Hubert Dilger
Hubert Anton Casimir Dilger | |
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Battery I, 1st Ohio Light Artillery | |
Battles/wars |
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Awards | Medal of Honor |
Hubert Anton Casimir Dilger (March 5, 1836 – May 4, 1911) was a Grand Duchy of Baden-born American who became a decorated artillerist in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was noted as one of the finest artillerists in the Army of the Potomac and received the Medal of Honor for his valiant work at the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville.
Early life and career
Dilger was born in Engen in the Black Forest region of the Grand Duchy of Baden and educated in the Karlsruhe Military Academy. He served as a lieutenant in the Grand Duke's Horse Artillery at military posts in Gottesau, Karlsruhe, and Rastatt. He developed several innovative theories on artillery tactics and drill.
American Civil War
When news came of the outbreak of the American Civil War, Dilger received a leave of absence and sailed to the United States."[1]
After relocating to
On May 2, 1863, Dilger fought in the rearguard of the retreating Union XI Corps during the disastrous Battle of Chancellorsville, for which he eventually was awarded the nation's highest decoration in 1893. He unlimbered his battery of six 12-pounder Napoleon smoothbore cannon as a last-ditch defense against a large portion of Stonewall Jackson's entire corps, which had pushed back XI Corps and was threatening to roll up the Union line.
Dilger also received high praise in the
Postwar
From 1869 to 1873, he was
After the war, Dilger prospered in Ohio and eventually purchased a sprawling horse farm in the Shenandoah Valley near Front Royal, Virginia, where he raised his family. After his death, a portion of his farm was purchased by the US Army as part of the creation of the Front Royal Remount Quartermaster Depot.
Medal of Honor citation
The following citation was issued on August 17, 1893:
Fought his guns until the enemy were upon him, then with one gun hauled in the road by hand he formed the rear guard and kept the enemy at bay by the rapidity of his fire and was the last man in the retreat.[3]
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients
- List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F
- German Americans in the Civil War
References
- ^ Webpage for Dilger Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine "DILGER WAS BORN MARCH 5, 1836 IN EUGEN, A BLACK FOREST TOWN. NAMED HUBERT ANTON CASIMIR DILGER, TAKING THE TWO MIDDLE NAMES FROM THE BOYS PATERNAL AND MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS"
- ^ The Civil War: A Narrative Vol. 3 Red River to Appomattox by Shelby Foote
- ^ "Citation of Dilger, Hubert". homeofheroes.com. Retrieved 2007-12-16.