Germans in the Civil War: The Letters They Wrote Home

13. Captain August Horstmann

120 Horstmann In 1870 Joseph Dünnebacke’s farm had risen in value to $3,000. His brother Johann had died in the meantime, and his farm, now run by his widow and three adult children, was valued at $10,000. Joseph Dünnebacke passed away in 1899.3 3. MC 1870: Clinton Co./Mich., Dallas Twp., #238; MC 1870: Clinton Co./Mich., Westphalia Twp., #199; information provided by the donor. 13. Captain August Horstmann About 1856, three years after his older brother Albert (who became a farmer in Texas), August Horstmann left Germany and moved to St. Louis. Nothing is known about his reasons for emigrating. Born in 1835, he had grown up with four brothers and sisters in Schweiburg, a town of about 1,400 inhabitants in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, where his father was a teacher, as well as the sexton and organist of the Protestant church. His letters indicate that he received more than just an elementary education, and in nearby Varel he probably had commercial training. In 1859 and 1860, at any rate, he was working as a salesman or agent in St. Louis. In August 1861 he signed on for three years’ duty with the 45th New York Infantry Volunteers, the ‘‘5th German Rifles,’’ a unit that was almost exclusively German American. The regiment was first deployed in Virginia and fought in the battles of Cross Keys, Groveton, Bull Run, Chancellorsville,* and finally Gettysburg.* In the fall of 1863 it was transferred to the South and stationed in Tennessee until the spring, when it took part in Sherman ’s Atlanta campaign; it was then ordered to Nashville on July 6, 1864. In the meantime, August Horstmann had had a brilliant career: he was made a corporal on December 18, 1861; and on June 15, 1862, he became a sergeant and regimental clerk. He was subsequently promoted to second lieutenant (February 7, 1863), first lieutenant and adjutant on the regimental staff (May 3, 1863), and finally captain (May 1865).1 [fragment of a letter written shortly before June 16, 1862] [salutation missing: to his parents] Because the damn’d flying dutchmen are behind me; I would not care for all the Yankes (that means because the damned flying Dutchmen / the Germans source note: With his clear and concise phrases, Horstmann conveys a great amount of information in a few lines. He does so in High German without any flaws in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. 1. Information provided by the donor; emigration permission for Albert Horstmann April 27, 1853, Ns. StA Oldenburg, Best. 70, Nr. 6144 Litr. H. KI; OAR, 2:489; Dyer (1959 [1908]), 1420– 21; Muster Rolls, NatA. Horstmann 121 are called dutchmen here / I wouldn’t care about all the Americans). And indeed the enemy has tremendous respect for German soldiers, so that even the farmers come running from all directions to see the flying dutchmen, as they call our division. General Frémont* is well aware of this & only has Germans on his staff, & our division & specifically our brigade, the 1st, is always given preferential treatment & is always out in front. On Pentecost Sunday on June 8 we set out early to take up the chase. The road through the woods and fields was bad enough but then about midday we ran into the enemy about 8 miles from Harrisonburg. They were posted in the woods on steep hills [battle of Cross Keys]. The artillery immediately opened fire & our 1st brigade marched toward the enemy in battle formation. The other 4 brigades were still far behind & could join us only one after another. The Garibaldi Guard N.Y. chased the enemy out of the woods and moved on toward their main position, with the 27 Regt Pa skirmishing on the left; the De Kalb Regt NY in the center, then ours, the 45 Regt N.Y., & the 8 Regt. N.Y. Blenker’s* Jäger on the left.2 But the whole battle plan and any chance of winning the battlewas foiled by the precipitous actions of Colonel Wutschel from 8 Regt.3 Long before the battle was supposed to begin & without having any reserves behind him, this officer gave his regiment the command to attack (rumor has it he was drunk, & he now faces court-martial). They beat back the enemy pickets, and then they started singing ‘‘Hinaus in die Ferne’’ [a German hiking song] etc. and went straight into a bayonet attack, & it was uphill and over three fences, until after the last Fence on the...