From Zwingli’s Switzerland to the American South:

Authors

• Celeste Carroll Onchuck

Keywords

Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss Reformation conflict

Abstract

“Here – here shall be my grave!” declared Rudi Gallmann, standing near Huldrych (or Ulrich) Zwingli and his comrades on the damp ground in the gently sloping Albis hills of the Zurich countryside on October 11, 1531. When the weather was clear and the sun shone over the towering Kappel monastery, one might be overcome with a sense of peacefulness, but that day, the clouds hung low, bringing light rain to accompany the winds that blew over the hillsides. Although morale was not at its zenith among the Protestant troops at Kappel am Albis that day, Gallmann and the others were resolved to face the approaching army of the Catholic cantons. The Protestants were now defending their faith against the ones they had offended as they fervently sought to advance it. Troops from the Catholic cantons of Lucerne, Schwyz, Uri, Unterwalden, and Zug advanced toward Zurich. Zwingli was accompanied that day by men from the Protestant cantons of Zurich, Bern, Basel, and Schaffhausen. Among those were three brothers from Mettmenstetten – Rudi, Hans, and Wälti Gallmann.

Recommended Citation

Onchuck, Celeste Carroll (2026) "From Zwingli’s Switzerland to the American South:," Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 62: No. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_review/vol62/iss1/2