TX BIOS:  R. H. Raatz
   Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress.
   
   Washington, 1994.
   
   Preceding element provides place and date of transcription only.
   
   This transcription intended to be 99.95% accurate.
   
   For more information about this text and this American Memory
   collection, refer to accompanying matter.
   
   U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore
   Project, Life Histories, 1936-39); Manuscript Division, Library of
   Congress.Copyright status not determined.
   
   0001
   
   Richard Lamb Austin, Texas INTERVIEW WITH R. H. RAATZ
   
   R. H. Raatz, 602 West 14th, born Austin, December 29, 1868. His
   father, Julius, came to Austin November 1854, was in business as a
   cabinet maker at start of Civil War; was commissioned by Military
   Board in 1861 to make powder horns for soldiers of the Confederate
   army. Farmers brought horns in every two weeks. The factory was at 600
   West 14th - torn down last year. Father had four men helping - would
   put horns in barrels of hot lard and soften them, then shape them as
   they wanted - flat so they would fit the body.
   
   He then enlisted in army and went to the front.
   
   "Daddy came back to Austin in '65. He was like a wild man, carried a
   big knife and wanted to fight on the smallest provocation. Mother
   said, if daddy didn't cool down and quit running the streets of Austin
   so wild she would go back to her mother's at New [?]. Daddy said that
   he did not know any other way to act after what he had been through,
   but he did cool down.
   
   "Mother stayed at the old shop all through war, lived on meat
   furnished by government and fruit and vegetables she raised right at
   home. At that time she had one baby boy, Otto [?], who lives at 2800
   block Guadalupe.
   
   "After (governer R. J.) Davis came with his damn Yankees, mother got
   along pretty good for daddy had always raised lots of tobacco and had
   it stored at home. The damn Yankees were crazy for tobacco and would
   trade her a whole sack of flour for any amount of tobacco she would
   give them.
   
   "Before the damn Yankees came, the 'Home-guards' (militia) would come
   around to our house every few days, like they did to the others, to
   see how mother was getting along and see what she needed, they nearly
   always brought some meat and other things like potatoes, clothes, meal
   and flour. There were lots of cattle running in the woods and anyone
   would kill them. No one ever questioned a 'Home-guard' or soldier when
   they killed a beef.
   
     NOTE: C. 12 2/11/41 [?]
     
   00022If anybody got caught killing another fellow's cattle, the owner
   would make request for payment at the Military Board and they would
   pay off.
   
   "There was no hunger or suffering in Austin during the war mother
   said, Headquarters was here and home folks running it, and they saw to
   it that everybody got enough to eat and wear from the military stores
   and funds.
   
   "Daddy said that while he was still in Austin they got powder from San
   Antonio which would not shoot a rifle ball as far as I could throw a
   ball, nor half as hard. Daddy and other soldiers burned up most of the
   San Antonio powder.

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