The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-22

THE EIGHTEEN FORTY-NINERs.
An exchange noticing the death of a
prominent German-American citizen speaks
of him as IAN eighteen forty-niner." There
are two classes of men who come under
that designation, though from very differ
ent causes. and both are being rapidly dim
inished by death. One class is composed
gold seekers to California in 1919. The
world has never seen such a migratory
rush as that was, and may never see its
like again. The discovery of gold in Aus
tralia, two years later, caused somewhat
similar rush to that country, but it was not
marked by the dramatic features of the
other one. Gold was discovered in Cali
fornia in the spring of 1S4S. Reports of
the discovery reached "the States in Sep
TENDER of that year, but were not fully
confirmed till several months later BY
the time the spring of 1S49 opened the rush
began by land and sea. 1t is estimated
that during the summer and fall Of 1919
from 10000 to $1,000 persons crossed the
plains. while about 5000 made the sea voy-
age around Cape Horn. The overland emf
grants were principally from the Western
and central Western States. while those
from the East went by the sea route. Both
Journeys were very different then from
what they are now, and involved hardships
and perils Of which the present-day trav-
eler knows nothing, save from history or
hearsay. The trip across the plains. ac-
complished with OK or mule teams, gener-
ally the former, was exceedingly tedious
and accompanied by many perils. Most
of those who made 1t have passed away,
treat to meet one and hear him tell about
the maddest rush for gold the world ever
knew, all of which he saw and part of
which he was.
The other class of eighteen forty-niners
are the Geyman-Americans who came to
the United States after the unsuccessful
revolution of 1S49. They were virtually
exiled from Germany, and that country's
loss was Americas gain. The rush to Cali
fornia was for gold. but that of Germans
must be admitted that many of the emil
grants of 1S49 were seeking a place of safe
ty. The exodus brought to this country
a large number of Germans who subse-
quently became prominent in American his
tory or leading and respected citizens in the
communities where they settled Carl
Schurz student at the time of the un-
successful revolution, served in the Baden
army. Franz Sigel. a distinguished general
in our civil war. was one of the leaders
Of the German uprising. General Blenker,
who protected the Union rear at the first
battle Of Bull Run. was one of the exiles of
40. General Schimmelpfennig, a brigadier
at Gettysburg, was another. Peter Joseph
Osterhaus, who fought NIT Sigel," and
Frederick Hecker, one of the eloquent cam
1856. who won his way to brigade in the
civil war, were in the same class. Ludwig
Brentano, afterward Michigan farmer, Chi
cago lawyer, editor, state legislator, con-
gresham and United States consul at Dres-
den, was an 1s49-er. Oswald Ottendorfer,
list of New York, present proprietor of the
Staats-zeitung. was another. When the
revolution failed young Ottendorfer, threat
ened with capital punishment fled from
Germany to Switzerland and thence to the
United States. George Schneider, of Chi
cago. journalist, banker and man of pub
lie affairs, is another. When he came to
this country in 1S49 he started a paper in
st. Louis which was the first anti-slav-
cry paper published in a slave State He is
Chicago, has held important public Offices,
has been delegate to several Republican
national conventions, was United States
minister to Switzerland, director of the
Chicago worlds fair. etc. The German 1s49-
ers were men who made their mark. The
list of notable men among them might be
greatly extended, and the number who be-
came respected citizens without achieving
national reputation Is still greater. Many
of them came West. quite a number to In
diana, settling generally in the larger
towns. where they found some German as
sociates- There had been comparatively
little German immigration to this country
before they came, and the United States
has never received a better class of immi-
grants than they proved to be. Like the
forty-niners of the California gold rush,
they. too. have their "reminiscences, though
of a very different kind. In few years
! there will not be survivor of either class.