Rebel - KGC
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I'm glad you brought this up Rebel! William M. Gwin a man that I have spoke about on several threads was involved with just what you are asking about. Gwin returned east to New York on the same ship as Edwin Vose Sumner (commander of the Union Army's Department of the Pacific) and Mikhail Bakunin - an acquaintance of Joseph Heco. Sumner organized Gwin's arrest along with two other secessionist sympathizers but President Abraham Lincoln intervened for his release. Gwin sent his wife and one of his daughters to Europe returning himself to his plantation in Mississippi. The plantation was destroyed in the war and Gwin, a daughter, and son fled to Paris. In 1864 he attempted to interest Napoleon III in a project to settle American slave-owners in Sonora, Mexico. Despite a positive response from Napoleon III, the idea was rejected by his protégé, Maximilian I, who feared that Gwin and his southerners would take Sonora for themselves. Mr. Gwin owned the biggest mother load of gold in California history! He has a very interesting burial monument too.
William M. Gwin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William McKendree Gwin (1805 - 1885) - Find A Grave Memorial
Great thread!![]()
Rebel that was a good read and very interesting. If they moved to Brazil as you state then the language of choice would be Portuguese. Even today Portuguese is the language of Brazil. Not to say that some didn't learn Spanish and there are a lot of Texans that are fluent in Spanish. Billy the Kid was bilingual and there were many gauchos (Mexican Cowboys) that worked cattle in Texas and New Mexico. No doubt that these CONFEDERADOS Rebels left and grew cotton and some even took there slaves with them. But not enough to make a difference.
The area of Texas that I live in was never part of the Mexican territory. It was and many still claim a part of France. Even thou that the Spanish, French, and Americans Lay claim to this part of the state. There were many of the Texans that were apart of the Texas Revolution and stood with Sam Houston that settled here because of grants by Houston that he may or may not have had the right to grant. There is a 20 to 30 mile strip of land that runs from Texarkana to St Augustine Co. Called no mans land. It was part of the Moderator/ Regulator war. Lots of history and you have to sift the wheat from the chaff when it comes to some of the stories. The interesting thing for me is that every little town has a Baptist Church and ether a Methodist or Presbyterian Church and a Masonic Lodge that is at least a Century or more old or older with lodge numbers below 150. Avenger ,Texas is a classic example. a bar, restaurant , meat market, gas station, Fresh fruit and vegetable stand in the summer, two churches, and a Masonic lodge. Don't blink or you will miss the whole town. Avinger, Texas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spanish, Outlaw, Civil War, K.G.C. and even Pirate treasure tales are all over this part of the state of Texas. Fun stuff. As they say I wasn't born here but got here as fast as I could.
Senior Deacon
S.D. I live in L.A (lower Alabama) and know of about 3 different spurs that served plantations that planted citrus treesThe U.P., The T & P, Burlington Northern, Milwaukee Road, A.T. & Santa Fe. Boy L.C. you just might have opened a big can of worms. Look at where they headed to after the War. Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The railroads were the key in the early days of fast travel. Not only for moving people and troops but also freight of all kinds. The thing that we need to keep in mind is what a way to make and launder money. The first railroad in Texas was started a Mile south of my home at Swanson's Landing. It was the start of the Texas and Pacific Railroad. There were many Lumber and Turpentine camps in our area and needed a way to get timber and spirits to a port. I could write half the night away to tell you all ( That's Y'all in Texan ) about the transportation system in Harrison county alone.
S.D.
The U.P., The T & P, Burlington Northern, Milwaukee Road, A.T. & Santa Fe. Boy L.C. you just might have opened a big can of worms. Look at where they headed to after the War. Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The railroads were the key in the early days of fast travel. Not only for moving people and troops but also freight of all kinds. The thing that we need to keep in mind is what a way to make and launder money. The first railroad in Texas was started a Mile south of my home at Swanson's Landing. It was the start of the Texas and Pacific Railroad. There were many Lumber and Turpentine camps in our area and needed a way to get timber and spirits to a port. I could write half the night away to tell you all ( That's Y'all in Texan ) about the transportation system in Harrison county alone.
S.D.
10claw I live in deep east Texas and we still go into the old growth forest and can find fat wood or liter. I always carry a hawk with me when I go out squirrel hunting for harvesting a chunk of fat wood. As I heat my house with wood I use it to light the fire. Couple of pieces of it and the fire is going nicely. So know exactly what you are talking about.
The old railroad beds can be hard to locate. I looked for one about a month before it occurred to me that the tracks ran right on top of the road I was driving on. One part of it I still am amazed at. They took two sharp turns to take advantage of not only gravity but also the little valley and only crossing the one creek and avoiding another. The early pioneers would build roads along Indian trails. Railroads built beds and made grades to keep running when the water was high and the roads were muddy. Ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
S.D.
Rebel the first RR in our,neighborhood was oxen drawn. It wasn't until after the war that it we got steam engines. It would be impossible not to have tracks close to water around our area. Our area is Minnesota south. There is as a small lake , stream, creek, or pond every two miles. Wood to fire the engines were never a problem. One of the reasons that Marshall, Texas had a powder mill was the amount of wood to make into charcoal. At that time in history cotton was king. More cotton was raised in this part of Texas than any where else. We had six landings on Big Cypress Bayou. Four of them had warehouses, one was a rail head, two were on direct roads to a major ports or cities, two were major suppliers of wood for steamboat trade with overnight lodging.
Here it is more of keeping the tracks dry than to need water or wood or coal. The problem persists to this day. I can't get out of my road and it will be a week before I do. I live in the middle of a swamp, water on three sides of me most of the year. Right now it is on four sides of me. My wife's family fishing camp is still under a foot of water and has been that way for a while. And we are 155 years after the war. Some things never change it is just the way it is. Don't get me wrong I love it out here. You just have to be hardy, crazy, or different to live where I do. Me I love the fishing, and hunting.
S.D.