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Life
& Times of a Goliad Survivor
by Murray Montgomery |  |
Not
long ago, we included in this column the account of the Goliad
massacre as told by Herman Ehrenberg - he was one of the survivors.
I became interested in Ehrenberg's story and decided to see what I could find
out about this immigrant from Prussia. As I often do when searching for
information on Texas history, I turned to The Handbook of Texas to find the answers
to my curiosity about Ehrenberg's life. What I found out about this man and his
exploits truly amazed me.
Herman Ehrenberg immigrated to New York in
1834 and by October of 1835, he had joined up with the New Orleans Greys
and was on his way to Texas. It is quite possible that he was in Gonzales
at the time that "first shot" was fired at Mexican soldiers and sparked the Texas
Revolution. We do know that he participated in the siege of Bexar in
December of 1835.
After spending the winter of 1835 inside the Alamo,
Ehrenberg and a group of the "Greys" struck out for Matamoros, but after arriving
at Goliad they
decided to join Fannin's command. That decision proved fatal for most of the men,
as they were murdered by Mexican troops on March 27, 1836. But the 20 year-old
Ehrenberg made a run for it and although a Mexican soldier slashed him across
the head with a sword, he still made it to the San Antonio River and short-lived
freedom.
After escaping from Goliad,
Ehrenberg wandered around seeking shelter in abandoned homes in the area. It is
interesting to note that the young man could have avoided all the misery he endured
at Goliad because
the Mexicans offered all captured Germans the opportunity to join their cause
- Ehrenberg refused the offer saying that he considered himself a Texan.
Ehrenberg was free from the Mexicans but without food, in a hostile country, he
decided to try another plan. He posed as a Prussian traveler seeking protection
and turned himself over to the Mexican army. General Urrea took a liking to the
boy and allowed him to accompany the troops to Matagorda. It was here that word
came of the battle at San Jacinto and the
capture of Santa Anna. As Urrea's army began its retreat to Mexico,
Ehrenberg escaped again and this time for good. |
And
now for the rest of the story
Ehrenberg was discharged from the Texas army on June 2, 1836. He returned to Germany
and studied mining at Freiburg University. The 1840s found him teaching English
at Halle University and returning to the United States in 1844 in time to join
up with a group of fur trappers who were headed to Oregon from St. Louis.
In 1845, Ehrenberg left Oregon and sailed to Hawaii. The government there
hired him to survey their streets and draw a map of Honolulu. During this venture
he visited many Polynesian islands, including Tahiti. By 1846, he was in California
and participated in the Mexican War where he helped rescue some captured
Americans.
Ehrenberg's adventures continued, as he participated in the
California gold rush in 1848-1849. He was involved in the Gadsden Purchase
in 1854 and is said to have made the first map of the purchase. This was the United
States' acquisition of part of southern New Mexico and Arizona. In 1855 he was
hired to survey the town of Colorado City, Arizona, and in 1856 he, along with
Charles Poston, established the headquarters of the Sonora Exploring and Mining
Company at Tubac, Arizona.
From 1863 to 1866, Ehrenberg was an Indian
agent for the Mojaves on the Colorado River Reservation. Ehrenberg Peak
in the Grand Canyon National Park is named after him. During his lifetime
he compiled many important and historic maps. He wrote articles for Mining Magazine,
Journal of Geology, and Arizona Weekly. He also published articles about his experiences
in Texas during the battle of Coleto and the Goliad
massacre. Mineral City, Arizona, was renamed Ehrenberg in his
honor. And Senator Barry Goldwater called him, "one of the greatest surveyors
and map makers ever to visit the Western United States." Hermann Ehrenberg was
an extraordinary man who survived the horrors of
Goliad to go on to leave his mark on his adopted country. He spent his life
as a bachelor and although he survived several wars, fate turned against him on
October 9, 1866, when he was robbed and murdered near the site of present-day
Palm Springs, California.
Copyright Murray
Montgomery
Lone Star Diary >
March, 2001 Column
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