New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020 f the three volunteer cavalry regiments fielded by the State of New Jersey during the Civil War, Brevet Brigadier General OJoseph Kargé helped to recruit, train, and command two: First New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry (“Halstead’s Horse”) in which he fought in the Virginia Campaigns of 1862, and Second New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry (1863–1865) which he led against the Confederate forces in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Both regiments achieved enviable reputations in their theaters of operation. Kargé was a strong disciplinarian, planner, and organizer. However, he had a short temper and could rage at incompetence—often with a colorful vocabulary—but, in the main, he was respected by most his superiors, officers, and men.2 So, how did this Polish scholar-turn-revolutionary come to be associated with New Jersey’s Civil War history? Joseph Kargé was born on July 4, 1823 near the city of Posen (Poznan) in the Grand Duchy of Posen, a Polish dependency of Prussia. Joseph was the youngest of five girls and two boys. His father, Jacob, was of the landed aristocracy, known as the Szlachta, and served as a colonel in Napoleon’s Cavalry during the invasion of Russia in 1812. While his father died before Joseph came of age, he left a profound impression on his youngest son of what qualities a good officer and gentleman should possess.3 After finishing Gymnasium (secondary school) in Posen, Kargé enrolled at the University of Breslau (Wroclaw) where he studied Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855) classical philology (study of language in oral and written historical was a Polish poet, dramatist, sources), history, and Slavic languages. He then furthered his essayist, publicist, translator and education by attending the College de France in Paris (1845) taking political activist. He was serving courses in Slavic Literature in the department chaired by the Polish as chair of the Slavic Literature department when Kargé attended poet Adam Mickiewicz. It was at this time that he became a member the College de France in Paris. of the Polish National Committee, a secret society whose object was www.wikipedia.org to bring about the liberation of Poland. The country had been partitioned three times between 1772 and 1795. Its boundaries had been adjusted by the Congress of Vienna (1815), leaving it ruled by Prussia in the west, Russia in the east, and Austria in the south.4 As a member of this secret society, Kargé was to experience adventures and perils that would rival those of any fictional action hero and were later described by him to a student correspondent for a Princeton University literary magazine.5 His life as a Polish revolutionary began in 1846 when he undertook a mission to Russian Poland and was arrested as a suspected subversive and deported back to Prussia. While no formal charges were brought against him, he was ordered to serve his mandatory Prussian military service.6 Due to his status as a member of the minor nobility, he could choose where he served and elected to join the Royal Horse Guards headquartered in Berlin. Of his service in the Prussian Army, Kargé stated, “If I chose I
New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020 might call this the bitterest period of my life.”7 This was due to the fact that not only did he have to endure the normal rigors of training for this elite unit, but also his ethnicity added further burdens; for as he further stated: “I had to endure the most terrible taunts and aspersions upon my birth, character, education and loyalty; for I was generally known as a rabid rebel in spirit, though I was not known to have been an active one.”8 However, through self-control and obedience to orders, he slowly won the respect of the officers and men of the Regiment. In 1848, liberal uprisings broke out throughout Europe; then in March one took place in Berlin. Kargé deserted the Prussian Army and joined the rebels. Later when an uprising broke out against the Prussians in the Duchy of Posen, he returned home to take part in the fight to free Poland from its occupiers. For the next three years, his life as a revolutionary took on many twists and turns, including an escape from the Prussian authorities just before his scheduled I bade a execution.9 Finally, in 1851 he decided it was no longer viable to remain where defiant he could be arrested and turned over to the Prussian authorities. He went to the free city of Hamburg and covertly made his way onto a farewell to British ship. About this last escape from his—and his country’s— oppressors, Kargé stated: “The moment my foot pressed English oak them and to I turned, removed my cap and revealing my face to those whose clutches I had escaped, I bade a defiant farewell to them and to my my old life. old life. I was a free man, and free forever.”10 Kargé decided to immigrate to the United States, and with his I was a free university education, he was able to support himself as a private tutor in Danbury, Connecticut. In 1852 he married a 31-year-old widow, man, and Maria Williams (née Baldwin) at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City.11 He then opened an academy for classical studies in New free forever York City. In 1856, after the required waiting period, Joseph Kargé became a citizen of the United States. For Joseph Kargé, this peaceful and fulfilling life he attained for himself and his family was to take a dramatic change when, in April 1861, Fort Sumter was fired upon and President Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion. With his previous military training, the 38-year-old Kargé volunteered his services to aid his adopted country. As Ann Sidwa stated in her paper before the New Jersey Historical Society on this matter, “ . . . and he was prepared to serve his adopted country with no less loyal—but now wiser and maturer—energy and patriotism than he had earlier shown in behalf of his native Poland.”12 His offer was accepted, and in October 1861, he was given a commission as Lieutenant Colonel of Volunteers and assigned to a privately-raised cavalry regiment from New Jersey, Halsted’s Horse, that was eventually designated the First New Jersey Volunteer
New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020 Cavalry (16th Volunteers).13 Joseph Kargé’s time with the 1st New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry (October 1861—December 1862) had almost as many bizarre twists and turns as his time with the Prussian Army and his service with the secret society fighting to free Poland. During this early period of the 1st New Jersey Cavalry’s existence, Halsted’s Horse was a perfect example of Murphy’s Law: “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” It was commanded by a sickly, a 67 year old lawyer and former Whig (turned Republican) Congressman, William Halsted. In the main, he appointed inexperienced officers (like himself), including members of his family in key positions.14 This lack of experienced commissioned and non- commissioned officers led to a lack of discipline, military supplies, and basic camp hygiene that contributed to disease. Complicating the training regime was that not only did the recruits have to learn to become cavalrymen, they had to learn the basics of soldiering!15 Governor Charles Olden, upon receiving reports about the chaos in Halsted’s Horse, saw a way to help alleviate the problem by appointing an experienced cavalryman as Halsted’s second command, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kargé. However, the Prussian- trained soldier was not well received by most of the regiment’s officers and men—he expected them to act and behave like European soldiers.16 By mid-October, Halsted’s health had so deteriorated he secured an extended leave and returned to New Jersey to recuperate, leaving Kargé in command. He began to have the men drilled hour William Halstead (1794-1878) www.findagrave.com after hour, including Sundays, confronting anyone he deemed laggard with curses and threats of bodily harm, whether they were an officer or an enlisted man.17 With Lt. Col. Kargé’s intensive training program, life in the camp took on the appearance of an actual military unit and it was noted that “ . . . Halsted’s Horse was in good drill and discipline, better than most of the volunteer cavalry regiments.”18 The next step Lt. Col. Kargé undertook was to weed out incompetent officers, sending those whom were perceived to be ineffective or incompetent to the Examination Board of Volunteer Officers, with the result that a number were cashiered from the Regiment—including the Colonel’s son, the Regimental Quartermaster, Benjamin Halsted; along with a cousin, Major Henry Halsted.19 However problems with the Regiment continued: arrests when Halsted was charged with fraud involving Regimental funds (he was exonerated); further boards of inquiry when more of Halsted’s appointed officers cashiered as incompetent; court martials when Kargé was charged by Halsted for insubordination. These charges, however, were dismissed as “biased, inconsequential, and of a frivolous character.”20 With such drama, there was serious contemplation by the end of January by the War Department to dissolve the Regiment and send the men to other regiments.
New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020 “The battle at Cedar Mountain,” Then on February 18, 1862 the War Department of Board of by Currier and Ives Inquiry determined that Col. Halsted was incompetent and www.wikipedia.org recommended his dismissal. On the next day the State of New Jersey stepped in and authorized the funding for a Volunteer Cavalry Regiment from New Jersey, with the result that Halsted’s Horse became the 1st New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry (16th Volunteers).21 After Halsted left camp, Colonel (Sir) Percy Wyndam, a British soldier of fortune, arrived at camp as the Regimental Commander.22 Under the new command structure of two European-trained officers, the 1st NJ Cavalry renewed intensive training. After months of training and drilling, finally the regiment received orders to break camp and to move south towards Fredericksburg, Virginia. The 1st New Jersey Cavalry was attached to the cavalry brigade commanded by Brigadier General George D. Bayard, part of Major General Irvin McDowell’s I Corps.23 Due to the presence of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and his movements in the Shenandoah Valley, it was perceived as a threat to Washington D.C., so McDowell was sent to stop him. It was a turbulent summer and autumn of 1862 for Lt. Col. Joseph Kargé. On June 2nd, near Woodstock, Virginia, Kargé had a miraculous escape from death when a Confederate artillery shell landed between the forelegs of his mount, exploding and throwing both the horse and rider into the air. To the amazement of his men, he was unhurt. Then on June 6, 1862, near the town of Harrisonburg, Virginia, Colonel Wyndam was taken prisoner and Lt. Col. Kargé once again had a
New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020 “Cavalry Charge Near Brandy horse shot out from under him and was almost captured, but at the Station, Virginia,” drawn by last minute a group of his troopers rescued him.24 Edwin Forbes of the Battle of After the Battle of Cedar Mountain (August 9, 1862) Kargé was Brandy Station. www.wikipedia.org accused of cowardice and dereliction of duty by a number of officers of the Regiment; however, all charges were dropped and the Division Commander reprimanded the officers who brought them:
“I find nothing to justify these charges after an examination of the officers whose names are noted as witnesses, I was convinced that many of them mistaken the manner of Maj. [sic] Kargé, while empressé [sic], for excitement from fear. Maj. Beaumont confessed that he is now convinced that these charges were hastily made and are in fact without foundation.”25
Kargé was wounded in the leg at the Battle of Brandy Station (August 19–20, 1862). Five weeks later, even though the wound had not fully healed, Bayard requested Karge’s early return. The reason for this was that General Bayard was named commander of all cavalry forces assigned to the defense of Washington D.C. south of the Potomac. Colonel Wyndam took over a cavalry brigade in Sigel’s Corps and Kargé was given command of the 1st New Jersey to which additional units were added and his command was designated a “light brigade.”26
New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020 With the coming of the Fredericksburg Campaign in December 1862, the Regiment was stationed at Falmouth, on the northern bank of the Rappahannock River, when two events occurred that greatly affected Kargé. The leg wound that he received back in August was not healing and he asked for medical leave to return home and seek treatment. Then on December 14, 1862, his Brigade Commander and close friend Brig. Gen. George D. Bayard, died of shrapnel wounds he received the previous day. Finally, on December 22, 1862, not having any word on his request for medical leave, Kargé resigned his commission and returned to his home in Belleville, NJ.27 Joseph Kargé’s return to his home proved beneficial in healing his wounded leg and he was treated as a returning hero. On January 15, 1863 the citizens of Belleville held a dinner “to testify their appreciation for gallant services of their fellow citizen, Col. Kargé.”28 Being able to rest and recuperate, by March, Kargé began to think about returning to active service, but only with his own command. This project received the backing of prominent New Jersey politicians, along with a number of his former commanding officers. With these endorsements, Kargé petitioned Governor Joel Parker for the authority to raise a volunteer cavalry regiment. Parker agreed, so the petition next went to the War Department for approval of this new regiment, to be known as the 2nd New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry Regiment (32nd Volunteers). On June 12th, President Lincoln gave his approval and passed it on to the General-in-Chief of the Union Army, Joel Parker (1816-1888) www.wikipedia.org Major General Henry Halleck and to Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War.29 However, before final action could be taken, events in the field were to cause a brief delay in its organization. In June 1863 with the Army of Northern Virginia entering Pennsylvania, Governor Parker declared an emergency, putting out a call for volunteers to fill ten infantry and two cavalry regiments to serve for thirty days to repel the Confederate Army nearing the state. He named Colonel Joseph Kargé as Chief of Cavalry of New Jersey Militia. Following the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), however, the crisis did not last long enough to actually activate the regiments, and Kargé could proceed with the establishment of the 2nd New Jersey Cavalry. With over two years of fighting having taken place, Kargé was determined to fill the ranks with proven commissioned and non- commissioned officers so there would no repeat of the chaos that accompanied the organization of the 1st New Jersey Cavalry back in 1861. This goal was noted in the Newark Daily Advertiser: “Colonel Kargé is too careful of his reputation to surround himself in such an undertaking by any but officers of the highest standing.”30 Recruiting was going along quite well and a training camp was established in Trenton.31 On September 25, 1863 the rolls of the Regiment were complete,
New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020 with forty-four officers and 1,105 non-commissioned officers and privates. Included in the Regiment’s staff and field officers were veterans of the 1st New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry. One final note on the membership of the Regiment was the inclusion of three foreign officers. Two Prussian officers, Erich von Panniwitz and Julius von Rudophi, had asked the American Ambassador in Berlin for permission to join the Union Army and to serve in the Western Theater of Operations. Permission was granted and, most likely because Kargé was fluent in German, were assigned to the 2nd NJ Cavalry, a unit designated to serve in the West. Panniwitz was made Captain of Company L and Rudophi was appointed 1st Lieutenant. An Austrian, Sigismund von Braida, was made a 2nd Lieutenant in the company, earning Company L the nickname the “Prussian Company.”32 Having filled its ranks and ready to depart for the war, the 2nd New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry held a “Grand Review” on September 28, 1863 in Trenton. Finally on October 5th, they boarded trains and headed to Washington D. C.33 Upon arriving, they were assigned to a camp across the Potomac River in Virginia, located between Long Bridge and Alexandria, that became known as Camp Stockton.34 On November 9, 1863 they left for Eastport, Mississippi, to join Major General William T. Sherman’s Army of the Tennessee. The trip took twenty days, using both railroads and riverboats to reach their destination. The arduous trip took a particularly heavy toll on the health of the horses, where upon arrival, many were not fit for Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821- service.35 Furthermore the winter of 1863–64 was very harsh, adding 1877) www.wikipedia.org to the deterioration of the horses and the men’s health. Frostbite was of particular concern, with one trooper having both feet amputated.36 In March 1864, major changes took place in the Western Theater: Ulysses S. Grant was made General-in-Chief of the Union Armies and went to Washington DC. Major General William T. Sherman was named commander in the West and decided on his “March to the Sea” strategy, moving much of the Union forces east for the march through Georgia. There were also major changes in the organization of the Army of the Tennessee and Col. Kargé was made commander of the 1st Brigade of the Cavalry Division. With the change in Union strategy, it gave Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest—“that devil Forrest”—the opportunity to operate with impunity in Mississippi and Tennessee.37 The first major operation that the 2nd NJ Cavalry was to take part in was a plan put forward to destroy the base of operations of Forrest’s forces, but with little success.38 In the Regiment’s first major operation, the Union Army was routed by Bedford Forrest at West Point, Mississippi, and the 2nd New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry took on a role they were to provide in a number of other engagements: providing a rearguard. The reason for this was that 2nd NJ Cavalry was one of the only units in the Western
New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020 Theater armed entirely with Spencer repeating rifles; they inflicted heavy casualties on the pursuing Confederates.39 Before continuing with the military exploits of the 2nd New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry, sadly an event took place that proved to be a blot on the Regiment’s history. While based at Memphis, Tennessee, on the afternoon of March 12th, three troopers: Pvt. John Callaghan (or Callahan) (Co. H) age 18; Pvt. Jacob Snover 41, (Co. M), a married farmer with four children; and Pvt. Thomas Johnson 22, (Co. D) who were on picket duty on a road near Memphis were accused of the gang rape of Mrs. Margaret J. Brooks (married, with two young children). A court martial found them guilty and on June 10th, in front of 10,000 soldiers and thousands of civilians, they were executed by firing squad at Fort Pickering, Tennessee.40 In June 1864 another expedition to oust Forrest from Mississippi was undertaken under the command of Maj. Gen. Samuel Sturgis and Brig. Gen. Benjamin Grierson who commanded the cavalry By August contingent. In this operation Col. Kargé with his brigade was sent on a reconnaissance mission to find where Forrest’s troops were 1864 due to located. He sent back word that most likely Forrest was in Tupelo, Mississippi. The main Union army set out to advance on the attrition, the Confederates but Forrest met them at Brice’s Crossroad, resulting in another Union rout, with once again the 2nd New Jersey Volunteer 2nd New Calvary providing the rear-guard. 41 Colonel Kargé’s reputation as an excellent cavalry officer was not Jersey was damaged by the previous campaigns. In July 1864, when Grierson reorganized his Cavalry Division, he named Kargé Commander of the down to its 1st Brigade. As for the 2nd New Jersey, Lt. Col. Marcus Kitchen, who was the second-in-command, resigned his commission due to poor lowest health and Kargé recommended that the 21-year old Major J. P. Yorke be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and take command of the enrollment... Regiment.42 By August 1864 due to attrition, the 2nd New Jersey was down to its lowest enrollment of available troopers: thirteen officers and two hundred-fifty enlistees. They were part of Kargé’s 1st Brigade that also included the 10th Pennsylvania, 7th Indiana, and 1st Mississippi Mounted Rifles, with a complement of fifty-two officers and 1,383 enlisted men.43 Following another failed attempt to destroy Forrest’s forces, Kargé’s Brigade was sent across the Mississippi River to Arkansas where a Confederate army under General Stirling Price was causing problems in September and November 1864. They marched to Brownsville, Arkansas, a few miles from Little Rock. On the march they had to travel through hot and humid swamps and wetlands, taking a toll on men and horses. Colonel Kargé became so ill he was evacuated to Memphis. Thanks to the harsh conditions, the manpower was down to only about two hundred men, with no field or staff officers, and was commanded by Captain Michael Gallagher.44
New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020 Finally, on November 20, 1864 they returned to Memphis having spent eighty-one days west of the Mississippi. While in Memphis, Col. Kargé recovered from his illness and on October 31, 1864, he oversaw the arrival of replacements sent to fill the depleted ranks of the 2nd New Jersey. They were filled with one- year draftees and substitutes and the Regiment exceeded its authorized strength, with about 1,400 on roll. One problem they faced was there were only enough horses (around 700) to mount about only half the men.45 In November 1864 a new threat to Sherman’s supply line appeared in the person of the Confederate Major General John B. Hood. One part of the plan to end the threat from the General Hood was to destroy his lines of supply and communications; chosen for this operation was General Grierson. His force of 3,500 cavalrymen was tasked with disrupting operations of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, between Meridian and Tupelo, along with as much military supplies that could be found. After fulfilling their mission, Grierson raiders then turned north and on January 6, 1865 the column reached Vicksburg, with them they had six hundred POWs, eight hundred head of livestock, and about 1,000 freedmen John Bell Hood (1831-1879) following them.46 www.wikipedia.org After returning to Memphis, Kargé asked for and was granted twenty days leave and returned to his home in Belleville, New Jersey. Upon Karge’s return to duty, he was again appointed a brigade commander by General Grierson who was commanding all cavalry involved in an operation to capture Mobile, Alabama, and, as before, the 2nd New Jersey was part of Karge’s Brigade. The Confederate strongholds of Mobile, Montgomery, and Selma fell to the invading Union Army. Then on April 29, 1865, while the invasion force was in Eufala, Alabama, General Joseph Johnson, commander of Confederate forces in the region, surrendered to General Sherman, thereby for all intents and purpose the war came to an end. The 2nd New Jersey was then sent to Vicksburg where they were served garrison duty. Finally, on November 1, 1865, the Regiment returned to New Jersey and were mustered out.47 Kargé decided he would like to remain in the Regular Army; however, it was not until June 1867 that he was appointed, with the reduced rank of First Lieutenant. He was assigned to the 8th U.S. Cavalry whose area of operations included California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. 1st Lt. Kargé was assigned Benjamin H. Grierson (1825-1911) as Commander of Troop A, headquartered at Camp Winfield Scott, www.wikipedia.org located in Northern Nevada. Its main duty was to protect ranchers’ stock from Indian raids. If his time in the Prussian Army was the “bitterest time” of his life, his time with the post-Civil War Army might have been his greatest regret. Then in 1870, while on furlough in New Jersey, he met with James
New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020 McCosh, the President of the College of New Jersey (Princeton University) with the following result:
“the Chair of Continental Languages and Literature at Princeton was offered him and promptly accepted. He was glad to bring his family—his wife and two young sons—to such a residence, and to such opportunities for education and he welcomed again for himself the studies and instruction which had been interrupted by the preceding years of active military service.”48
Joseph Kargé spent the next twenty-two years at Princeton University. Of his time there it has been described as:
“His colleagues cherished the memory of Professor Karge’s perfectly transparent, trustworthy, honorable and cordial character, wholly removed from all intrigue and self-seeking policy. Reared as he had been in another land and another religious faith, then coming to Princeton from a sharply contrasting kind of James McCosh (1811-1894) existence in this country, he quickly and completely www.wikipedia.org identified himself in all substantial respects with the conditions of Princeton’s academic, social and religious life. He was a good, active citizen, and served a term on the Princeton Borough Council with steadfast regard to the interests of the community.”49
From stories about his time as a Professor of Continental Languages, he seems not to have been much different than when he was in the Army—a “by the book” disciplinarian who didn’t suffer fools easily and was not shy of making his feeling known.50 One of the amazing highlights of his time of Princeton was when he and another professor led a group of sixteen students on a geology expedition to Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah in the summer 1877 to collect dinosaur fossils.51 Professor Kargé, called the “General” by the students, went to provide a military presence in that it was only a year since Custer’s defeat at the Little Bighorn.52 On December 27, 1892, although not having been feeling well in the previous few months, he along with two colleagues decided to travel to New York City. Kargé planned to visit his son Ladislaus, a Joseph Kargé’s gravemarker lawyer with offices in Manhattan.53 While on the ferry from Jersey Author’s Picture. City, he collapsed and died. Following the funeral service, he was interred in the Princeton Cemetery.54 As a post-script to the life of this valorous and intriguing individual, during the Centennial of the Civil War, the Governor of New Jersey, Richard Hughes honored him by declaring July 4, 1962 “General Joseph Kargé Day.”55
New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020 1. Uhlan (Polish: Ulan) Polish light cavalry armed with Jersey Volunteer Cavalry problems in its early existence lances, sabers and pistols, this formation adopted by see: Henry Pyne, Ride to War: The History of the First most European armies in the early 19th century. A brevet New Jersey Cavalry Regiment, (Trenton, NJ: J.A. rank was an honorary promotion given to an officer in Beecher Pub., 1871), 17—25. Found on-line recognition of gallant conduct or other meritorious @archives.org. Henry Pyne was a Chaplain with the 1st service. NJ Cavalry. 2. For a good description of Kargé’s personality in this 16. The first major problem was that, probably through a period see: Edward G. Longacre, Jersey Cavaliers: A clerical error, two lieutenant colonels were appointed to History of the First New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry the regiment, Joseph Kargé and Julius Alexander. The 1861–1865, (Hightstown, NJ: Longstreet House, 1992), problem was resolved in that Alexander soon resigned. 14–27. For a description of the situation see: John Y. Foster, 3. William Packard, “Professor Joseph Karge, Ph.D.” New Jersey and the Rebellion: History of the Services of Princeton College Bulletin, vol. V, no. 2, April 1893, 25. the Troops and People of New Jersey in Aid of the Union Found on-line @google.book.com. (Hereafter: “College Cause, (Newark: Martin R. Dennis, Co. 1868), 409. Bulletin”). (Hereafter: New Jersey and the Rebellion). 4. Packard, College Bulletin, 26. 17. For a description of some of the effects of this training 5. E.M. Hopkins, “An Evening with Our Professor,” Nassau regime on the men, see John Foster, New Jersey and Literary Review, vol. 43, nos. 4, 5, 6, November 1887, the Rebellion, 410. December 1887, January 1888. An Evening with Our 18. Francis C. Kanjecki, Star on Many a Battlefield, Professor is Kargé’s account of his amazing life in (Rutherford, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson Press, 1980), 31. Europe as a Polish Patriot, Revolutionary and Prussian 19. Joseph G. Bilby and William C. Goble, Remember You cavalryman. Found at the Samuel Mudd Library at Are Jerseymen!: A Military History of New Jersey Troops Princeton University and online Papers at Princeton in the Civil War, (Hightstown, NJ: Longstreet House, @princeton.edu. (Hereafter: “An Evening”). Regrettably 1998), 439. Kargé did not leave a memoir of his time during the Civil 20. For the reason behind the court martial charges see: War. Kanjecki, Star on Many a Battlefield, 37. 6. By an order and law of King Frederick William III in 1814, 21. Until this point, as previously noted, New Jersey only all able-bodied males between the ages of 20–25 living funded the less expensive infantry units. Aside from in Prussian Provinces were required to serve three years their pay the troopers now qualified for the state bounty compulsory military service. $25 for enlisting and monthly family allowance $6. Pay 7. Hopkins, “An Evening,” no. 4, Nov. 1887, 199. for a private during the Civil War was $13/month. 8. Hopkins, “An Evening,” no. 4, Nov. 1887 200. 22. Bilby and Goble, Remember You Are Jerseymen, 441. 9. Hopkins, “An Evening,” no. 5, Dec. 1887, 289–295. Sir Percy Wyndam was a British officer/mercenary who 10. Hopkins, “An Evening,” no. 6, Jan. 1888, 348. (Note: served with Garibaldi in Italy. For more information on When Joseph arrived in England he met his brother Wyndam see: Eric Wittenberg, “Col. Sir Percy Wyndam,” Francis who was a Franciscan priest and both sailed for Rantings of a Civil War Historian, Jan, 16, 2008, @ America, Francis worked in German parishes in Ohio.) civilwarcavalry.com. 11. Joseph and Maria had two sons: Ladislaus (1852) and 23. Aside from being Kargé’s Brigade Commander he Romuald (1854). (Note: Out of respect for his mother, became a close personal friend as seen in a letter to his Kargé did not become a Presbyterian until her death; father in which he noted: “I trust Wyndam but I love see College Bulletin, 33). Kargé.” Found in, Kanjecki, Star on Many a Battlefield, 12. Anne H. Sidwa, “Joseph Karge 1823–1892,” 73. Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, vol. 24. If you are interested in the daily actions of the 1st NJVC 81, 1963, 247–55. (Note: can be found on-line there are on-line sites that provide the information: Civil @pole.org. This reprint was sponsored by Edward War in the East—1st New Jersey Cavalry Regiment; The Pinkowski.) Civil War Archive: Union Regimental Histories—New 13. While New Jersey authorized infantry regiments, it did Jersey—1st Regiment Cavalry (16th Volunteers); Civil War not fund any cavalry or artillery units. A federal law Index—Primary Source Material on Soldiers and sanctioned private individuals to raise regiments to be Battles—1st NJ Cavalry. under the direct control of the Federal Government; 25. Francis C. Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, 71–74. Halsted’s Horse was one. (Beaumont originally supported Kargé). 14. An exception to this was the senior Major Myron H. 26. Due to this reassignment to the defense of Washington, Beaumont who served in the Mexican War and in New the 1st New Jersey did not take part in the Battle of Jersey’s 3rd Militia Regiment at Bull Run. For a brief Antietam. It was at this time the Kargé was denied biography of Beaumont see: Civil War in the East at promotion to brigadier general. civilwarintheeast.com. 27. Longacre, Jersey Cavaliers, 126–127. (Note: Ironically, 15. For an excellent first-hand account of the First New the leave was granted in January 1863!)
New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020 28. Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, 97. 1865), 96–97. (Note: Members the 2nd NJVC were not 29. Packard, College Bulletin, 30. present for the executions, they were on the “Sturgis 30. Newark Daily Advertiser, July 8, 1863. Expedition,” June 1–13, 1864). 31. It was named Camp Parker after Governor Joel Parker. 41. For details of the 2nd NJ Cavalry in the Battle of Brice’s (Note: Regrettably the 2nd NJ Cavalry did not have an Crossroad, see: Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, eyewitness historian like the 1st NJ Cavalry did with Rev. 146–153; Walmsley, Experiences of a Civil War Horse- Henry Pyne.) Soldier, Chapter Six: Brice’s Crossroads, 75–84; also, 32. Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, 106, (see fn. 28 John Foster, New Jersey and the Rebellion, 596–597. for further details on their service in the Union Army). 42. Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, 168. . 33. According to the Absecon Democrat, October 17, 1863, 43. For an interesting look at the 1st Mississippi Rifles, see: “The regiment cost the State of New Jersey about Beau Johnson, 1st Mississippi Rifles: Mississippi’s $280,000, the sum to be refunded by the general Union Battalion in the Civil War, (Southern Mississippi government as soon as can be audited. It is perhaps University: Honors Theses, 2012). (Found the best regiment of cavalry in the service and reflects @aquila.smu.edu). in great credit on the State.” 44. Captain Gallagher who had been taken as a POW back 34. The camp was named for the Adjutant General of New in Virginia (October 1863) had escaped from Libby Jersey, Robert F. Stockton, Jr. Prison in Richmond and reunited with the 2nd NJ 35. John Y. Foster, New Jersey and the Rebellion: 590, (See Cavalry, Sadly, on December 28, 1864 he was killed at fn. 1 “An extract from the diary of an officer of the the Battle of Egypt Station, MS. Foster, New Jersey and regiment.”) the Rebellion, 589; 601. 36. George P. Walmsley, Experiences of a Civil War Horse- 45. Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, 186. Soldier, (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 46. The Grierson Raid was the background for a popular 1993), Chapter 3: “Tennessee Winter Patrols,” 29–38. John Wayne (1959) movie, “Horse Soldiers.” Wayne’s (Note: The Walmsley book is a “pseudo memoir” based character “Colonel Marlowe” was based on Benjamin on the journal and letters of the author’s grandfather, Grierson. Socrates Townsend Walmsley, who at 19-years old, 47. Joseph Kargé, who commanded brigades in both the enlisted in the 2nd NJVC in August 1863 and served until East and West, and for a while in Mississippi 1865). Walmsley’s enlistment details can be found in commanded a division, was twice passed over for Stryker, Record of Officers, 1305. promotion to Brigadier General; then in June 1865 he 37. General Grant referred to Forrest with that epithet. For was promoted to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General. an interesting look into Nathan B. Forrest’s life see: 48. Packard, College Bulletin, 32. (Note: Kargé was John A. Wyeth, That Devil Forrest: Life of General discharged from the Army on January 1, 1871.) Nathan Bedford Forrest, (New York: Harper and 49. Sidwa, “Joseph Karge 1823–1892.” Brothers. 1899). Wyeth served in a Confederate cavalry 50. Packard, College Bulletin, 32. unit from Alabama and went on to become a prominent 51. This was a response of competition in the “Ivy League” physician in New York City. due to the discovery dinosaur fossils by an expedition 38. As with the 1st NJVC, anyone interested in a detailed from Yale in 1873. account of the 2nd NJVC in the West see the on-line 52. Kargé drilled the students in the use of arms and was sites noted in footnote 24. (although Civil War in the able to receive rifles and ammunition along with other East would be West.) military equipment to outfit the expedition from New 39. Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, 160. (Note: Jersey’s militia. For an interesting description of the Among the Confederate KIA was Colonel Jeffery expedition see: William B. Scott, Some Memories of a Forrest, General Nathan Forrest’s youngest brother). Palaeontologist (sic), (Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 40. See on-line: bgill: Fold3.com, Crime and Punishment in 1939), Chapter Six: First Western Expedition, 57–70. the Civil War, (June 6, 2007). According to the article 53. Packard, College Bulletin, 33. twenty-four Union soldiers were executed for rape in 54. Note: Both Bayard (former commander and friend) and the Civil War. Also on-line see at Findagrave.com for Kargé are buried in the Princeton Cemetery. John Snover. For a first hand description of the 55. Anna Sidwa, “Joseph Kargé 1823 -1892” noted that the execution see: Lyman B. Pierce (Sgt. Regimental Color Governors of Illinois and Ohio along with the cities of Bearer), History of 2nd Iowa Cavalry, (Burlington, IA: Chicago, Cleveland, Elizabeth and Sayreville, NJ also Hawkeye Steam Book and Printing Establishment, declared General Kargé Day.
New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020