Daniel Showalter (1830–1866), was a

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

miner, state legislator, duelist, secessionist, and

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

military officer in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Early life

Daniel Showalter was born in

Greene County, Pennsylvania Greene County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,954. Its county seat is Waynesburg. Greene County was created on February 9, 1796, from part of Washington County and named for Gene ...

and came to California in 1852, settling in Coulterville.

Career

Showalter became a miner in Horseshoe Bend,

Mariposa County Mariposa County () is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,131. The county seat is Mariposa. It is located in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, north of Fresno, east of ...

. He ran for and won a seat in the California State Assembly 6th District in 1857–1858 and 1861–1862. In 1861, he voted against a state resolution for California to stay in the Union (which passed the assembly). During the vote, Charles W. Piercy prevented him from saying why he was opposed to it. The two men argued and Piercy challenged him to a duel. Despite dueling being officially illegal in California at the time, it proceeded nonetheless on Saturday afternoon, May 25, 1861, near the residence of

Charles S. Fairfax Charles Snowden Fairfax, 10th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (March 8, 1829 – April 4, 1869) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician of California. He held a Peerage of Scotland, Scottish peerage. Fairfax was lured we ...

, three miles west of San Rafael in Marin County. The weapons chosen were rifles, to be fired at a distance of forty yards. The first fire was ineffective and Showalter demanded another. On the second fire, Showalter shot Piercy in the mouth and killed him. This was the last of the duels between political figures in California. Now a fugitive as a result of the duel, Showalter made his way south to Los Angeles County, joining with friends and fellow secessionist sympathizers who wanted to go east to join the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. This party was caught at Minter Ranch on November 29, 1861, by a 1st California Cavalry Regiment patrol under Second Lt. C. R. Wellman from Camp Wright, in the mountains southwest of the

Warner's Ranch Warner's Ranch, near Warner Springs, California, was notable as a way station for large numbers of emigrants on the Southern Emigrant Trail from 1849 to 1861, as it was a stop on both the Gila River Trail and the Butterfield Overland Mail stag ...

, in the San Jose Valley of eastern

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...

. On December 10, fearing a large rescue party was coming from El Monte, the commander of Camp Wright sent them under guard to

Fort Yuma Fort Yuma was a fort in California located in Imperial County, across the Colorado River from Yuma, Arizona. It was on the Butterfield Overland Mail route from 1858 until 1861 and was abandoned May 16, 1883, and transferred to the Department o ...

. Eventually they were released after swearing allegiance to the Union. Showalter then went on to Texas where he was made lieutenant colonel of the 4th Arizona Cavalry Regiment. In March 1864, Lt. Col. Daniel Showalter joined the force under John Salmon Ford and led his regiment in fighting around Brownsville, Texas, to drive the Union troops out of South Texas. After the Union troops evacuated, Showalter occupied Brownsville, June 30. When his commander, Colonel Ford, fell ill, Showalter was found drunk and unable to command the army. On May 12, 1865, General Day attacked Showalter at Palmito Hill, Showalter was drunk again and unable to command his unit and the enemy artillery caused the 4th Arizona to panic without leadership.

George Henry Giddings George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...

came up with his battalion, rallied the disorderly unit and stabilized the defense some miles east of Palmito Hill. Showalter was immediately relieved of his command of the 4th Arizona and it was given to Major F. E. Kavanaugh. After the war he went to Mexico in August 1865, and managed a hotel in

Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding '' municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip ...

Death

Showalter died of lockjaw, a result of a bar fight in 1866 in Mazatlán, Mexico.Mariposa County History and Genealogy Research site: Mariposa Free Press and Mariposa Gazette Vitals 1863 - 1923; March 10, 1866, Mariposa Free Press, DEATH OF COL. SHOWALTER.
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Showalter, Daniel 1830 births 1866 deaths Members of the California State Assembly Confederate States Army officers People of California in the American Civil War Deaths from tetanus People from Greene County, Pennsylvania People from Mariposa County, California American expatriates in Mexico 19th-century American politicians Military personnel from Pennsylvania