★ ★  Sigel, Franz

Franz Sigel

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Sigel.jpg


Born: November 18, 1824

Birthplace: Sinshiem Baden, Germany

Father: Franz Moriz Sigel 1788 – 1863

Mother:
Anna Marie Pauline Lichtenauer 1796 –

Wife: Elise Dulon 1835 – 1910
(Buried: Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York)​

Children:

Paul Sigel 1858 – 1914​
(Buried: Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York)​
Leila Sigel Schehl 1865 – 1940​
(Buried: Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York)​

Education:

1843: Graduated from Karlsruhe Military Academy​

Occupation before War:

1843 – 1847: Lt. in the Baden Army​
Acting Minister of War for Revolutionary Forces, against the Prussians​
Fled his native country first to Switzerland, then England​
1852: Immigrated from England to the United States, settling in New York​
School Teacher in New York City, New York​
Served in the New York State Militia​
Professor at the German American Institute in St. Louis, Missouri​
Director of the St. Louis, Missouri Public School System​
Attracted German-American's to the Union Cause​


Civil War Career:

1861: Colonel of 3rd​ Missouri Union Infantry Regiment
Sigel 1.jpg
1861: Organized an Expedition in Southwest Missouri​
1861: Union Commander in Engagement near Carthage, Missouri​
1861 – 1862: Brigadier General of Union Army, Volunteers​
1861: Served in the capture of Confederate Camp Jackson​
1861: Served in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, Missouri​
1862: Commended for his performance at Battle of Pea Ridge​
1862 – 1865: Major General of Union Army, Volunteers​
1862: Division Commander in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign​
1862: Corps Commander at Second Battle of Bull Run, Virginia​
1862: Wounded in the hand at Second Battle of Bull Run​
1862: Commander of Reserve Grand Division, Army of the Potomac​
1862: Stayed in reserve during the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia​
1863: Left his corps in February, replaced by Oliver O. Howard​
1863 – 1864: Served on light duty in Eastern Pennsylvania​
1864: Union Army Commander, Department of West Virginia​
1864: Defeated at the Battle of New Market, Virginia​
1864: Replaced in July from his command, by David Hunter​
1864: Fought at Harper’s Ferry against Lt. General Jubal Early​
1865: Resigned from Union Army on May 4th​

Occupation after War:

Editor of Baltimore Wecker Newspaper
Newspaper Editor in New York City, New York​
1869: Unsuccessful Candidate for New York Secretary of State​
1871: Unsuccessful Candidate for Register of New York City​
United States Pension Agent for New York City, New York​
Publisher of New York Monthly Newspaper

Died: August 21, 1902

Place of Death: New York City, New York

Age at time of Death: 77 years old

Burial Place: Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York
 
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David Powell asserts in his 2019 book "Union Command Failure in the Shenandoah" that Sigel received a military education "superior to that to be had at West Point, focusing not just on tactics but providing more courses dealing with the theory and strategy of war." (p. 17)

Well, Sigel entered the "Allgemeine Kriegsschule" at Karlsruhe in 1841, going through a curriculum of two instead of five years, as mentioned by Dave in a recent Chicago Civil War Roundtable presentation.

Sigel was taught in mathematics, tactics, weaponry, topography, surveying, drawing, German, French, fencing, and horse riding. There were no courses dealing with the "higher art of war". These were the preserve of the "Höhere Kriegsschule" (also at Karlsruhe), a three year course, specialized in educating "Generalstabsoffiziere", not attended by Sigel...
 
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Sigel was a runner though. On many occasions he made disastrous or rash military decisions resulting in the deaths of his soldiers and of General Nathaniel Lyon at Wilson's Creek on August 1861. He had one good performance in one battle, Pea Ridge.
 
Sigel was a runner though. On many occasions he made disastrous or rash military decisions resulting in the deaths of his soldiers and of General Nathaniel Lyon at Wilson's Creek on August 1861. He had one good performance in one battle, Pea Ridge.
Sigel was credited with providing Missourians serving in the MSG with their first supply of military quality arms and ammunition at Carthage. His uncoordinated attack at Oak Hills contributed substantially to Lyon's defeat.
 
I was reading about Sigel in the thread about politically appointed generals and thought I'd bring my question here. There is a great long novel from the 1980s "...And ladies of the Club" that is about life in small town Ohio from just after the ACW though the 1920s, focusing on the lives of the members of a women's literary club. There are loads of great historical tidbits and more information about Republican Party politics in the late 19th century than you can shake a stick at. Big recommend.

At one point a fictional character who had been a Union Brigadier asked a young German war veteran he had just met if he "fit mit Sigel". At the time I read the book, I had not heard of General Sigel, but were the troops that served under Sigel largely German?
 
I was reading about Sigel in the thread about politically appointed generals and thought I'd bring my question here. There is a great long novel from the 1980s "...And ladies of the Club" that is about life in small town Ohio from just after the ACW though the 1920s, focusing on the lives of the members of a women's literary club. There are loads of great historical tidbits and more information about Republican Party politics in the late 19th century than you can shake a stick at. Big recommend.

At one point a fictional character who had been a Union Brigadier asked a young German war veteran he had just met if he "fit mit Sigel". At the time I read the book, I had not heard of General Sigel, but were the troops that served under Sigel largely German?
In answer to your question Yes most of his troops were German.But along with the Germans were several other other nationalities as well. German was sort of a catch phrase for foreign or so I read.
 
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