As I understand it, he employed that same scorched earth campaign against the plains Indians in that he tried to deny them their ability to procure food by shooting their horses and he also reportedly thought that the depletion of the Buffalo herds was a good thing. Don't know for sure, but wouldn't be surprised if the newspapers of the time deified him and demonized the native peoples which might have been the motivation for naming the town after him.
I knew about those German speaking folks in Texas. I think that New Braunfels is a town established by the Germans back in the early 1800s, if I'm not mistaken. I think some of the early settlers in Arkansas were also Germans and Swiss. I think they are responsible for settling some of the towns along the Arkansas River.
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