Memoirs of a Dutch Mudsill , livre ebook
444
pages
English
Ebooks
2014
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444
pages
English
Ebooks
2014
Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus
Publié par
Date de parution
10 février 2014
Nombre de lectures
1
EAN13
9781612777931
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
3 Mo
John Henry Otto was born September 12, 1822, in Westphalia, Germany, and enlisted in the Prussian army sometime around 1845. According to his own account, he served in the war between Prussia and Denmark in 1848 and as a sergeant fought to suppress revolution in southern Germany. He was discharged in 1849 as a first lieutenant in the reserve but was called up again in 1850.He deserted the Prussian army and came to New York in 1853. He was a carpenter and cabinetmaker in Appleton, Wisconsin, with a wife and five small children, when the Civil War broke out. In August 1862 he enlisted in the Union army, serving as third sergeant and ultimately as captain of his company. Otto was in command of his company from the Battle of Chicamauga until the close of the war and was engaged in many of the major battles and campaigns on the western front, including the Battles of Perryville and Stone's River, the Tullahoma campaign, and the Battles of Chicamauga, Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge. He accompanied General Sherman in the march through Georgia and the Carolinas. Captain Otto was discharged with his regiment in June 1865.Otto kept a journal throughout the war and afterward arranged his reminiscences in a memoir, which he completed around 1890. Captain John Henry Otto was a keen observer, and his memoirs paint a vivid picture of the life of a common soldier and of a line officer at the company level during the Civil War. Memoirs of a Dutch Mudsill will appeal to Civil War enthusiasts and scholars.
Voir
Publié par
Date de parution
10 février 2014
EAN13
9781612777931
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
3 Mo
Memoirs of a Dutch Mudsill
Memoirs Dutch of a Mudsill
“ ”
, ,
,
Edited by David Gould
and James B. Kennedy
Kent and London
Frontispiece:Head and shoulders portrait believed to be that of John Henry Otto of thest Wisconsin Infantry, Company D. (Courtesy State Historical Society of Wisconsin)
©by The Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data Otto, John Henry,–. Memoirs of a Dutch mudsill : the “war memories” of John Henry Otto, Captain, Company D, st Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry / edited by David Gould and James B. Kennedy. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. (alk. paper)∞ . Otto, John Henry,–. . United States. Army. Wisconsin Infantry Regiment,st (–) . Wisconsin—History—Civil War,–—Personal narratives. . United States—History—Civil War,–—Personal narratives. . United States—History—Civil War,–—Campaigns. . United States—History—Civil War,–—Participation, German American. . Soldiers—Wisconsin—Biography.
. German Americans—Wisconsin—Biography.
I. Gould, David,– II. Kennedy, James B.,– III. Title. .st . .’’—dc
British Library CataloginginPublication data are available.
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
. The Organization of Company D,st Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry
. Preparing for Actual Warfare
. Progress and Incidents of Our First Campaign
. The Battle of Perryville, or Chaplin Hills
. In Which We Chase Bragg Again, Which Amounts to Nothing
Stone River, or Murfreesboro. The Battle of
. About Our “Coozie” Winter Quarters, Light Duty, and Our Bully Picnic in General
. Expedition into East Tennessee
. The Tullahoma Campaign
. The Chickamauga Campaign
Chickamauga, Georgia. The Battle of
. Chattanooga: Battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge
. Preparation for the Atlanta Campaign
Resaca: Tedious Skirmishing. The Battle of and Final Advance
. Advance on Atlanta
. The Army Found Again. Savannah. A Valuable Christmas Present
. Facing Northward: Averysboro. The Battle at Bentonville
. Washington. The Great Parade
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
It is not unusual for an undertaking of this magnitude to be carried out collaboratively; however, this collaboration was unusual in that two individuals, thousands of miles apart, who had both undertaken the same project inde pendently, agreed to cooperate and combine their efforts in a joint project. This collaboration endured through nine years, two publishers, six revisions, and three moves. The editors would like to publicly thank each other for the patience and forbearance that made this possible. We are also deeply indebted to numerous individuals and organizations that provided their time, resources, and able assistance. Without their help and encouragement this project would have been an impossible task. We are greatly obligated to the staV at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Attempting to investigate the enormous amount of materials held at the society was a daunting prospect. The archivists’ helpful manner, expertise, and repeated guidance are deeply appreciated. We would like to thank the following individuals: Harold L. Miller, archives division, for his personal interest and encouragement and for allowing access to the society’s collections; Gerry Strey, archives division, for her expertise regarding Wiscon sin and Civil War maps; James Hansen, genealogy division, whose guidance through the genealogical maze was invaluable; Paul Hass, editorial division, for his helpful suggestions in reviewing original materials; Andy Kraushaar, visual materials archive, for his assistance and expertise in photographic materials; Richard L. Pifer, collections and development division, for making us aware of newly acquired materials; Joel W. Heiman, division of public
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history, for his expertise in cartography; and Lisa Hinzman, image reproduc tion business manager, for her assistance with pictures and permissions. We are also deeply grateful for the assistance of many unnamed society members. We would like to thank Carol J. Butts, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, for her help in identifying individual soldiers; and Richard H. Sewell, University of Wisconsin, for his valuable time, suggestions, and advice on publication. We would like to express a special thank you to Brett Barker, University of Wisconsin. His encouragement, expertise, and enthusiasm for Civil War history helped make this all possible. No manuscript of this nature can be completed without the able assistance of other institutions. Thanks must be extended to Michael Musick, Stuart L. Butler, Gary L. Morgan, and the staffat the National Archives Military Reference Branch.Their help with soldiers’ records and courtmartial records was invaluable. Richard Sommers and the staffat the U. S. Army Military History Institute were most helpful in assisting with the identification of individual soldiers and soldiers’ photographs. Linda Middlestadt and Scott Cross, archivists at the Oshkosh Public Museum, provided valuable help with and information about visual images. James Ogden, National Parks Service, Fort Oglethorpe, Chickamauga National Battlefield Park, provided helpful insights on the Battle of Chickamauga. Sue Fuller at the National Park Service Andersonville Historic Site provided valuable help with identifying soldiers imprisoned there. Stuart W. Sanders, director of the Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association, provided help in understanding thefighting at Perryville. The assistance of Mary Devitt, Henry Geitz, and the staffat the Max Kade Institute for GermanAmerican Studies in interpreting original German language documents was invaluable.
Introduction
John Henry Otto was my greatgrandfather. He was born September ,, in Westphalia, Germany, and enrolled in the Prussian army in the fortress of Luxembourg sometime around. According to his own ac count he served in the war between Prussia and Denmark in, and in the revolution in southern Germany, he fought asin the suppression of a sergeant under the command of Prince William of Prussia (later emperor of Germany). After the revolution he applied for admission into the Cadet’s College to prepare for the examination for commissioning as an officer, was accepted, and ultimately passed the examinations. After the examinations his threeyear term of service expired, and he took his discharge with the rank offirst lieutenant in the reserve. Shortly afterward, in, Prussia declared war against Austria, Bavaria, and Hesse, and Lieutenant Otto was called into the service for another two years. Although by this time he was in command of a company, he had no desire to spend his life as a soldier, and being unable to ascertain when he would be discharged, he deserted the Prussian army. He wentfirst to Holland, then across the North Sea to England, andfinally to New York in, “glad,” he says, “tofind a country where the Army is subject to the Civil Authority.” He moved to Wisconsin the following year and settled in Appleton, where he engaged in the cabinetmaking business. Family tradition has it that hefirst met his wife when he saw her working barefoot in afield and gave her his boots. By the time the Civil War broke out he was married, hadfive small children, and was almost forty years old. Nevertheless, in Augusthe
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