A Guide to the Julius Giesecke Papers, 1861-1864, 1934-1935

Biographical Note

Born in Hanover, Germany, Julius Giesecke (1838-1928) immigrated to Washington County, Texas, with his family in 1846. During the Civil War, he served as a Lieutenant in Company G of the 4th Regiment, Henry Hopkins Sibley’s Brigade, which was largely composed of Dutch and German immigrants. Organized in 1861, the brigade attempted to capture New Mexico Territory as a gateway for Confederate occupation of Colorado and California.

Source:

Cook, Marjorie. “New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.” Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed December 14, 2010.

Thompson, Jerry. “Sibley’s Brigade.” Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed December 13, 2010.

Scope and Contents

Consisting of a diary transcript and almanacs, the Julius Giesecke Papers, 1861-1864, 1934-1935, document the experiences of Giesecke during the Civil War and the history of New Braunfels, Texas. The diary transcript (1861-1864), translated from German into English, describes Giesecke’s campaign with Sibley’s Brigade in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The Jahrbuch der neu-Braunfelser Zeitung (1934, 1935) are local almanacs or “yearbooks” published by the Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung, one of the earliest German-language newspapers in Texas

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Julius Giesecke Papers, 1861-1864, 1934-1935, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s "History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light" project, 2009-2011.

Detailed Description of the Papers