German-Americans in the Civil War

During the American Civil War, over 200,000 native Germans served in the Union Army. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. German-Americans in the American Civil War were the largest contingent to fight under the Union with New York and Ohio both providing ten divisions dominated largely by native-born Germans. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous During the American Civil War, the State of '''Ohio''' played a key role in providing troops military officers and supplies to the Union army. A division is a large Military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to thirty thousand soldiers ^[1]

1 German-American army units
2 German-American commanders of note
3 Noted incidents
4 See also
5 References
6 Notes
7 Further reading
8 External links

German-American army units

Approximately 516,000 (23. 4% of all Union soldiers) were German-Americans; about 216,000 were born in Germany. German Americans ( German: Deutschamerikaner) are citizens of the United States of Ethnic German ancestry New York provided the majority of these native-born Germans with 36,000. Behind the Empire State came Missouri with 30,000 and Ohio with 20,000. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads ^[2]

Scores of individual regiments, such as the 9th Ohio Infantry and the 9th Wisconsin Infantry, consisted entirely of German-Americans. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. The 9th Ohio Infantry (Die Neuner was an Infantry Regiment that was a part of the Union Army during the American Civil War. Major recruiting efforts aimed at German-Americans were conducted in Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Milwaukee, among many other cities.

Commonly referred to as "Dutchmen" among other Union soldiers, German-American units in general earned a reputation for discipline and ruthlessness, traits found in German military formations throughout history. Many of the Germans who fought for the Union during the Civil War had been professional soldiers back in Germany, and came to America because that was where the action was. Europe was at peace, for the most part, in the early 1860's, and many professional soldiers were out of work or stuck in the same rank for a long time. The American Civil War offered these professionals a new venue to prove themselves in.

German-American commanders of note

A popular Union commander among German-Americans, Major General Franz Sigel was the highest ranking German-American officer in the Union Army, with many Germans claiming to enlist to "fight mit Sigel. In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star General officer Franz Sigel ( November 18, 1824 &ndash August 21, 1902) was a German military officer and immigrant to the United States who was a " Sigel was a political appointment of President Abraham Lincoln, who hoped that Sigel's immense popularity would help deliver the votes of the increasingly important German segment of the population. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal He was a member of the Forty-Eighters, a political movement that led to thousands of refugees fleeing to the United States, including several future Civil War officers such as Carl Schurz, August Willich, Louis Blenker, Max Weber, and Alexander Schimmelfennig. The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Carl Schurz (March 2 1829 &ndash May 14 1906 was a German revolutionary American statesman and reformer and Union Army General in the August Willich (November 19 1810 &ndash January 22 1878 born Johann August Ernst von Willich, was a military officer in the Prussian Army and a leading early Louis Blenker (1812-63 was a German-American soldier born at Worms, Germany. Max Weber ( 27 August 1824 &ndash 15 June 1901) was a military officer in the armies of Germany and later the United States Alexander Schimmelfennig (July 20 1824 &ndash September 5 1865 was a German soldier and Political revolutionist and then an American Civil War general

Schurz was a part of a politico-social movement in America known as the Turners, which were supportive in getting Lincoln elected as President. Turners (Turner gymnasts in English are German-American gymnastic clubs The Turners provided the bodyguard at Lincoln's inauguration on March 4, 1861, and also at Lincoln's funeral in April 1865. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

Other prominent German-born generals included Godfrey Weitzel, Adolph von Steinwehr, Edward S. Salomon, Frederick C. Salomon, and August Kautz. Godfrey Weitzel ( November 1, 1835 &ndash March 19, 1884) was a major general in the Union army during the American Baron Adolph Wilhelm August Friedrich von Steinwehr (September 25 1822 &ndash February 25 1877 was a German-Brunswick army officer who emigrated to the United States Edward Selig Salomon (December 25 1836 &ndash July 18 1913 was a German Immigrant to the United States who served as a Union Frederick C Salomon ( April 7, 1826 &ndash March 8, 1897) was a Prussian Immigrant to the United States August Valentine Kautz (January 5 1828 &ndash September 4 1895 was a German-American soldier and Union Army Cavalry officer during the American Hundreds of German-born officers both led and served in regiments during the war, including Col. Gustav Tafel, Col. Gustav Tafel ( October 13, 1830 &ndash 1908 was a German-born colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War, Paul A. Frank, Col. Friedrich Hecker, Maj. Friedrich Franz Karl Hecker ( September 28, 1811 &ndash March 24, 1881) was a German lawyer politician and revolutionary Jurgen Wilson, and Lt. Jurgen Wilson (Georg Wilson''''' ( December 18, 1836 - was a German-American Union Army officer during the American Civil War, serving Theodore Schwan. Not to be confused with biologist Theodor Schwann. ---- Theodore Schwan (July 9 1841 &ndash May 27 1926 was a Union Army officer during Among the very best Union artillerists was German-born Capt. Hubert Dilger, who had been trained at the Karlsruhe Military Academy. Hubert Anton Casimir Dilger (March 5 1836 &ndash May 4 1911 was a German immigrant to the United States who became a decorated artillerist in the Karlsruhe (ˈkaɐ̯lsʁuːə population 285812 in 2006 is a city in the south west of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near

A Missouri man had once written the Confederate authorities that all they had to do to get rid of the Saint Louis Unionists was destroy the local breweries and seize all the beer: ". . . By this means the Dutch [Germans] will all die in a week and the Yankees will then run from this State.

– M. Jeff Thompson of Missouri

Noted incidents

St. Louis massacre – In neutral Missouri on May 10, 1861, Union Capt. The Camp Jackson Affair was an incident of Civil unrest in the American Civil War on May 10, 1861, when Union military forces Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Nathaniel Lyon, a Radical Republican known for his brazenness, marched a large contingent of pro-Southern Missouri militia prisoners of war through the streets of St. Louis, guarded by two lines of German-American Union soldiers. Nathaniel Lyon ( July 14, 1818 &ndash August 10, 1861) was the first Union general to be killed in the American The Radical Republicans is a term applied to a loose faction of American politicians within the Republican party from about 1854 (before the American Civil War The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service The Germans were unpopular with many native-born Missourians, who deeply resented their anti-slavery and anti-secessionist political views. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another Tensions quickly mounted on the streets as civilians hurled fruit, rocks, paving stones, and insults at Lyon's Germans, and some of the soldiers returned the favor. Shots soon rang out, killing three militiamen. The soldiers fired into the nearby crowd of bystanders, injuring or killing a large number of men, women, and children. Angry mobs rioted throughout the city for the next two days, burning a number of buildings and at least seven more civilians were shot by Federal troops patrolling the streets. The final death toll was 28.
Nueces massacre – In the spring of 1862, German Texans from Central Texas and the Texas Hill Country, mostly Unionist or neutral in their political views, were drafted in the Confederate army over their strong objections. The Nueces massacre was a violent confrontation between Confederate soldiers and German Texans on August 10, 1862 in Kinney County Texas German Texan is an ethnic category that includes residents of the state of Texas with German ancestry who identify with the term Central Texas (a part of which is Texas Hill Country) is a region (and a physiographic section as it pertains to geography in the U The Texas Hill Country is a region of Central Texas, USA, that features rolling somewhat rugged Hills that consist primarily of Limestone Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority Confederate authorities took this refusal to serve as a sign of rebellion, and sent in troops. A violent confrontation between Confederate soldiers and civilians on August 10, 1862, in Kinney County, Texas, led to the deaths of 34 German Texans who were fleeing to Mexico. Events 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday Kinney County is a County located in the US state of Texas. In 2000 its population was 3379 The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.

References

Faust, Albert Bernhardt, The German Element in the United States. German Texan is an ethnic category that includes residents of the state of Texas with German ancestry who identify with the term Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1909.
Linedecker, Clifford L. , ed. Civil War, A-Z: The Complete Handbook of America's Bloodiest Conflict. New York: Ballentine Books, 2002. ISBN 0-89141-878-4
Massacre on the Nueces River; story of a Civil War tragedy

Notes

^ answers.com
^ Faust, page 523. Quoting from an 1869 ethnicity study by B. A. Gould of the United States Sanitary Commission. The United States Sanitary Commission was an official agency of the United States government created by legislation signed by President of the United States

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
network: | |

Contents