas U.S. Many first-generation immigrants from Germany settled in Central Texas in a region known as the Hill Country. They tended to support the United States and were opposed to slavery. Because of these sentiments, the Confederate States of America imposed martial law on Central Texas. A group of Germans, fleeing from the Hill Country to Mexico and onward to U.S.-controlled New Orleans, was confronted by a company of Confederate soldiers on the banks of the Nueces River. The ensuing German defeat represented an end to overt German resistance to Confederate governance in Texas, but it also fueled outrage among the German-Texan population. Disputes over the confrontation and the efficacy of Confederate actions after the battle, according to historian Stanley McGowen, continue to plague the Hill Country into the 21st century.
Quick Facts Date, Location ...
Nueces Massacre |
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Part of the American Civil War |
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Date | August 10, 1862 |
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Location | Nueces River |
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Result |
Confederate victory, execution or flight of all German Texans |
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Belligerents |
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Confederate States of America |
Texas-German Unionists |
Commanders and leaders |
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Hamilton Bee, James Duff, Colin McRae |
Fritz Tegener |
Strength |
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96 |
61 |
Casualties and losses |
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2 dead, 18 wounded |
37 dead, unknown wounded and fled |
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