Otto G Hintz 1842 - 1918 A case of Mistaken Identity?

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    Otto Hintz was called "The man nobody knew too much about". Even now with access to so many records there is only basic info when it comes to his life before moving to the Tonawandas. He was born In Germany in 1842. That's about all we know. 
    
    In 1963 it was decided that during a memorial day service at City Cemetery that a rebel flag would be placed at Otto;s grave. It was such a big deal they had A representative of the governor of North Carolina come for the ceremony. A big deal of it was made of giving this man proper representation of his service.... but had they?
    How could he had been a member of GAR if he had fought for the South?  The Grand Army Of The Republic was for Union veterans only. Could he have been captured and switched sides? It did happen... The answers were always right there in the census and military records of Private Hintz. 
    Somewhere, someone saw in his GAR records that he had served in Company A of the 1st Texas Cavalry and had assumed he had been a rebel. What they didn't realize was there were two regiments of the 1st Texas Cavalry, one was Union one was Confederate. Otto like so many other German immigrants fought on the side of the Union.  
    His military records have filled in a few blanks on his life and his service. He was likely part of a wave of Germans that immigrated to Texas in the mid eighteen hundreds. His parents probably fled Germany with him after the revolutions. Large groups of Germans came to America and settled in Texas, they came to be called the 49'ers to reflect the year they fled Germany. 
    Many of the German's in Texas didn't believe in succession. They believed all people should be free, likely because of what they had gone through in Germany. Otto believed so much in the cause of the Union he enlisted in 1st Texas Cavalry on the side of the Yankees. This was considered treason and if caught could mean a death sentence for Otto. He did it anyway. 
    Otto served proudly until June 6th, 1864 when our scouting or during a skirmish he was wounded in the right arm. He was first treated in Brownsville, Texas where doctors attempted to save his arm. He was then sent to US Barracks Hospital in New Orleans where his arm was ultimately amputated. 

Medical and surgical history of the war of rebellion
1910 census says UA 

  Private: 1st TX Cavalry regiment US company A

        New York GAR Membership list 



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