Why was my 3rd Great-Grandfather hanged during the Civil War?
April 10, 2011
Four men were hanged at Dead Mens' Hole near Harper, Texas, on a hot Summer day in 1862!
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Sebird Henderson, an Irishman who immigrated to America in 1810, was hanged in 1862 during the American Civil War. He and three other brave men met their fate because they would not renounce the Union and join the Confederacy!
Conflicts during the American Civil War produced atrocities on both sides
Like most Americans, I learned about the American Civil War from reading history and textbooks, until I discovered that my 3rd Great-Grandfather, Sebird Henderson (1805-1862), was hanged by a band of lynchers from Confederate Colonel James Duff's regiment. Other relatives and neighbors hanged with him were Hiram Nelson, Frank Scott, and Gus Tegener.
This discovery made Sebird's place in my family tree personally meaningful and life-inspiring. He came to America from Ireland in 1810 with his Brothers. Given a choice that fateful day, he was hanged for what he believed in...and that was to preserve the Union!
Bodies thrown into Spring Creek (a.k.a. Dead Mens' Hole)
According to a personal letter sent to Texas Ranger Captain John Sansom by Sebird's nephew, Howard Henderson (shortly before Howard's death), after the hangings, rocks were tied to the men's feet before the bodies were thrown into nearby Spring Creek, near Harper, Gillespie County, Texas.
Families of dead men taken prisoners
The Confederate regiment took the widows and children as prisoners, locking 10 of them in a small, one-room cabin in Fredericksburg, where they were stricken by an outbreat of measles. The prisoners heard nothing about their husbands and fathers immediately.
Mass Grave dug by men's families
Once the widows learned that their husbands' bodies were dumped into Spring Creek, they pleaded for permission to bury the bodies. Eventually, the widows and their six children were released and taken to the site of the hangings. Although they were very sick with measles, by taking turns all day and all night long, a mass grave was dug. The widows waded into Spring Creek up to their armpits to retrieve the bodies. By this time, personal identification was impossible. Only Mrs. Scott could tell her husband's body by a missing big toe. After the bodies were placed on top of sheets and rolled into the mass grave, prayers were recited, good-byes given, and the grave was filled.
A memorial to these brave men stands today at the Spring Creek Cemetery.
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