August Willich

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August Willich
German revolutions of 1848–49

American Civil War

Signature

August Willich (November 19, 1810 – January 22, 1878), born Johann August Ernst von Willich, was a military officer in the Prussian Army and a leading early proponent of communism[1][2][3] in Germany. In 1847 he discarded his title of nobility. He later emigrated to the United States and became a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Early life and career

Willich was born in

captain of hussars during the Napoleonic Wars,[4] died when Willich was three years old. With an elder brother, Willich found a home in the family of Friedrich Schleiermacher, a theologian, whose wife was a distant relative. He received a military education at Potsdam and Berlin.[5] Initially an officer in the Prussian Army, serving in the 7th (1st Westphalian) Field Artillery Regiment,[6] he resigned from the army in 1846 as a convinced republican. Willich was not the only republican emerging from that regiment. One of his fellow officers in Münster and Wesel was Fritz Anneke, who also was to become a revolutionary commander in Palatinate 1849 and later a commander in the Union Army. Willich tendered his resignation from the army in a letter written in such terms that, instead of its being accepted, he was arrested and tried by a court-martial. He was acquitted and was permitted to resign.[5]

With

Revolutions of 1848–49. In 1849, he was leader of a Free Corps in the Baden-Palatinate uprising. Revolutionary thinker Friedrich Engels served as his aide-de-camp. Among his revolutionary friends were Franz Sigel, Friedrich Hecker, Louis Blenker, and Carl Schurz. After the suppression of the uprising, he emigrated to London via Switzerland. He had learned the trade of a carpenter while in England, and so earned his livelihood.[5] In 1850, when the League of Communists split, he (together with Schapper) was leader of the anti-Karl Marx
grouping.

In London, Willich became an associate of the French revolutionary and political exile Emmanuel Barthélemy. According to Wilhelm Liebknecht, Willich and Barthélemy plotted to kill Karl Marx for being too conservative. Willich publicly insulted Marx and challenged him to a duel, which Marx refused to fight.[7] Instead Willich was challenged by a young associate of Marx, Konrad Schramm. The pistol duel was fought in Belgium with Barthélemy acting as Willich's second;[8][note 1] Schramm was wounded but survived the encounter.[7] Barthélemy was hanged in London in 1855 after shooting and killing his employer and another man.[9][10]

Coming to the United States in 1853, Willich first found employment at his trade in the

Moncure Daniel Conway, and Peter Kaufmann
.

Civil War

See also:
Prussia in the American Civil War

With the outbreak of the Civil War in early 1861, Willich actively recruited German immigrants in the southwestern Ohio region. He joined the

all-German regiment
).

At the request of Governor Oliver P. Morton, he assumed command of the Thirty-second Indiana. Willich drilled his regiment, in German, to a high degree of professionalism. It made a favorable impression wherever it served. An innovative officer, he suggested construction of special wagons convertible to pontoon boats by removal of wheels. To speed up troop movement and assure combat condition of troops upon arrival on the battlefield, he recommended wagon transport of troops. His superiors rejected both ideas. Yet, Willich's concern for his men's well-being earned him the nickname "Papa". When possible, he ordered bakery ovens constructed so that troops would have fresh bread.

The 32nd gained nationwide recognition for its stand against Confederate forces at Rowlett's Station, Kentucky. A detachment of 500 men under Lt. Col. Henry von Trebra fought off 1,300 men of Terry's Texas Rangers and infantry under General Hindman. The 32nd formed the "hollow square", and drove the attackers back, losing 10 troopers and 22 wounded, but killing 33 of the enemy, including Col. Terry, and wounding fifty others.

The 32nd saw action at Shiloh on the second day, during which Col. Willich displayed great leadership. When his troops became unsteady under fire, he stood before them, his back to the enemy, and conducted the regiment through the manual of arms. He had the regimental band play "La Marseillaise", the anthem for all republican movements in Europe. Recovering its stability, the 32nd launched a bayonet attack. Afterwards Willich was given command of the Horn Brigade. The 32nd remained in his brigade, under command of von Trebra and, later, Frank Erdelmeyer.

Adolph Metzner

Rewarded by a promotion to

Chattanooga Campaign
.

During the Siege of

Chattanooga, the 32nd played a conspicuous part, as Willich's Brigade captured Orchard Knob. Despite only having orders to clear the base of the ridge, Willich ordered the assault up Missionary Ridge that routed the Confederate forces, breaking the siege and clearing the way for the invasion of Georgia.[11] The 32nd Indiana and the 6th Ohio were the first to reach the top. The 32nd participated in the Atlanta campaign with General William Tecumseh Sherman. Before the fall of Atlanta, the 32nd was pulled back and sent via Nashville, Tennessee to Indianapolis. En route, the 32nd was assigned to counter Confederate guerrilla forces in Kentucky. After three days fighting, the 32nd returned to Indianapolis. Willich, who had been wounded at Resaca, Georgia, was promoted to brevet major general and put in command of Cincinnati
.

Due to the anti-German sentiment in the nation, and the army in particular, veterans of the 32nd did not re-enlist. Nor did most other all-German regiments. It rankled the German-American soldier that General Joseph Hooker had blamed German troops of the 11th Corps for his defeat at Chancellorsville. The New York Times labeled the 11th Corps "Dutch cowards." Actually, of the corps's 12,000 men, 7,000 were American. Of the remaining 5,000, only one-third were German, these having been the units offering the stiffest resistance to the Confederate attack made by Stonewall Jackson.

In 1864, Willich led his brigade through

Atlanta Campaign. He suffered a severe wound in the Battle of Resaca that forced him to leave the field. For the rest of the war, he served in various administrative roles, commanding Union posts in Cincinnati, Covington, Kentucky, and Newport, Kentucky. He received a brevet promotion to major general
of US Volunteers on October 21, 1865, then resigned from the army to return to civilian life.

The three-year veterans were mustered out on September 7, 1864. The remaining 200 replacements whose terms had not expired were organized into a battalion of four companies under Hans Blume. At war's end they were stationed with General Sheridan's occupation forces in central Texas. They returned to Indianapolis and were mustered out on December 4, 1865.

Postwar career

After the war, Willich returned to Cincinnati and went into government service. He held a series of responsible positions, including auditor of Hamilton County. His home at 1419 Main Street still stands in Cincinnati.[12]

In 1870, he returned to Germany, offering his services to the Prussian army during the

University of Berlin at the age of sixty.[13] Returning to the United States, he died in St. Marys, Ohio
, and was buried there in Elmgrove Cemetery.

In his concluding note to the Revelations Concerning the Communist Trial in Cologne, Marx wrote: "In the Civil War in North America, Willich showed that he is more than a visionary".

See also

Notes/References/Sources

Notes

  1. ^ Willich was much more active as a revolutionary and advocated more action to disturb the peace and actively revolt against the upper classes. He considered Marx a traitor bacause Marx was anjoying a very comfortable life in academia in England, much like a "bourgeoisie while Willich had left the class he was born into and was a working man.[8]

References

  1. ^ Chan (2017), p. 1.
  2. ^ Marxists Internet Archive (1998).
  3. ^ Easton (1966), p. 24.
  4. ^ a b Faust (1909), p. 555.
  5. ^ a b c d Appletons, Willich, August (2011).
  6. ^ Wikipedia (DE), Westfälisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 7 (2007).
  7. ^ a b Gabriel (2011), pp. 139–140.
  8. ^ a b Liebknecht & Untermann (1901), pp. 106–107.
  9. ^ Marx & Engels (1978), pp. 227, 235, 236, 711.
  10. ^ The Times, "Execution of the Murderer Barthelemy," January 23, 1855, p.8.
  11. ^ Sword (1995), pp. 277, 295.
  12. ^ Map of Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, OH, Nr. 16 (2003).
  13. ^ Faust (1909), p. 556.

Sources

  • Chan, Amy (August 1, 2017). "Karl Marx, Communists and the Civil War: Interview with Robin Blackburn". HistoryNet. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  • Easton, Loyd David (1966). Hegel's first American followers: the Ohio Hegelians: John B. Stallo, Peter Kaufmann, Moncure Conway, and August Willich, with key writings. [Athens]: Ohio University Press.
    OCLC 391161
    .
  • OCLC 953936425
    .
  • OCLC 843125285
    . Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  • "Glossary of People: Wi". Encyclopedia of Marxism. November 30, 1998. Retrieved March 31, 2024. available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
  • OCLC 46266469
    . Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  • Marx, Karl; Engels, F. (1978). Karl Marx, Frederick Engels: Collected Works, 1849-51. Vol. 10. New York: International publishers. pp. 227, 235, 236, 711.
    ISBN 978-0-7178-0510-5
    . Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  • "Map of Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, OH, Nr. 16". 2003-10-25. Archived from the original on 2003-10-25.
  • Stone, Henry (1900). "Willich, August" . In Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J. (eds.). Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. Vol. VI. New York: D. Appleton. pp. 538–539.
  • Sword, Wiley (1995). Mountains Touched with Fire: Chattanooga Besieged, 1863 (PDF) (1st ed.). New York, NY: St. Martin's Publishing Group. pp. 277, 295.
    OCLC 31739303
    . Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  • "Execution of the Murderer Barthelemy". The Times. No. 21958. London. January 23, 1855. p. 8.
  • "1. Westfälisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 7 – Wikipedia". Wikipedia – Die freie Enzyklopädie (in German). July 1, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2024.


Further reading

  • Heinrich A. Rattermann: General August Willich. In: Der Deutsche Pionier. 9. Jg. Februar, März 1878, pp. 439–445, 488–495.
  • August von Willich: Im preußischen Heere!: ein Disciplinarverfahren gegen Premier-Lieutnant von Willich. Heinrich Hoff, Mannheim 1848. MDZ Reader
  • Joseph R. Reinhart (Ed.): August Willich's gallant Dutchmen. Civil War letters from the 32nd Indiana Infantry. Kent State Univ. Press, Kent, Ohio 2006.
  • Rolf Dlubek: August Willich (1810–1878). Vom preußischen Offizier zum Streiter für die Arbeiteremanzipation auf zwei Kontinenten. In: Helmut Bleiber, Walter Schmidt, Susanne Schötz (Hrsg.): Akteure eines Umbruchs. Männer und Frauen der Revolution von 1848/49. Trafo Verlag, Berlin 2003, S. 923–1004.
  • Daniel Nagel: Von republikanischen Deutschen zu deutsch-amerikanischen Republikanern. Ein Beitrag zum Identitätswandel der deutschen Achtundvierziger in den Vereinigten Staaten 1850–1861. Röhrig Universitätsverlag, St. Ingbert 2012,
    ISBN 978-3-86110-504-6
    , p. 593 ff.
  • Dixon, David T. (2020). Radical Warrior: August Willich's Journey from German Revolutionary to Union General. Knoxville, TN:
    ISBN 978-1621906025
    .

External links
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