German-Americans in the Civil War
Encyclopedia
German-Americans in the American Civil War were the largest ethnic contingent to fight for the Union
. More than 200,000 native Germans
served in the Union Army
, with New York
and Ohio
each providing ten divisions
dominated by German-born men.
s; about 216,000 of these were born in Germany. New York supplied the largest number of these native-born Germans with 36,000. Behind the Empire State came Missouri
with 30,000 and Ohio
with 20,000.
Scores of individual regiment
s, such as the 9th Ohio
, 74th Pennsylvania
, 32nd Indiana (1st German)
, and the 9th Wisconsin Infantry, consisted entirely of German Americans. Major recruiting efforts aimed at German Americans were conducted in Cincinnati
, St. Louis
, and Milwaukee
, among many other cities.
Commonly referred to as "Dutchmen" by other Union soldiers, and "lopeared Dutch" by Confederates, German-American units in general earned a reputation for discipline and ruthlessness. Many of the estimated 177,000 Germans who fought for the Union during the Civil War were Forty-Eighters
who had left various German states after the defeat of the attempted revolutions of 1848.
Franz Sigel
was the highest ranking German-American officer in the Union Army, with many Germans enlisting to "fight mit Sigel." 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. He was a member of the Forty-Eighters
, a political movement of the revolutions in German states that led to thousands of Germans emigrating to the United States
. These included such future Civil War officers as Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz
, Brig. Gen. August Willich
, Louis Blenker
, Max Weber
, and Alexander Schimmelfennig
.
Schurz was part of the politico-social movement in America known as the Turners
, who contributed to getting Lincoln elected as President. The Turners provided the bodyguard at Lincoln's inauguration on March 4, 1861, and also at Lincoln's funeral in April 1865.
Other prominent German-born generals included Godfrey Weitzel
, Adolph von Steinwehr
, Edward S. Salomon
, Frederick C. Salomon
, August Kautz
, Felix Salm-Salm
, and Peter Osterhaus. Hundreds of German-born officers led regiments during the war, including Col. Gustav Tafel
, Col. Paul A. Frank, Col. Friedrich Hecker, Col. Leopold von Gilsa
, and Maj. Jurgen Wilson
. Among the very best Union artillerists was German-born Capt. Hubert Dilger
, who had been trained at the Karlsruhe
Military Academy.
Veteran Prussian military officer Heros von Borcke
slipped through the Union blockade
into Charleston Harbor
and eventually became one of Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart
's closest confidants and his Chief of Staff and Adjutant. In 1866, he became one of the few former Confederate officers to fight in the Austro-Prussian War
.
Another famous German American
, George Armstrong Custer
, fought against the Confederate cavalry of Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart and Heros von Borcke at Hanover and Hunterstown, on the way to the main event at Gettysburg.
for valor during the war include:
on May 10, 1861, Union Capt. Nathaniel Lyon
, a Radical Republican, marched a large contingent of pro-southern Missouri militia
prisoners-of-war through the streets of St. Louis
. The men had been captured by a large force composed mostly of German volunteers during an unsuccessful attempt by the pro-southerners to seize the Federal arsenal in St. Louis. The prisoners were guarded by two lines of German-American Union soldiers, who were unpopular with many native-born Missourians, who resented their anti-slavery
and anti-secessionist
political views. Many people in St. Louis, having moved to the area from Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia, had southern sympathies.
Tensions quickly mounted on the streets as civilians hurled fruit, rocks, paving stones, and insults at Lyon's Germans. Some of the soldiers returned the favor. Shots rang out, killing three militiamen. The soldiers fired into the nearby crowd of bystanders, injuring or killing numerous men, women, and children. Angry mobs rioted throughout the city for the next two days, burning a number of buildings. At least seven more civilians were shot by Federal troops patrolling the streets. The final death toll was 28.
s from Central Texas and the Texas Hill Country
, mostly Unionist or neutral in their political views, were drafted
into the Confederate Army over their strong objections. Confederate authorities took their reluctance to serve as a sign of rebellion and sent in troops. A violent confrontation between Confederate soldiers and civilians took place on August 10, 1862, in Kinney County, Texas
, leading to the deaths of 34 German Texans who were fleeing to Mexico
to avoid the draft.
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
. More than 200,000 native Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
, with New York
New York in the American Civil War
The state of New York during the American Civil War was a major influence in national politics, the Union war effort, and the media coverage of the war...
and Ohio
Ohio in the Civil War
During the American Civil War, the State of Ohio played a key role in providing troops, military officers, and supplies to the Union army. Due to its central location in the Northern United States and burgeoning population, Ohio was both politically and logistically important to the war effort...
each providing ten divisions
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
dominated by German-born men.
German-American army units
Approximately 516,000 (23.4% of all Union soldiers) were German AmericanGerman American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
s; about 216,000 of these were born in Germany. New York supplied the largest number of these native-born Germans with 36,000. Behind the Empire State came Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
with 30,000 and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
with 20,000.
Scores of individual regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s, such as the 9th Ohio
9th Ohio Infantry
The 9th Ohio Infantry ' was an infantry regiment that was a part of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The members of the regiment were primarily of German descent and the unit was the first almost all-German unit to enter the Union Army.-Organization:Between 1836 to 1860, four German...
, 74th Pennsylvania
74th Pennsylvania Infantry
The 74th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment which served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was one of many all-German regiments in the army, most notably in the XI Corps of the Army of the Potomac...
, 32nd Indiana (1st German)
32nd Regiment Indiana Infantry
32nd Regiment Indiana Infantry was also known as the 1st German Regiment . Governor Oliver P. Morton commissioned August Willich of Cincinnati as Colonel of the 32nd Indiana....
, and the 9th Wisconsin Infantry, consisted entirely of German Americans. Major recruiting efforts aimed at German Americans were conducted in Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, and Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, among many other cities.
Commonly referred to as "Dutchmen" by other Union soldiers, and "lopeared Dutch" by Confederates, German-American units in general earned a reputation for discipline and ruthlessness. Many of the estimated 177,000 Germans who fought for the Union during the Civil War were Forty-Eighters
Forty-Eighters
The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In Germany, the Forty-Eighters favored unification of the German people, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human rights...
who had left various German states after the defeat of the attempted revolutions of 1848.
German-American commanders of note
A popular Union commander and native German, Major GeneralMajor general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Franz Sigel
Franz Sigel
Franz Sigel was a German military officer, revolutionist and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union major general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
was the highest ranking German-American officer in the Union Army, with many Germans enlisting to "fight mit Sigel." Sigel was a political appointment of President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, who hoped that Sigel's immense popularity would help deliver the votes of the increasingly important German segment of the population. He was a member of the Forty-Eighters
Forty-Eighters
The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In Germany, the Forty-Eighters favored unification of the German people, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human rights...
, a political movement of the revolutions in German states that led to thousands of Germans emigrating to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. These included such future Civil War officers as Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz
Carl Schurz
Carl Christian Schurz was a German revolutionary, American statesman and reformer, and Union Army General in the American Civil War. He was also an accomplished journalist, newspaper editor and orator, who in 1869 became the first German-born American elected to the United States Senate.His wife,...
, Brig. Gen. August Willich
August Willich
August Willich , born Johann August Ernst von Willich, was a military officer in the Prussian Army and a leading early proponent of Communism in Germany. In 1847 he discarded his title of nobility...
, Louis Blenker
Louis Blenker
Louis Blenker was a German and American soldier.-Life in Germany:He was born at Worms, Germany. After being trained as a goldsmith by an uncle in Kreuznach, he was sent to a polytechnical school in Munich. Against his family's wishes, he enlisted in an Uhlan regiment which accompanied Otto to...
, Max Weber
Max Weber (general)
Max Weber was a military officer in the armies of Germany and later the United States, most known for serving as a brigadier general in the Union army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, and Alexander Schimmelfennig
Alexander Schimmelfennig
Alexander Schimmelfennig was a German soldier and political revolutionary, and then an American Civil War general in the Union Army.-Early life and career:...
.
Schurz was part of the politico-social movement in America known as the Turners
Turners
Turners are members of German-American gymnastic clubs. A German gymnastic movement was started by Turnvater Friedrich Ludwig Jahn in the early 19th century when Germany was occupied by Napoleon...
, who contributed to getting Lincoln elected as President. The Turners provided the bodyguard at Lincoln's inauguration on March 4, 1861, and also at Lincoln's funeral in April 1865.
Other prominent German-born generals included Godfrey Weitzel
Godfrey Weitzel
Godfrey Weitzel was a major general in the Union army during the American Civil War, as well as the acting Mayor of New Orleans during the Federal occupancy of the city.-Early life and career:...
, Adolph von Steinwehr
Adolph von Steinwehr
Baron Adolph Wilhelm August Friedrich von Steinwehr was a German-Brunswick army officer who emigrated to the United States, became a geographer, cartographer, and author, and served as a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:Steinwehr was born in Blankenburg, in the Duchy of...
, Edward S. Salomon
Edward S. Salomon
Edward Selig Salomon was a German immigrant to the United States who served as a Union brigadier general in the American Civil War and later became governor of Washington Territory and a California legislator....
, Frederick C. Salomon
Frederick C. Salomon
Frederick C. Salomon was a German immigrant to the United States who served as a Union brigadier general in the American Civil War.-Biography:He was born in Stroebeck near Halberstadt, Prussia...
, August Kautz
August Kautz
August Valentine Kautz was a German-American soldier and Union Army cavalry officer during the American Civil War. He was the author of several army manuals on duties and customs eventually adopted by the U.S. military.-Early life and career:Born in Ispringen, Baden, Germany, Kautz immigrated with...
, Felix Salm-Salm
Felix Salm-Salm
-Life:Felix Constantin Alexander Johan Nepomuk, prince Salm Salm, was born in Anholt, Prussia, 25 December 1828. Felix was the son of the reigning Prince zu Salm Salm. He grew up training to be a soldier at a cadet-school in Berlin, Germany and soon became an officer in the Prussian cavalry...
, and Peter Osterhaus. Hundreds of German-born officers led regiments during the war, including Col. Gustav Tafel
Gustav Tafel
Gustav Tafel was a German-born colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1897 to 1900.-Biography:...
, Col. Paul A. Frank, Col. Friedrich Hecker, Col. Leopold von Gilsa
Leopold von Gilsa
Leopold von Gilsa was a career soldier who served as an officer in the armies of Prussia and later the United States. He is best known for his role in the misfortunes of the XI Corps in the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War, particularly at the battles of Chancellorsville and...
, and Maj. Jurgen Wilson
Jurgen Wilson
Jurgen Wilson [George Wilson] was a German-American Union Army officer during the American Civil War, serving with the Scandinavian Regiment.-Early life:...
. Among the very best Union artillerists was German-born Capt. Hubert Dilger
Hubert Dilger
Hubert Anton Casimir Dilger was a German immigrant to the United States who became a decorated artillerist in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
, who had been trained at the Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
Military Academy.
Veteran Prussian military officer Heros von Borcke
Heros von Borcke
Johann August Heinrich Heros von Borcke was a German American cavalry officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and in the Prussian Army during the Austro-Prussian War.-Biography:...
slipped through the Union blockade
Union blockade
The Union Blockade, or the Blockade of the South, took place between 1861 and 1865, during the American Civil War, when the Union Navy maintained a strenuous effort on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the Confederate States of America designed to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies, and arms...
into Charleston Harbor
Charleston Harbor
The Charleston Harbor is an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, South Carolina. The inlet is formed by the junction of Ashley and Cooper rivers at . Morris and Sullivan's Island, shelter the entrance...
and eventually became one of Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use...
's closest confidants and his Chief of Staff and Adjutant. In 1866, he became one of the few former Confederate officers to fight in the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
.
Another famous German American
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
, George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
, fought against the Confederate cavalry of Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart and Heros von Borcke at Hanover and Hunterstown, on the way to the main event at Gettysburg.
Medal of Honor Recipients
Among those German immigrants who received the Medal of HonorMedal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for valor during the war include:
- Pvt. Frederick Alber
- Cpl. William J. Archinal
- Sgt. Richard BinderRichard BinderRichard Binder was an American Civil War Marine Corps Sergeant and a recipient of America's highest military decoration - the Medal of Honor.-Biography:...
- Sgt. Maj. Abraham CohnAbraham Cohn (Medal of Honor)Abraham Cohn was an American Civil War Union Army Sergeant Major and recipient to the highest military decoration for valor in combat — the Medal of Honor — for having distinguished himself at the Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia on May 6, 1864, and the Battle of the Crater, Petersburg,...
- Cpt. Hubert DilgerHubert DilgerHubert Anton Casimir Dilger was a German immigrant to the United States who became a decorated artillerist in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
- Sgt. Richard EnderlinRichard EnderlinRichard Enderlin was a musician and United States Army soldier who received a Medal of Honor for the heroism he displayed when fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.-Gettysburg:...
- Pvt. Peter KappesserPeter KappesserPeter Kappesser was a soldier in the United States Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War.-Biography:Peter Kappesser enlisted on August 31, 1862 at the age of 24...
- Pvt. Henry KleinHenry KleinHenry Klein was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Sayler's Creek....
- Pvt. J. C. Julius LangbeinJ. C. Julius LangbeinJohann Christoph Julius Langbein was a drummer boy in the Union Army and a Medal of Honor recipient for his actions in the American Civil War.-Medal of Honor citation:...
- Lt. Theodore SchwanTheodore SchwanTheodore Schwan was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Peebles' Farm. He also served with distinction during the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars.-Early life and Civil War:Schwan was born in Hanover,...
- Qm. William WellsWilliam Wells (Medal of Honor)William Wells was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the American Civil War....
St. Louis massacre
In neutral MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
on May 10, 1861, Union Capt. Nathaniel Lyon
Nathaniel Lyon
Nathaniel Lyon was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict....
, a Radical Republican, marched a large contingent of pro-southern Missouri militia
Militia
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, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
prisoners-of-war through the streets of St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. The men had been captured by a large force composed mostly of German volunteers during an unsuccessful attempt by the pro-southerners to seize the Federal arsenal in St. Louis. The prisoners were guarded by two lines of German-American Union soldiers, who were unpopular with many native-born Missourians, who resented their anti-slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
and anti-secessionist
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
political views. Many people in St. Louis, having moved to the area from Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia, had southern sympathies.
Tensions quickly mounted on the streets as civilians hurled fruit, rocks, paving stones, and insults at Lyon's Germans. Some of the soldiers returned the favor. Shots rang out, killing three militiamen. The soldiers fired into the nearby crowd of bystanders, injuring or killing numerous men, women, and children. Angry mobs rioted throughout the city for the next two days, burning a number of buildings. 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 TexanGerman Texan
German Texan is an ethnic category that includes residents of the state of Texas with German ancestry who identify with the term. This identification may include cultural agreements—German language, German cuisine, feasts, music, hard work, frugality, and close family ties. From their first...
s from Central Texas and the Texas Hill Country
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
, mostly Unionist or neutral in their political views, were drafted
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
into the Confederate Army over their strong objections. Confederate authorities took their reluctance to serve as a sign of rebellion and sent in troops. A violent confrontation between Confederate soldiers and civilians took place on August 10, 1862, in Kinney County, Texas
Kinney County, Texas
Kinney County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 3,379. Its seat is Brackettville. Kinney County is named for Henry Lawrence Kinney, an early settler.-Geography:...
, leading to the deaths of 34 German Texans who were fleeing to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to avoid the draft.
Confederate Army
There were also several German regiments in the Confederate army. About 2,000 Germans served voluntarily with another 3,000 serving against their will or with neutral status. Almost all of these came from Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, or, Virginia. The most famous German regiment was the German Fusilier.See also
- List of famous German Americans
- German TexanGerman TexanGerman Texan is an ethnic category that includes residents of the state of Texas with German ancestry who identify with the term. This identification may include cultural agreements—German language, German cuisine, feasts, music, hard work, frugality, and close family ties. From their first...
- Foreign enlistment in the American Civil WarForeign enlistment in the American Civil WarFar more successful in attracting international volunteers, Foreign enlistment in the American Civil War was largely dominated by the Union, although a significant number of immigrants and mercenaries served with the Confederacy numbering in the thousands....
- German-American Heritage Foundation of the USAGerman-American Heritage Foundation of the USAThe German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA is a national non-profit organization that promotes German language, culture, and heritage in the United States and works toward preserving the history of Americans of German ancestry in the building the United States...
- Italian Americans in the Civil WarItalian Americans in the Civil WarItalian Americans in the Civil War are the people of Italian descent, living in the United States, who served and fought in the American Civil War on both the Union and Confederate sides....
Further reading
- Öfele, Martin W., German Speaking-Officers in the U.S. Colored Troops, 1863-1867, University Press of Florida (April 2004), ISBN 978-0813026923
- Valuska, David and Keller, Christian, Damn Dutch: Pennsylvania Germans at Gettysburg. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2004. ISBN 0-8117-0074-7.
- Rosengarten, Joseph GeorgeJoseph George RosengartenJoseph George Rosengarten was a Philadelphia lawyer and historian.-Biography:...
, The German Soldier in the Wars of the United States. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co., 1890. - Lonn, Ella, Foreigners in the Confederacy. First published in 1940, reprinted February 2002.
- Kroehnke, John O., 1810- . Diaries, 1884-1885. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 107
- Munk, Emanuel, 1806-1899. Letters, 1861-1893. Milwaukee Micro Collection 2
- Kaufmann, Wilhelm. The Germans in the American Civil War, With a Biographical Directory. Translated by Steven Rowan and edited by Don Heinrich Tolzmann with Werner D. Mueller and Robert E. Ward. Carlisle, Pa.: John Kallmann Publishers, 1999.
- Reinhart, Joseph R., "Two Germans in the Civil war:The Diary of John Daeuble and the Letters of Gottfried Rentschler, 6th Kentucky Infantry) (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2004)
- Reinhart, Joseph R., "August Willich's Gallant Dutchmen: Civil War Letters from the 32nd Indiana Infantry" (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2006).
- Reinhart, Joseph R. "A German Hurrah: Civil War Letters of Friedrich Bertsch and Wilhelm Stängel, 9th Ohio Infantry (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2010)
- Richter, Rüdiger B., Corpsstudenten im Amerikanischen Bürgerkrieg. Einst und Jetzt, Band 49, Jahrbuch 2004 des Vereins für corpsstudentische Geschichtsforschung.
- Balder Hans-Georg & Richter, Rüdiger B., Korporierte im amerikanischen Bürgerkrieg. WJK Verlag Hilden, 1. Auflage 2007. ISBN 3-933892-27-9
- Tafel, Gustav. "The Cincinnati Germans in the Civil War." Translated and edited with Supplements on Germans from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana in the Civil War by Don Heinrich Tolzmann. Milford, Ohio: Little Miami Publishing Co., 2010.