Descriptive Summary
DeMontel, Charles S.,
1812-1882
Charles S. DeMontel
Papers
1852-1863
Materials are written in
English.
6 items; manuscript,
cartographic
Dolph Briscoe Center for American
History,The University of Texas at
Austin
Papers relate to the
career of Charles S. DeMontel (1812-1882), engineer, surveyor, guide, Medina
County clerk, soldier, sailor, and rancher.
Biographical Note
Charles S. DeMontel (1812-1882) was born in
Königsberg, Prussia, and emigrated to Texas in
1837. He met
Henri Castro and joined his employ as an aide,
guide, and land surveyor in 1839, and he led colonists from
Indianola to the Castro land grant in 1844.
DeMontel commanded a company of Texas Rangers in 1848 who camped at the site
that was later called Fort Lincoln. In the 1850s, in partnership with
John Hunter Herndon and
John James, DeMontel acquired land, plotted a
townsite, and sponsored Polish settlers in what became the town of
Bandera. He became the first
Medina County clerk and was the Medina County
delegate to the Texas Secession Convention in 1861. During the Civil War,
DeMontel served as provost marshal of Bandera and Medina counties, captain of a
Confederate cavalry company, and commander of the Confederate steamer
Texas.
Scope and Contents
Papers relate to commerce and military affairs in the career of
DeMontel, his relationship with
John James and
John Hunter Herndon, and his surveying of Fort
Lincoln, Texas. Included are letters, military orders, a map of Fort Lincoln
made in 1856, and photostats of two partnership agreements.
Access RestrictionsUnrestricted access.
Index Terms
Subjects (Persons)
DeMontel, Charles S.,
1812-1882.
Bee, Hamilton Prioleau,
1822-1897.
Castro, Henri,
1786-1865.
Gray, Edwin Fairfax,
1829-1884.
Herndon, John H. (John
Hunter), 1813-1878.
James, John,
1819-1877.
Lubbock, Francis Richard,
1815-1905.
Places
Bandera County
(Tex.)
Bandera (Tex.)
Bexar County
(Tex.)
Blanco County
(Tex.)
Castroville
(Tex.)
Indianola
(Tex.)
Medina County
(Tex.)
Palacios (Tex.)
San Antonio
(Tex.)
Uvalde County
(Tex.)
Subjects
Medina County
(Tex.)--History.
Bandera County
(Tex.)--History.
Cartography--Texas--History.
Surveying--Texas.
Forts &
fortifications--United States--1820-1880.
Confederate States of
America. Army. Texas Cavalry.
Legal documents--Texas.
Preferred CitationCharles S. DeMontel Papers, 1852-1863,
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at
Austin.
Detailed Description of the Papers
Inventory
2D55
Legal documents relating to the partnership with John
James and John H. Herndon and to Charles DeMontel's service under the
Confederate Government,
1852-1863
2J98
Map of Fort Lincoln, Bexar,
1856