Nassau Plantation: The Evolution of a Texas German Slave Plantation

Chapter 6. Carl Prince of Solms-Braunfels

75 ChaPter 6 Carl Prince of Solms-Braunfels About the same time as the slaves were eluding capture in Texas, Hoffmann von Fallersleben,1 a prominent German political lyricist of the forties, wrote a cycle of songs called the Texanische Lieder (Texas Songs). In them he gave eloquent voice to the frustrations and hopes that drove so many of his countrymen to forsake their homeland for the wilds of Texas. One of his songs, Ein Guadalupelied (Song of the Guadalupe), celebrated the freedom from rank and privilege awaiting German emigrants in Texas. 76 James C. Kearney In the valley of the Guadalupe Lives neither prince nor nobleman. One knows not bond service, The tithe, injustices, No rules, no bans.2 A dashing, thirty-two-year-old German prince was traipsing across Texas in 1845, the year Hoffmann von Fallersleben wrote the song; and, ironically, it was this German prince who would set the stage, more than any other person, for the beautiful Guadalupe Valley to become a destination for German emigrants. Of all the personalities associated with German emigration to Texas, Carl Prince of Solms-Braunfels is by far the most intriguing —a man who has captured and held the public’s fascination. A 1930 article in the Houston Chronicle with the somewhat lurid title, “German Prince once made Whoopee on Texas Farm,” illustrates this fascination. In it, Prince Solms is portrayed as a romantic and quixotic figure on the Texas frontier: dashing, haughty, extravagant. The quiet pastures and sturdy farm buildings of Nassau Plantation in Fayette County, near Round Top, if suddenly given tongue, would tell a stirring tale of days when German noblemen rode spirited horses to death and made royal whoopee that burned up thousands of dollars in one wild night of merrymaking.3 The prince certainly left his mark on the state. Decisions he made and actions he initiated shaped patterns of German emigration leaving a demographic imprint that endured for generations. He also gave his name to a prominent town, New Braunfels, and he caused the beautiful Guadalupe Valley, among other areas of the Central Texas Hill Country, to become a primary destination for German emigrants. Here, they left a positive imprint that defines the area to this day. The prince also left his mark on Nassau Plantation. Solms-Braunfels achieved notoriety in little less than one year— Nassau Plantation 77 from July 1844 until June 1845. His first responsibility in Texas was to make preparations for the boatloads of settlers who were scheduled to begin arriving in the winter of 1844–45 and to be on hand and assist them when they arrived. This task led him to crisscross Texas twice, for the most part on horseback, and usually at a trot, the most jarring and uncomfortable gait to sustain over long periods of time. An entourage of servants and attendants usually accompanied him on these travels, and they were often utterly depleted by the pace he kept. During these sojourns he habitually wore a regimental field uniform befitting an officer of the Austrian Imperial Cavalry, replete with feather in hat. He also made a habit of displaying the Austrian Imperial flag. The impression this created added to his mystique. As the uniform and the flag suggest, Solms-Braunfels did not leave awareness of rank and social standing behind and insisted, even on the Texas frontier, that those around him behave in a way that was standesgemäss, or in accordance with the deference due a German prince. He generally refused, for instance, to be seated at a meal with anyone who was not of his rank.4 Since there were no other princes on the Texas frontier, this meant that he usually ate alone. Some found his rigid formality humorous: General Alexander Somervell,5 who, upon seeing the prince being lifted into his riding boots and breeches by his servants, broke out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.6 Still, his stiffness did not sit well with many Anglos, or with many Germans for that matter.7 For his part, Prince SolmsBraunfels could barely conceal his disdain for the Anglo population and their democratic proclivities, and this disdain was fueled by a very pronounced pro-German bias.8 These prejudices conditioned all his decisions to one degree or another. Prince Solms’ presence on the Texas frontier in 1844 and 1845 would have been a mere curiosity but for one thing: the...