Civil War Battle In Bear Creek Pioneers Park

[Reefmonkey]

I came across a ludicrous-sounding claim that a Civil War battle was fought on land that is now part of Bear Creek park:

Quote

Haunted Patterson Road in Houston, Texas, is next to Bear Creek Park between Highway 6 and Eldridge Road. [Google Maps: Patterson Road - Bear Creek Park]

It follows the route used by Civil War soldiers who fought in a battle that took place in the southeastern quadrant of Bear Creek Park. According to folklore, those soldiers' ghosts still march along Patternson Road at night.

http://www.hollowhill.com/tx/patterson2.htm

The claim comes from a website on supposedly haunted places in Houston, which makes its claim even more dubious. And of course I could find nothing anywhere that would corroborate such a silly claim.

I'm just curious if this is a complete and utter fabrication and nothing at all happened on the site, or is it instead some gross distortion of an event that did actually happen? For instance, I know that the land in question was once the site of a German settlement, and that Germans remained strongly Unionist during the Civil War, and some were killed for it. I believe there was some sort of massacre of German Unionists in the Hill Country at the beginning of the war. Could there have possibly been some kind of riot or skirmish between German farmers and other Texans who supported the CSA at this site? Anyone heard anything like that?

[dbigtex56]

I came across a ludicrous-sounding claim that a Civil War battle was fought on land that is now part of Bear Creek park:

http://www.hollowhill.com/tx/patterson2.htm

The claim comes from a website on supposedly haunted places in Houston, which makes its claim even more dubious. And of course I could find nothing anywhere that would corroborate such a silly claim.

I'm just curious if this is a complete and utter fabrication and nothing at all happened on the site, or is it instead some gross distortion of an event that did actually happen? For instance, I know that the land in question was once the site of a German settlement, and that Germans remained strongly Unionist during the Civil War, and some were killed for it. I believe there was some sort of massacre of German Unionists in the Hill Country at the beginning of the war. Could there have possibly been some kind of riot or skirmish between German farmers and other Texans who supported the CSA at this site? Anyone heard anything like that?

I don't have any specific knowledge of any skirmish which may have happened on this site. However, what little I know of the Civil War leads me to believe that the armies were not the cohesive units we deploy in modern times. There were many splinter groups and disorganized fighting was rampant.

An account can be found in Mark Twain's The Private History of a Campaign That Failed. Even if you're not interested in the Civil War, this is a poignant story well worth reading.

[TheNiche]

There may be some truth to the Bear Creek story, but I'm not aware of it specifically.

Union military forces skirmished and occupied posts along the coast and along the lower Rio Grande in support of blockade efforts, however would not have made it as far inland as the Bear Creek area.

Vigilantism was positively rampant in Texas during the Civil War and onward into the Reconstruction Era. The Nueces Massacre (which you referred to) was one of the low points of the Civil War in Texas, however violence between secessionists and anti-secessionists was widespread. North Texas had it worse than anywhere, and there weren't many Germans up there to feel as though they were persecuted on the basis of ethnicity. It mostly broke along occupational lines, farmers versus ranchers. But oftentimes, vigilantism was just a convenient excuse for organized banditry against a political minority.

[Urban Commando]

To be blunt, I am familiar with this story and it is "supposedly" linked to paranormal activity on Patterson Road between Eldrich and Hwy 6 and the bridges across Langham Creek.

I worked in that area for a good long while and drove down Patterson in all kinds of conditions and in day, evening, and middle of the night...in regards to the "ghosts" I would venture to say that the "spooks" that hang around out there aren't ghosts at all, but still QUITE dangerous!

In regards to this "Civil War Battle", I find this story to be dubious and more of an urban legend than anything. If there was any fighting around there it would've been between the settlers and the indians or bandits! I seriously doubt ANY military conflict occurred in that area

The NEAREST actual Civil War battle was at Galveston.

[kylejack]

Did you just use a racial slur?

[FilioScotia]

To be blunt, I am familiar with this story and it is "supposedly" linked to paranormal activity on Patterson Road between Eldrich and Hwy 6 and the bridges across Langham Creek. I worked in that area for a good long while and drove down Patterson in all kinds of conditions and in day, evening, and middle of the night...in regards to the "ghosts" I would venture to say that the "spooks" that hang around out there aren't ghosts at all, but still QUITE dangerous! In regards to this "Civil War Battle", I find this story to be dubious and more of an urban legend than anything. If there was any fighting around there it would've been between the settlers and the indians or bandits! I seriously doubt ANY military conflict occurred in that area. The NEAREST actual Civil War battle was at Galveston.

I'm with you, but, it's worthwhile to remember that the surrender at Appomattox only ended the fighting between the Union and Confederate armies. For months, even years, after April of 1865, the war continued all over the south on an "unofficial" basis between scattered Unionists and scattered Seceshes. They didn't stop hating and killing each other just because Lee and Grant agreed to end it. In Texas, there were any number of people who never supported Secession. In fact I'm proud to say I live in an East Texas County that voted overwhelmingly against it. Where is all this going?

We know there are no records of an actual battle in Harris County. But I believe it's probable that at some point after 1865, there might have been a noteworthy feud and gunfight between some unregenerate unreconstructed Confederates and some Unionists. We know a large number of German immigrants lived in the area now known as Bear Creek and the Addicks Reservoir, and they never supported Secession. I'm theorizing that a drunk former Confederate picked a fight with one of those Germans one night. It led to shooting, and one or more people were killed. Over time as the story spread, and was told and retold, and amplified, it became a full scale Civil War battle.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

Edited September 5, 2010 by FilioScotia

[acamarillo]

It's also possible that the story was confused with Spring Creek Park and embellished. Spring Creek Park was the site of a Confederate gunpowder mill that exploded resulting in three deaths. An account of this is available from the Klein ISD site. Maybe this was the origin of the "battle"

Edited September 6, 2010 by acamarillo

[FilioScotia]

It's also possible that the story was confused with Spring Creek Park and embellished. Spring Creek Park was the site of a Confederate gunpowder mill that exploded resulting in three deaths. An account of this is available from the Klein ISD site. Maybe this was the origin of the "battle"

Yes that is another possibility.

I think we agree there is a "myth" about a Civil War battle somewhere in west or north Harris County. Like most myths, there's a kernel of truth somewhere in it. And I also think we agree that in all probability, it was a minor neighborhood fight between one or more unreconstructed rebels and one or more unionists.

In the telling and retelling over the decades, it grew into a full scale Civil War battle.

[Cemeterywolf]

In the early 1850's a Stage Coach Inn was established about 75-100 yards south of the gully in what is now Mangum Manor Park and most of the back yards of the houses that back up to the park from Poinciana. This was part of the Stage line from San Antonio to Houston. During the Civil war there was a battle of Bear Creek where 5 Yankee soldiers were killed. The stage came through that area just after the battle. They stopped the stage and put the dead soldiers on to be taken to the Inn for burial. They were buried under the big oak trees that are by the Tennis court.

By Jean West/2009

99th Illinois Infantry

September 8,1862 was sent to Rolla, Mo., thence, September 17, to Salem, Dent county, thence, November 20, to Houston, Texas. Was assigned to the Brigade of Brigadier General Fitz Henry Warren. Was engaged in a skirmish at Bear Creek, losing 1 killed, 4 wounded and 1 taken prisoner.

I guess the 4 wounded died and made 5 dead Union Soldiers.

GEW/2012

Edited October 14, 2012 by Cemeterywolf

[acamarillo]

A squad of Yankee soldiers running around Texas in 1862 without major notice being taken seems very unlikely to me, so I did some quick google searching and came up with the following.

In 1862 Fitz Henry Warren was assigned to Missouri.

In Missouri, there is a town of Houston in Texas county.

About 100 miles from Houston, Texas county, Missouri, is an area called Bear Creek, Missouri, at least on current day Google Earth.

To me, that seems a more likely area for this skirmish than to think they managed to move from Missouri to Bear Creek here in Houston, TX.

Edited October 15, 2012 by acamarillo

[GEM]

HUH.................?

[brijonmang]

A squad of Yankee soldiers running around Texas in 1862 without major notice being taken seems very unlikely to me, so I did some quick google searching and came up with the following.

In 1862 Fitz Henry Warren was assigned to Missouri.

In Missouri, there is a town of Houston in Texas county.

About 100 miles from Houston, Texas county, Missouri, is an area called Bear Creek, Missouri, at least on current day Google Earth.

To me, that seems a more likely area for this skirmish than to think they managed to move from Missouri to Bear Creek here in Houston, TX.

Impressive work. The Civil War is very fascinating to me as it sounds like it is to a lot of people here. It is hard to imagine having any kind of actual battle in this area. I think I tend to agree with Filioscotia in thinking there may have been a little skirmish that grew in size over the years. Either way, something I didn't know before!

[FilioScotia]

It's also worth remembering how common the name "Bear Creek" is. There's the one in west Harris County, and I know of at least two more "Bear Creeks" near where I live in East Texas. To say there was a battle at "Bear Creek" is a bit like saying there was a car accident on the Interstate. Which one?