“Germans in the Civil War”
James Barnett
Not dated
Among several documents given to me by the Barnett family after the death of James B. Barnett in 2009 was the attached typed manuscript. After reviewing the document, I am confident that it is a paper prepared by James B. Barnett’s father, James Barnett, who died in 1980. It is not dated, and I have been unable to find any indication that it was published. Although it was not presented to the Cincinnati CWRT, it may well have been presented to other CCWRTs or organizations.
The elder Barnett was an early member of CCWRT and a devoted student of the Civil War, especially of August Willich and other German-born participants in the war. Mr. Barnett spoke to CCWRT on six occasions between 1963 and 1979, and wrote at least nine articles for the Cincinnati Historical Society Bulletin , including the classic account of Union generals buried at Spring Grove Cemetery, “Forty for the Union.” Both Barnetts served terms as CCWRT President. For further information, see “History of the Cincinnati Civil War Round Table: The 50th Anniversary” at http://www.cincinnaticwrt.org/data/ccwrt_history/50th%20anniversary%20historical%20sketch. html .
The attached PDF file contains scanned images of the typed manuscript with no changes made to it, so that Mr. Barnett’s final editing and notations are preserved. The type is light in some places, but readable by increasing the zoom. Included are the working copy pages of census information that appear to have been used in preparation of the article.
Daniel H. Reigle 22 July 2015
GERMANS IN THE CIVIL HAR
We a re a na tion of Dmmigrants. We all c rune from s ome place 2t some
time or other . The l a te Will Rogers, who TN'a s proud tha t some of his
<" ncestors vTere t-imerican Indians, wa. s once asked, "Did your ancestors
c ome over on the Mayflovrer?" Mr. Rogers replied, IINo, but t hey met
the boa t."
OUr na tion ,,,as settled by successive Waves of innnigra tion. Usua lly
something happened i n Europe tha t made life oppressive and a new and
better life vIa s sea rched for in the New ~.;rorld.
1 intend to discuss briefly briefly the role of nineteenth c entury
Germans in our notiona l history.
German emigra tion to the United St ~, te8 ' .... a s nothing nevT, even at t he
time of the Civil Wa r. An interesti ng s idelight con~rns a Hessian mercenary, c aptured a t the ba ttle of S,'l~ a tog a , i n 1777. His n arn e · ,... a s
Koester, spelled K-o-e-s-t-e-r. His gr2.ndson became .:< Civil Har general,
~ nd ~'l d S dispatched to immorta lity by Cra zy Horse, and the other I ndi;:nb
i.!t the ba ttle of the Little Big Horn. The family name, of course, h ad
long since been ~ ng liciz e d to Custer.
During the decAde 1850-1860, 2,598 , 214 ' irranigr,J,nts c am e to the United
St[:tes. MOst of t hem ~'lere Germans and Irish, ~vith Germ ~". ns the most
numerous . The immigrants settled ma inly in the northern s1:a tes and
augmented the l abor force in these grm·Ting i ndustr i a l centers. For sixty
of t he first seventy-two yea rs of our nat ion ~ l existence, the s outh
domin2 ted the government, because of disproportiona te representa tion.
Five sIeves counted a s three whites , i n congress ion ~J. l Clpportionment ..
Southern congressmen , noting the industrial grm-l'th of the north, ;'lith
i ts strong r e liance on immigrant l a bor , <1 h Tays voted for low tariffs , 2 •
.. ' hoping to impede northern industria l developenent . ~ut the river o f i mm i gration flo\ed on . Canals a nd r a ilroa ds h a d t o be built dnd f a rms h a d t o be developed so tha t the r a i l r oads ,lould h ave f a rm produce t o h a ul to the m,nket places . ~nd the burden of t his nec essa ry labor
\'lould be borne by the immigra nts.
Un the eve o f the Ci vi 1 '-la r t bec a use o f a series of unusua. l cir cum- stanc es the Germa n immigran t s f ound themselves h o lding t he ba l anc e of politic al power i n the Un i ted Sta tes. Their most effec t i ve contribution
'1oT8 S in the Old Northwest , the terri t ory north'lo/est o f the Oh io River, fran "1hich five sta tes and part o f a sixth ,v-ere geographic a lly a dm i tted !L- t o the Union , and fran which slavery \v-a S f or ver ba rred. The l ead ers o f the German immigran ts a dded their intellectual '\'leight t o the p opula tion elements that cmne f rom the Northea st, Ea s t , South and o t h er p a r t s of Europe.
On the eve of t he Civil Wa r 59. 7"/0 of the popula tion of St. Lo uis
~·l.::! S fore ign- born c nd one- thi rd of the popuID.tion '''a s Germa n . In
MihT8 ukee nea rly 5110 of the popula tion ~l a s f oreign- born , a nd a s i n St. Louis one-third of the popula tion wa s Germa n . I n Cinc inna ti f orty-eight per cent. o f the people '"ere immigre.nts and 25% of these
~l1 ere Germans . At this time Ohio h a d the second l a rgest n um ber o f
Germa ns of any s tate in the Union , vlith 168 ,210 Germa ns living in our sta te. New York h a d the l a rgest number , 256 ,252 whi le Pe nnsyl vania h a d 138 ,244 and Illinois, 130,804.
This influx o f Germa ns , during the 1850- 1860 dec a d e , in my judgement,
Ha s the mo st signific ant wave of immigra tion i n our country ' s h i story _
Other i mmigra nt groups were usua lly p oor and uneduc a ted whi le o nly the Germans h a d intellectua l l ea d ershi p . And these Germans were moti- vated by idea ls and ideology. An estima ted 4 ,000 German a rmy offi cers
.:l nd intellec tua ls were CllIl ong the immigra nts ~.,ho c ame t o this country during the pre- Ci vil Har p eri od . These ,,-Tere 3.
the men '"ho persuc: df the Germa ns of the north to support and fight for the Union. While in t he a my in the old country, one of their f nvori te p a stimes, ,-ras the discussion of t he origin and destiny of man , in the light of the theories o f the many gree t German thinkers
Dnd c reati ve artis ts l> many of "Thorn ,.. e re s ti 11 living.. They deba ted endlessly on the problem of being an individua l in an a uthorite ria n society, the desira bility o f ," united Germany with a constitution and &.n elect ed assembly, and h Ovl socia l i nstitutions could be re- a rranged , so as to ena ble ma n t o better control and fulfill his destiny. This da ngerous p a stime led them to become leaders of the Germ,sn republican revolutions of 1848 a nd 1849, and l uter refugees t o the United Sta tes.
The firs t a ttemp t to esta blish the first Germa n Republ ic occurred i n 1848 and 'Vm s led by two men , August Hillich a nd Frederick Hecker.
Thes e t,V'o men, i n my judgement, a r e the t wo most s ignificant figures i n Germ r,n hist ory. You C ~lO h ave Frederick The Gre a t a nd Bist ma r ck . 1' 11 t ;'lke
Willich an d Hecker.
Hecker 'Vl.3 S a brillia nt l a"'Y er f r om Mannhein Hho s e t in motion the conveni ng of a parliam ent thc. t we s designed t o bring constitutional liberties to the people of the Gennan St ,~ te s i n 1848. Willich wa s p'n officer in the Prussi .n a. rmy , " ho resigned a fter nineteen yea rs of service becau se his hunani t a.rian vievlS did no t a 1lo," him t o continue serving in a n z. rmy tha t ,,,a s designed to oppres s the p eop l e ..
Hecker "les f orced out of the parliament c t Fr ankfort bece use o f his republican vie"ls 2nd both he a nd t-lillich i'Tere f aced l ot i th a rrest becBuse of th~ir m.:J. gnetic leadership and the immense f o llowi ng they ha d St a t e s . i n the German t." . E Hillich W .l S elected the first commanding genera l of the first German republican army and if t hings ,;Tent -;lell Hecker "lould becOO1e t he George Hashington of Germany , the first president of t he first Germ ..: m republic. But thi ngs didn I t go ~., ell. Willich cnd Hecker w'ere defeated on April 20, 1848 a t a plac e i n Baden , called Kandern. But they became "'0rl d-I'ride heroes t o Germans everywh ere because they h .:. d ch :1 l1enged the kings and pri nces. After the defea t a t Kandern Hecker c rune t o the United St.s.tes t o spede on beha lf of Genncln republic anism "Thile Willich lived in exile i n Fr ance. Ano ther revo lution broke out in Baden i n 1849. Lorenz Brentano bec~e president of t his provisional republican government this ~ nd 'IH llich "ms one of the outst::mding commanding genera ls in brief 'I'Tar , which the Prussian army , numberi ng 60 ,000 men , defe-:-_ted in -bout t hree months. After the 1849 defe2t the revolutionists ,'!ere expelled from Fr ance pnd Suitzerland :J.nd Hi llich and others settled i n LOndon. Fran London Wi llich hoped to l aunch 3nother invasion of Ge rm a ~a nd t o establish . republic. The Germcns-in-exile i n London had t he manpOHer but they l ~ c ked money and their thought s then t urned t o the United Sta tes. German intel lec tuals \>I'ere sent on spe:1king t ours of the United St0tes that produced enthusiastic audienc es , but litttle c nsh. They then conc eived the idea of a ski ng every one of the 3,000,000 .Gennans living i n the United States t o contribute just one cent each vleek. This ';TQuld r a ise the tidy sum of $1,560,000 i n one year , and vrith this sum of 5. money the job could be done . But this i dea f a iled, a lso. Believing tha t their persona l a ppeara nces in the United Sta tes would stimula te the n~ess u ry enthusia sm for ano ther i nve s ion of Gennany t he I e a d~ of the revolution C3ffie t o the United Sta tes. When they got here they were disappointed. The distant Utop i a they h ad visua lized ha d d number of imperfections . among \... hich yere the Puritanism of the American people , elec tion fra uds in the l a rge cities , an d the f ac t that the governmen t \vas i n the h ands of the sla ve-holders . They found their fellm'T coun trymen living i n col onies , con tent t o b e left a l one to en joy the frui ts of t heir labor. This wa s ~n intolera ble s i t ua t ion to the Germa n refugees from the revolutions o f 1848 and 1849. In 1811 ~lhen the German Sta tes were occup i ed by Napo l eon , there s pra ng up an o rga niz<'. t ion kno'l'm a s the Tur n v ere i n~ , whic h ,,;a s 1 ed by Fr ed eric k J ahn ':7ho bee 'me knmffi as II Father John . II The Turngemci nd e , or gymna s tic s ociety , wa s ':' me eti ng p I ec e f or Gennon youth , v]here they engaged in phys ic.:;.l and ment e: 1 gymn.:. s tic G, and kept t h emselves i n re.:: diness aga ins t the d ·:1 Y "Then t he Fe. t her l.:.m d cou l d be libe r a ted . It wa s decided tha t Turner s ocieties should b e organized i n the Un ited StBt es runong the Genno't ns in the l :,rger popul a tion c enters. It was h op ed tha t this ,·;ould be the nucleis of D. German r epublica n a rmy tha t could be t ~ken back t o the o ld country i n order t o depose the mon ...... r c h s a nd s et up a Germa n r epublic. After the f iiure o f the l8 48 ~ revolutio n Hec ker h 2d organ i z ed t h e firs t Turnvereine in the United Sta tes in Cincinna ti, on N o v ~b e r 21, 1848. Wi llich , \'/ho h a d come to the United Sta t es , an d , ',1.'1. 8 t'Torking CI S 6. a c a rpenter ~. t the Brooklyn no.vy yurd, ;'Tent to IvJihT .:.1 ukee, ,,!here h e orga nized the f i rst Turnvereine in tha t city . Hillich ,,1;), 5 the prime lea der, i n trying to energize the Turners i n the United Sta tes into ~ Germf.1 n republic ,;'.n a rmy. But "lith the end of the Crime<1fi Har i n 1854 ~Vill ich h nd decided tha t it ~ l 2. S no l onger possibl e t o ests. blish <:'. Gennan republic ;:;. t th.?. t time. He wa s offer ed :J. position vlith t he United Sta tes Co ~ st a nd Geodet ic Survey and spent the yea rs 1854 t o 1858 ma ki g cha rtG of the coa st of South C a r o li n ~ . Bren tano, ha d cane to the Un i ted St2. tes =nd w.:; s eng[l ged i n e " rning his living a s a f ':UlTleI' n e cl r Kal2.ffi8 zoo, Michiga n . Hecker , who wa s a very sensitive m· n , 113 d been shocked by the bloodshed th ~ t foUoHed the revolut ions of 1848 ,end 1849, ;lnd h e d vop ed tha t hI:; Tould never ag(d n becOO1e invol ved in politica l !lction. He ~'lls living quietly, "lOrkir..g i:.~ f il tm, ne:-r Belleville, Illinois. But the Germa n s in the n orthern cities , members of the Tur~r~J~ f Ol.md thems e lves involved i n Americ a n ;:: ff ' irs , in s pite of their be;:; t efforts t o mind the ir m·m business es. About 1855 t he country 'j'L, S seized by the KnO\v No thing hys teri a ;lnd Getm<1 n col on i e s nere :ltta cke d by thugs ;:' nd o ther n on-typic:, l A m e ric ~n s . Th e Germa ns in the l a rge: cities uere f or c ed t o de fend themselves . The l ~n ou Nothing r iots c ['me on election d · ys and were designed t o keep n , t urali zed citize ns a w ~y f r an the polls. In many cities there u a s bloodshed but the Germ :.' ns defended themselves a bly. I n Cincinn ;:o ti, for ex:mtple , thugs a t tempted to crOSE the bridges ,,,,- c ross the carLll th;: t sepr,ra.ted the Germun sect ion , 7. knmm as Ov er - The-Rhine, a nd ~ 'T ere l,"epulsed by German riflemen. Contempora r y evidence revea l s the interesti ng fact tha t the Know Nothings did not ut tempt t o inv",de the territory k nown 2 S Ov er -~h e-Rhine, a second time. As the Civil Har approached, American ._ ~ ttitud es to"-:ards the Germans v a ried. To the 1(no v1 Nothing-minded, the German wa s 2. c a ri c a ture. He '-1a s .:l grotesque crea ture, ,nth a mustache tha t resembled a horse 's tail , fran ,.lh ich dripped bec.ds of beer, .=1\d whose brea th smelled like ga rlic a nd onions . His cons t ant agita tion of the s h .very question led sane to c a ll him a "freedan shrieker. " Nore t houghtful ftJTIeric ans h a d a more cha ri t a ble vieu of the Germuns . Even i f they ute heilvy food; b lack br e ",d, s dus;:ges, s .::merlcr a ut " nd dr3.nk copious qucntities o f beer , it u a s observed that they ~'lere e 2. rnest, sincere , enthusia stic, free of v2nity , una sham ed of their sentiments , full of honesty ::md kindness; idea ls; .. n d poss ess ed of a love of country \olhich they h ad tnmsferred fran their ol d fatherla nd to t heir n e1 ... one .. Among these more thoughtful Ame ricc:.n s wr-:. s em obs cure l Jwyer in Springfield, Illinois, nomed br,:'..ham Lincoln . By 1856 Lin.coln 11"aS beginning to be knmm i n Illinois as being oppo s e d t o the s pre od of slavery t o the unsettled territories in the vles t . This i s ,·,hat Linea! n h a d to s ay a bout the Germans: 'lOur German Fe1lo\-,-Ci tizens : EVer true t o Liberty, the Union , ~nd the Constitut ion -~rue to Liberty, not selfishly, but up on p rincip l e- n ot for s pe c i ~1 cl ~ sses of men , but for d.ll men ••• n Hecke r ha d hoped t o live t o the end of his d c-ys , p e" c e fully , ::, S 8. a f a rmer n e r Belleville, Illinois , but Illinois politics in 1856 engulfed h im. \.Jhen tlk first Illinois Republican st.:: te convention HilS held a t Bloomington, in Ma y , 1856 , a complete sL t e W' :S nominated for the e l ec t ions o f 1856. Fremont H 0.S the c endida t e for president and the two presidentL1 1 electors for I lli nois uere He cl~ er .~_ nd A br ah ~TiU Lir.coln . Linco l n persisted and s ucceeded in i nvolving Hecker i n the po litic" l 2ction of the day. Heckerls home h .::;. d burned Lugust 12, 1856 cnd on Sept. 14, 1856 ~" e f i nd Lincoln vrri ting him : 1I'-1e c c:. nnot dispense ivith your serv ices in this contest ( the election of 1856) a nd 'Ive ought, in a pecunia ry "ray, t o give you some reli ef in the difficul ty of h ~v i ng your ho use burnt I ha ve started a propo s ition for this 2ITl ong our friends, ui th .:1 prospec t of s om e degree of suc cess. I t is but f uir cnd j ust ; a nd I hope you \li ll n ot decline to accep t ~1h :'! t He moO'.; be c ble t o do. " At thi s time I might mention th2t the Germans ~ nd the other immigr .:mt s ',rere voting t he Democr ~ tic ticket i n the north. But the l1 intellec tua l le-lders of the German popu b .t ion ttt beginni ng t o t ak e f. BvJ .: n i nterest i n the ~ epublic .::: n p::rty. It \iould be well to mention t vo other men , '-I'ho vere no t le:, d er s of the Germi'.n revo Jutions of 1848 2.nd 1849 but "ti er i nfluenti .::: l i n sh.:c ping the politic: l views of their fellm' T-Germ u ~ One man VTc S Fr::mcis Lieber I ]ho ha d been president of the Un ive rsity of South Ca r olina , but who h "d left the s outh on. the eve of the Civil l-hr ,:o nd ha d becOOl e c h a iTIll ~ n of t he dep.:l rtment of philosophy 0-t ColumbL: University. He ,'-a s a t ''. lent ed "?riter Cl nd spenk er ··cnd h i s vi e'\';s c .;l. rri ed gre<'.. t. ,·;eight ~v ith the Ge :.:man po pul;·: t ion i il the north. . not her prominent Germ",n viA. S Judge J. D. Sto. llo , of 9. Cincinn '-t i . J udge St ~1 11 o "' ;~ l S c-, I nwyer, ,':"rii:er , philosopher ~~nd s cientist . Hi s discoveries in the fi e ld of phyoi c s l ed Einstein t o s ome of his most import a nt discoveries And opened the door t o the ~ tOO\ic age. Hecker , E' r ~- n cis Lieber end J udge Sttll 10 were on the s ide of t he ne\ql y f ormed Repub1ic2n p 2rty. Bu t i t \'Ta s n ec essary t o get ~'l i llich .:md Brentano on the t e am . Judge S t a llo ha d met ~.J'i llich in vlashi ngton , D. C. nd persuaded h im t o give up h is sedenta ry life , nth the COa st a nd Geodetic Survey. ~' und s were r a i sed nd a Gemwn- 1 C1 ngung e da ily n e"lspap er \'las established i n Cincinna t i, c a lled the Cincinna ti Republ ica n . Po s s essed of ['. brillia n t mind : fluent i n f i ve l anguages , o.nd nn excellent vn-i ter , Hi1lich b ecaiT, e edi-tor o f the Cincinna t i Rep '~\blic an . Brentano , s oon c::.ft er , left h i s f a rm a t Ka l8lTl oS. zoo, l:1 ichigdn nnd established a. Gennan- Llnguage d,:Li ly eVlsp aper i n Chicago. Th ese f i ve men , in p a rticula r, vita lized thei r more p a ssive countrymen , ::md . g1 t :1 ted long .:md h a r d for Lincoln i n 1860. They pla yed the most v it ~ l o f r o les i n electing Lincoln president in 1860. When the Civil War c ame Ge:rma ns vo lunteered by the tens of thousan ds. It h a s b een estima ted tha t there were more t h a n 175,000 Germa n s o l die r s in the Union a rmy ; consti tuti ng 10% of t he Union a rmy . Unjustl y s o, most o f the Civil Ha r publicity h a s gone t o t he 11th corps nnd i t h as b een unf avo r ~ ble . In the ea rly d~y s of t h e ";ar the adminis tra tion Ha s pressured i nto forming ,:::.n Gil-Gennnn 10. corps. It is significant tha t most Germa n-Americc ns ~;anted coouna nd of this corps t o go to Hillic h . The a ll-Germa n corps did not ma terialize but this pressure led the a dministration t o concentrate Cl ltlrge number of Germa ns in the 11th corps. The 11th Corps becmne knm·m , quite i m'.ccura te 1y, a s the Germa n corps, or f oreign legion. At the b ttle of Ch ~ ncellorsville the 11th corps gained undying Lune of the ivrong sort. It wa s ste tioned on Hooker ' s right f1.:-.nk when Stone\-m ll J c.c kson m"de his celebra ted move ·3. cross the front of Hooker ' s a rmy . And at 6 o'clock i n the evening , on H.3.y 6 . 1863,. J ackson S Tuck and curled up Hooker I s r ight flc- nk , with the 11th corps b e ,:-.ring the brun t of the e.tt ack . .... fter the ba ttl e Hooker loudly a nd publicly bL:uned the 11th corps for his defe ~l t . Ne"lspnpers picked up the story &od spread it throughout the country. The New York Times c a lled them tlDutch cmvards. " No one bothered to get the f acts , Ilhich were tha t out of the 12,000 men in the 11th corps, 7,000 \-le re !llneric:l11s, ".,nd the rema ining 5,000 Here foreign-born cnd les s tha n one- third of these .. ,ere German. Students of the ba ttle of Chancellorsville. ~ 'ri th the .::l dvant" ge of z century of hindsight,. co re gener£' lly '''.greed tha t the only real Union r esista nc e c::. t Ch.:mc ellorsvill e c'ame from the Germa n soldiers. But the impression remained throughout the w~r, ~ nd 2fter, tha t the Germans h a d run at Chi'.nce11orsvi lle, <" nd had ther efore lost the ba ttle. Hore fmIle o f the wrong sort '-las in s tore for the 11th corp s 0. t Gettysburg. On the first day they "rent into position to the right of the 1st corps. The Confederate genera l Rodes , hea ring the guns fran Gettysburg, whi le he \':as on the Ca shtmm Road, changed direc tioo 11. :md moved in on the r i ght flank of the 11th corps , forcing them b Cl ck through the town. A Union genera l rriting a f ter the wa r, reflec ted the prej udice of the day:"It's f oreign-born , f o reign- bred br ig ~~ dier s ,'rere giving Hey before t he nC! t i ves , s,voeep i ng do"m on them i n long gr1:1 y lines . " But aga i n the f ac ts ,'rere that the flanking movemen t by Genera l Rodes Hould have been successful Lg c. inst s ny corps , in the Union a nny , i n the s ame situa tion . The 11th corps held i ts position ~ '7e ll, bter, on Culp ' s Hi ll e. nd Cemetery Ri dge , but t hey Nere s ubjected to the same a buse they hnd rec eived a fter Ch a nc el10rs - ville. Som e of the o fficers bec ame 50 dis hea r tened tha t they re- quested transfer. Others suggested t h a t the 11th corps be broken up _ Ev entur 11y the 11th corps vTaS tra nsferred from the . l~y of the Potomac, combined "lith t he 12th corps <"' nd sen t to Ch :_:t tanooga . Eventucl lly the differen t regiments of the 11th corps T.re re me rged with o ther briga des ~ n d l os t i ts ident i ty. I n the \·lest there ';rere s cores of Germ::: n col onels , l i eutenant- colonels , c .:lpta ins .:-.nd sergennts \';h o, l iterally suppli ed the b c kbon e of t h e "Testern a rmies i n t he ea rly d .:-. ys o f the ~ ·i.:.: r . Hhen the 74th c.h io ,-,. s orga n i zed under the c o l onelc y of t h e c e l ebr£!. t ed Nethodist evi. ngelist, Gr a nvi lle rioody ~ Noody, wh o knew nothing a bout military m;! tters had the modesty und good p., car u ~iS 7 ''ifillt H F sense to~be .::;. s ::: ign ed 2 lieut ena nt-col onel ~ ' Tho did k noH s om e t hing. His lieutena n t-colonel " l ~l S 1exc.ln der von Sc hn,der . Von S c h r ~ d e r \'.1.5 the s on of 2. l i euten.:m t-ge neral in t he a rmy of the Duke of BrunSWick , but h .., d t o le ~ ve the old country under mysterious cir crnlst::!.Oc es . Von Schra der c ,"'me t o Cinc i nncl ti b efore the "Tu r 12. and "lorked D. S a street car conduc t or . He served c.bly .:1.s l i eutemmt- col onel of the 74th Ohio, then "1.3.5 m de assis tant i nspector senera l of the Anny of the Cumberbnd when George H. ThOOl HS t ook c cmm and of t his army. He served abl y in this pos ition through- out the \1ar . Gustav Ka emmerling, ' ·.,ho '\>lCl. S born in Prussia , '1>1 2. 9 elected c ,~ pt cdn of his mili tia comp any during t he disturbanc es in Germany in 1849. He took hi s canpany l'Ti th him and j oined August Hi llich ' s Free Cor ps, ctnd f ought under Hillich throughout the revolution of 1849. He came to Cinc i nn.:l ti where he "lOr ked in D meDt packing plant. Volunteering ~ t the outbr~ak of the Civil Wa r he became 2 c ompany commander and 600n becam e col onel of the 9th Ohio , the a ll-German regiment f r om Cincinnat i . At the ba ttle of Mill Springs , Kentucky, J anuary 19, 1862, Kaemmerling led the f i rst Civil War bayonet cha rge that dec ided this b:.:. ttle in favor of the Union. At the ba ttle of Chick- mi:lUg d t he 9th Ohi o made ~-.. deci sive chc:.rge on the f i rst day of t he battle that hi stor i ans agree s aved the Army of the Cumberland fran destruc tion. Any one '''ho has visited the Chickamauga nat i onal par k ,·rill remember the diorama in the p~.rk offic e depic ting this deci sive Bction of the 9th Ohio. Hecker , the most famous German in t he ,",orld in the 19th cent ur y , a t the age of 50 vo l unteered as a private/at the outbreak o f the Civi l War , although he i'iUS not a s oldier in the old country. The Germans of I llinois decided that this notel'lor t hy man should be .s. t least a col onel and r ai sed an entire regiment, the 24th Illinoi s, f or him t o command. Hecker l ater became colonel of the 82d Illinois. He commanded a 12. brigo.de _,t the ba ttles of Cha ncellorsvillel Gettysburg and Lookout Mo un t a in. Despite his pre-'Vl::'. r persona l friendship ~dth Li nco ln, he Ha s never promoted, never s ought f ~ vors , and n ever compla i ned . If anyon e deserved t o be ma de a brevet bri gt ider genera l a f t er the Civil We r it 1." 5 Hecker , but he did no t recei ve this h onor. No doubt , i f Li nco l n h 2.d lived, this oversight Hould not h,".v e occurred • . fter the Ha r Hecker f aded a ~'T ay a nd is s c a r c ely kno .. m t oday ., except t o h i storians. Bu t \.;e Ca n judge Hecker ' s esteem ,-mong German-l'lnerice ns, 'Then we observe his bust mounted on ;. pedestc l , s t a nding i n Ua shington Pa rk , i n Cincinna ti. No ~' ccount of Germ ,-;. ns in the Civil W.1r '·.'Quld be complete Tithout men t ion of AugUEt Willich. It is doubtful if ~n y gener a l i n e ithe r the Union or Conf ed er _ t e <'. rmy h c: d been :1. carnn :-.nding gener.:) l i n a s m ~ ny eng.:.g ement s 0:::- c '1mpEigr-s , a s h .J. d ~ Hlli ch . Yet, d e s pite h is experienc e Lnd pre" tige C' mong Germ.:1. n s o.nd amor g educ ated J...meric;:nc; , Uillich modes t l y volunt e e r ed i n the r anks of the 9th Ohio , os: private. But '."hen it c am e time to tr: i n t e men Hillich "r:1R given the title of li ~ dju t 3. nt , '1 and uas 2.ctu:llly the de f oc t o col onel of the 9th Oh io. Thi s led , Robert L. McCook , the inexperi enc ed elec t ed colonel to remark thc,t he '''a s " just the clerk f or i'. thous ::nd Dutchmen. " ~<1i llich c ::mpdg~~q ith the 9th Obi. 0 in wes ter n Vi rgin i . December 17, 1861. Northern n eHsp:' pers sta rved f or vict ory ne,iS i n l a te 1861 'ga v e t his sm ~; ll b ~t tl c great coverage. One ner,;spa per re ("I p orted i t li the gre, t e s t feder a 1 v ic t or y of the \·mr . 1I I t ': ~ <., s .:ldverti sed ~l S a b.s. ttle i n ,·:h ich 300 Germnn s de f e - t ed 3, 000 Con fed erat es. Res edrch dis c l oses th9 t i t \-T~ S a bout 500 G erm ~ . n s cg .:l i n s t .:. bou t ' , 500 Confedera tes , ,,;·:h ieh does not dimin i s h the f act t hc t it W,;1 s ' n outsta nding '.1 chievemen t . Hi llich a nd h i s 32d India na was wi t h l1cC ook' s division of Buell's /) ~S ~If'O{ . ~ 1 11f~ 6~ T l ~i5 r F Army of t he ohio and t ook p a r t i n t h e second da ys ' figh t fng~ La t e in the b ~ ttle Willic h l ed a decisive bayonet c ha rge tha t ha s tened t h e withdr,1Wa l o f the Confed era t e s fran the fi e ld. t the b.:t ttle of Stones i ver Wi llich' s bri g ade occup i ed the extreme right flank of the !lrmy of the Cumberla nd , bu t h e re he ,-;as ovenlh elmed his brigade r outed .:md loiillich , hims elf wa s t ak en pr i s on er ; one o f t h e f ew generals c aptured i n ba t tle duri ng the Civil Wa r . He \'1a S imprisoned a t Atlan t c then ~t Li bby pri s on i n Richmond . He ,'.ra s ex- changed i n t i me t o t Li bert y G.<>.p "lhic h h e d i d , maneuveri ng his br i g ad e ".'ith a ser ies of bugle c .:: lls . He ,'Tas h i ghl y p r c: i s e d by everybody bu t was not promoted . At the b tt1e of Ch ick i:'.m a uga , Willich 2. f ter C'. 25 mi le ma r ch , f o und hims e l f c omma ndi ng .::>. divis i on , \'ihich via s c a lled upon t o rep.:1 ir ~ break i n Gen . Thom,lS ' 5 l i n e t h a t occ urred a bout noon Sep t . 19, 1863. Hh en t h e :.rmy of the Cunberl a nd wa s broken i n t \-10, l- i llich not only k ept one di v i s ion of the Army of t h e Cumb er h n d i nt:,c t , but i n t he con fusion other c cmma nders repo r ted t o him, .:?. ski ng h is ~ dv ic e 14. which he g c: ve with :' ccur.:lcy. Lt'te in the d · y, on Sept. 20 , 1863 , Gen . Thanos f nc ed v)'i th m,· king 2 decision h ~. d o.lmo s t decided t o r etire from the field. Thane s i s supposed t o h a ve 2sked ..: n a ide , "Hhere is the o ld Dutclmw.n7 1 1 Ac cording to his \:)'«11 repo r t Th00l2S s t .:l tec! th" t Willich i nformed h i m th,:"t he ( ~ l i 11ich) h.ld a good po s ition from ~'Th ich t o cover ~ " i thdr ~ 'ival . \8 .;e knO'.oI ThOOl :1 S Hi thdrew fran t h e field a t Chickamc, ug.:l \>lhile the rema i nder of the !.nay of t he Cumberla nd VU>.S constructir.g fort':fic a tions i n Cha tt;-nooga . The bu ttle of Chickama.ug :, w:>s over on Sept. 20, 1863 , but for Hi llich i t ~"as not ov er unti 1 f our de ys l a ter. ~fuen Thana s u i thdre" on Sep t. 20th he paused i n Ross- ville. \Hllich then c overed Thomas ' s withdrao,;.1! fran Ro ssvi lle, f i ghting ~'lhile C O" . g ':ts.. Hi thdr a\', ~ I ndeed, one of Hillich ' s regiment; ' J. cOOlIil 3.n d er s , Thana s J . Ha rrison , of the 39th I ndiana , "Tro te day i n " letter t o his ,·life, "Fought :' 11 22 Sept 0 0 1115sion Ridge unti 1 for tific.:t tioos complete in Ch<:l t t a noog" . II Hi llich received gloHing recoonnend dt ions f or p ranotion from three different gen en:ls , Thana s , Alexfmder Hc DoHell HcCook a nd Richa rd w. Johnso n, for his ski llmd br ~l'e ry ~ t Chick"'m.- ug "'l but ther e i·r."S no pranotion . i.t h ission:1 ry Ri dge Hhen the : .rmy of t he Cum berLnd, stol'iIled the, heights Gnd g a ined on e of the OITl i'J. z ing v ictor i es of the ,'lex, a dispute r (lged for yea rs \·.'hether t he r a nks h ~ d t :1k en comm and, o r ,';hether some bo ld brig.:: di er kid given the or d er t o go a ll the 'II;:..y . .'lccor ding t o a n ~ ccou nt written by H. S. Doggett , correspo nd ent f or the Cincinnat i Times, the d <.· Y !.,fter the ba ttle, i t W;1S Wi llic h who led the ',:2Y to the t op of Miss ion;:;,ry Ridge \-li t h his brigdd e . Doggett \·rrote : 15 . IiIL z t:! n h ~: s .: lso t .. ken p er t I·d th his brig;:de. • • but the brunt of t h e -·ttack i s borne by \-l i llich.1I f" fter Hiss iona ry Ridge , Wi lli am S. Fura y, correspondent o f the Ci nci nn ~'- t i G2zette, w'Tote: " l"he propo s i t ion t o muster out t vlO or three s core o f our present genera l s , i n order t o make ~'lay 'f or the prano t ion o f vlOrthy men nm.; h o ldi ng i n f erior r a nk, is received ,,;i th much f a vor in the Army of the Cumberla nd. " He mention ed Hillich among othe rs, " nd ~·! a n ted t o know ,~ hy these men ' ·: ~.;ho h r.· v e ~' on f or themselves live n am es tha t \.;illAforever i n their coun try 's history , remain brig0diers , uh ile men a r e sporti ng upon their should ers s ingle and double s t a r s , Hho se v e r y n iID1eS ."l re unknowll , to both the a my a nd the people. I t is a crying i n justice Hh ich should b e b~ane me. n s be f orth\d th remedied. " But the i n jus t i ce . T;;-. S no t remedi ed and \-1 ill ich \.ra s not pranoted. This was not c Kno'" NothL,g plot ~ g a i n st Germa n s oldiers . The r e ;J. s ons ',rere ma ny \·,hy promotion was diffuclt i n l;--te 1863. Ea r l y in t h e '>1;'.r the a clrni ni s tFltion p rcmoted men to briguider a nd ma jor gen er 1- ships with reckl es s a b .c.ndon . HcCl ell ;m quickly rose t o become genera l - i n -ch i ef of t h e Uni t ed Sta tes 1 rrny On the b <:'. s i s of t .IO ba ttles i n Ues ter Vi r gin i a , Phillipi a nd Rich Moun t ai n . The b ~ tt le of Phillipi '!as ,\,lon by Gen . Thana s A. Morris vlhile HcClel l:::n ~·T .:J. S a t his head- qua r t ers i n Cincinna ti and the ba ttle of Rich Houn t .3i n ~" .:1. S Ton by Nc Clellan I S s uborinda tes. By l a ter standa rds t h ese tvTO b <1 ttles would not h a ve been men tioned in repo rt-s o They 11lOUld h a ve been nothing but b .. But in 1861 theywere c : l Ied battles and NCClelLmgot c redit f or them. i n signific nt s kirmishes. Re a lizi ng tha t they h ad b een 11" sty i n m .J. ~ing promot ions the m~ers of Congres s t h en s et ~ limit on the m ..mber of genera ls thut could b e prcmoted . Thus , Hi llich, a nd m;.ny others equ.:l lly 1 8 t a l en t ed cou l dn ' t be promoted b ec a use these pro- 16 . motions ,,'ould exceed the l egal limit s et by Congre~s . Then , t oo:-~ t J lented brig ~, id e rs lit,e \ Ha zen :md m ny o thers , could n ot be sp.- red fran the comm .:>- nd of their respec t ive br ig ~ des . ;~ fter Hiss ion e ry Ridge \Hllich t ook p fl rt i n the relief expedition t o Kn oxville, commanding .-; d ivi sion most of t he t ime . I n ShermCin ' s _; t bnt -· c '1rop ::- ign Hi llich ",~ S "lo un~d during the b ... _ttlc of Resixa , and his canb.:t t d C' ys ,'lere over. In Oc t o bor , 1865 , his l ong roi li t2ry c a reer , ~Jhi c h h a d begun 43 ye ~ r s before, .:c s , c ;~ d c t ;'\t the Ca det Ho use in Potsd ,-,ro c ;:me t o , on end end .:-: t long l a st h e ,:a s m:'.de breyet m ~ ~ j or - gener :·l . One q uestion needs to be 2sked . Hhy h -:' 8 ne r l y 100% of the Civil H ilT 'Jriting ,:-- bout Germt'_ns in the Civil ~'lar been devo ted to the 11th c orps , ,·,hen i tl'; members cor.s tituted only .:: bopt 2% of the Germ<. ns in the Union ,J. nny. There ... re re.'.'!s ons for this . Throughout the h ist ory of our country there h .::1 5 been a c u l turn l con flict be b ,een the different Europe.:' n s tocks the t ha 'fe settled the c ountry. The domi n ~ _ n t expr ession of .:.my culture i s the L 'ngu:lge the peopleUq·!i.th ,·~h ic h t o cOOlmunicote ui th one "n other . The Gen na n l ong u 3. ge "'.:1.S the on 1y s erious r i v ;l l the English l .:- ngu 'l g e h" d in the settlement of thi s c ountry. In a 17. budd ing n.''l tion no thi ng ::: lienates like the use o f ;:;. 1 :.nguage t h ;, t is different f rom th<,. t of the dani n (' nt culture . 1. 8 ~" e know the English l angu.::. ge ~'To n out i n the United S t [~ tes . 'The p eriod prec eding the Civil i~ , r w.!'. s a period of intense n a t ivism. Not on l y "Ter e the Germ.:lns 1\'h o settled i n the North, c h ,,~ nging the b:-: 1anc e of political p m'Ter i n thi s coun try . but to Hdd i nsult t o i n jury, t h ey di dn 1 t even speak English. The myth tha t the 11th c orps -';'laS · r~present " t ive o f a ll the Germa n s o ldiers in the Union a rmy continues to thi s day. t~y? I h a ve a theory: the pen i s light and i t is ea sier t o copy hack n ey ed stories than it is t o do or i gi n a l research , espec ially i n ~ . no ther l anguage. Then , too , i'ie h a ve been through two world wars in which the Germa ns were on the o ther s ide . I t is not a popula r s ubject. But if one a s p i res to 8n underst anding o f ~er ic a n h i s t mry the and t a sk b ecomes less burdens om e if one puts a s ide prejudic e appli es r a t i one'.l thought to uncovering the facts . It is my belief tha t the Germa ns \'lho set tled i n the North duri ng the 1850-1860 dec ad e c h a nged the course o f history and decided the election of 1860. Indeed I believe they saved the Union . The refugees fran the revolutions of 1848 ~nd 1849 in Gel1lla ny c mn e here hopi ng t o r a i s e an a rmy t o t ake beck to the f a therland i n order t o esta blis h a republic , but instead t hey f ound thems e lves i nvo lved i n .:l Civi l Wa r between t 'NO contending sections of the Un ited St a t es . They brought ",i th them to this country a l ove of the e. rts , res p ect f or i ntel lec tua l i.chievement , .:::nd their servic e i n the Union army vlas j ust one of the ma ny contri butions they made t o 19th c entury !~e r i c a . The non-milita ry contributions of the German s "lere j us t a s numerous . It "Tould require hours just to entDner.:l te them. TO mention only three things: Francis Lieber published the f irst set of encycl opedi a , the Americana , in the United Sta t e s, the Turner s oc ieties were the f orerunners of the modern YMCA's and pre- school tra i ning for children '-TaS initi a t ed in this country by German immigrant educa tion.::: l le['.ders . The vlord kindergarten could sca rcel y be described as E i~ li s h in origin . The 19th c entury Ge~ an-Americ ~ n s, especia lly the refug ees f r om revQlution , taught and led but they a lso learned. They lea r n ed t h a t in the modern s ociety they were helping to crea t e , assimilc. tion and arna 19c1JIl a tion Wd S the order of the day" They t aught , they led, they organi zed and bec .we assimi lated End ama lgama ted . Thus , they mad e one of the most important contributions , ever mr· de by c.ny immigrant group , to the developement of the n a t ion-state in 'which "Te live. \ I CENSUS REPORTS Year New York Ffltee Foreign Year ~Vhi te Colored Slaves Born Total 1810 918,699 25,333 15, 017 959, 049 1820 ,1,332,744 29,279 10,088 1,372,812 1830 1,873,663 44,870 75 1,918,608 1840 2,378,890 50,Q27 4 2,428,921 1850 3,048,325 49,069 655,929 3,097,394 q tj&, G'10 3 .. ~2o/ 73.:r 1860 3, '6 .) J~ 1 j (l Lf5jJO'/ Pe nns;x:1 vania 1810 786,804 22,492 795 810,091 1820 1,017,094 30,202 211 1,049,458 1830 1,309.1 900 37,930 403 1,348,233 1840 1,676,115 47,854 64 1,724,033 1850 2,258,160 53,626 303,417 2,311,786 1860 2,419,103 18,981 430,505 ,),/4()b/ ;J/.F Ohio 1800 45,028 J37 45,365 1810 228,861 1,899 230,760 1820 576,572 4,723 581,434 1830 928,329 9,568 6 937,903 1840 1,502,122 Il7,342 3 1,519,467 1850 1,955,050 25,279 218,193 1,980,329 :>J,&J J., 'It; 1860 1,974,718 16,638 -q.~j8~ ).,'3?J9/ S// Census Reports 2. Indiana Free Foreign Year ~·.Jhi te --Colored Slaves Born Total 1800 4,577 163 135 4,875 1810 23, 890 393 237 24,875 r820 145,758 1,230 190 147,178 1830 339,399 3,629 3 343,031 1840 678,698 7,165 3 685,866 1850 977, 154 11,262 55,572 988,416 /IJ.J-D/ 130 Jj JfJjV / I -z; I ;.:7: f I; 3';-0/ }160 Illinoia ~~g 1810 11,501 613 168 12,282 1820 53,788 457 917 55,211 1830 155, 061 1,637 747 157,445 1840 472,254 3,598 331 476,183 1850 846,034 5,436 111,892 851.470 . 1860 1,379,750 3,555 324,643 17/// / 151 Missouri 1810 17,227 6Cf7 3,011 20,845 1820 55,988 347 10,222 66,586 1830 114,795 569 25,091 140,455 1840 323,888 1,574 58,240 383,702 1850 592,004 2,618 87,422 76,592 682,044 '1/ 1860 1/063,.)oQ 3)57 ). /14,ClJI ,,0 1 5 1/1 tJ., Ol}. Census Reports 3. South carolina Free Foreign Year ~'Jhite Colored Slaves Born"', TotaJ.. 1810 214,196 4,554 196,365 415,115 1820 237,440 6,826 258,475 502,741 1830 257,863 7,921 315,401 581,185 1840 259,084 8,276 327,038 594,398 1850 274,563 8,960 384,984 8,J O:p 668,507 1860 291,300 9,914 402,406 9,986 70 3/ lo~ Georgia 1810 145,414 1,810 105,218 252,433 1820 189,566 1,763 149,654 340,987 1830 296,806 2,486 217,531 516,823 1840 407,695 2,753 280,944 691,392 1850 521,572 2,931 381,682 6, ~ 906,185 1860 :5:ff, jdl5 3,500 462,198 11,671 ~ 05 ~ J't/J Sqs; o~1 Alabama ~ S, j ';",il ~ 4t'GW5' lUi¥JUl Sll i.JJ/ '87Q 1820 lft,,[/ d:!f9jJ@ Jill, "py £~ifly J/ ~ srg 1830 ~ii§ ~i ~:.zf , 3' ~~ 1840 335jJ'6J" ;:Sf o3q J. S- ) , 5'.3 J- 5 4tJI756 1850 426,514 2,265 342,844 7, W~ 771,623 1860 526,431 2,690 435,080 12,352 q61;~Oj Census Reports 4. Mississippi Free Foreign Year l'lhi te Colored Slaves Born Total 1810 23,024 240 17,088 40,352 1820 42,176 458 32,814 75,448 1830 70,443 519 65,659 136,621 1840 179,074 1,366 195,211 375,651