Carl Schurz (USA)

[jkBluesman]

Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz, USA (b. 1829, d. 1906). He immigrated in 1852 with his wife Margarethe to the United States. Schurz was German-born (a son of a teacher) and had played a minor role in the German Revolution of 1848 (like Franz Sigel and Friedrich Hecker). He belonged to the radical democratic wing that had defended the revolution to the end, even against Prussian troops in Baden. He escaped the victorious Prussians and fled to Switzerland and France, where he began his studies of military history. In the US he became a Republican in 1856 and supported Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election, who could thanks to Schurz count on the votes of the German-Americans. At the beginning of the Civil War, Schurz was sent by the Lincoln administration to Spain. But he remained involved in US-politics. The abolutionist strongly supported the Emancipation Proclamation. Before it was issued Schurz returned from Spain and became brigadier-general in the Union army in April 1862 commanding a division in John C. Frémont’s and then Franz Sigel’s Ist corps under John Pope. He fought at Second Bull Run, as Major General (appointed 14th of March 1863), at Chancellorsville as commander of a division in Oliver O. Howard’s badly beaten 11th corps and at Gettysburg, where he held command of the XIth corps for a few hours on the first day, when Howard was commanding the army. Again, the 11th corps was badly beaten due to low moral and bad leadership. With the whole corps Schurz was shifted after Gettysburg to Tennessee, where he fought in the battles for Chattanooga. His last military service was with Gen. William T. Sherman in North Carolina.
After the war the political general became a politician again, opposing Johnson’s reconstruction policy. He was elected as senator of Missouri in 1869 (as first German-born American) and fought corruption in the Grant administration. The founding of a liberal-republican party by Schurz failed, but he played an important role as leader of independent members of Congress. In 1876 Schurz supported Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes who made him Secretary of the Interior. After he had resigned in 1881 Schurz fought imperialism in the United States, worked as a journalist (as he had several times before) and settled a conflict between the US and Germany over Samoa in 1889, before he died in New York in 1906.

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[Gil R.]

Nice job. I'll try to get to it this weekend.

[Gil R.]

Here's the revised version. I did a bit of rewriting, but don't think I changed anything too major. As a toddler I played in Carl Schurz Park quite a bit, thus my inclusion of that info.


Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz (b. 1829, d. 1906). Schurz immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1852 with his wife, Margarethe, after having played a minor role in the German Revolution of 1848 (as had future Union Gen. Franz Sigel and Col. Friedrich Hecker). Schurz belonged to the radical democratic wing that had defended the revolution to the end, even against Prussian troops in Baden. He escaped the victorious Prussians and fled to Switzerland and France, where he began his studies of military history. As a new American citizen, Schurz became a Republican in 1856 and in the 1860 presidential election supported Abraham Lincoln, who could thank Schurz for swinging the votes of the German-American community his way. At the beginning of the Civil War, Schurz was sent by the Lincoln administration to Spain as its ambassador, but despite the distance he remained involved in domestic politics. Within a year of his appointment, Schurz had returned from Spain and become a Brigadier General in the Union army in April, 1862. Given command of a division under Gen. John C. Fremont and then in Sigel’s I Corps, Schurz fought at Second Bull Run and then, having been promoted to Major General on March 14, 1863, at Chancellorsville, where he commanded a division in Gen. Oliver O. Howard’s badly beaten XI Corps. That July, he and the XI Corps saw action at Gettysburg, where he held command of the entire corps for a few hours on the first day, while Howard was commanding the army. Again, the XI Corps was badly beaten due to low moral and bad leadership. After the battle, Schurz was shifted along with the whole corps to Tennessee, where he fought in the battles for Chattanooga. Schurz’s last military service was with Gen. William T. Sherman in North Carolina. After the war, the political general became a politician again, opposing Pres. Andrew Johnson’s reconstruction policy. Schurz was elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri in 1869, becoming the first German-born American to serve in that body, and fought corruption in the Grant administration. The founding of a Liberal Republican party by Schurz failed, but he played an important role as leader of independent members of Congress. In the 1876 presidential election Schurz supported the successful candidacy of Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, who made him Secretary of the Interior. After he had resigned in 1881, Schurz moved to New York City and returned to one of his previous professions: journalism. In this capacity, Schurz was able to have an impact on public policy in a number of areas, and he was especially recognized as one of the leading opponents of imperialism. Schurz died in New York City, where a park named after him surrounds Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence. (Bio by Joern Kaesebier)

[jkBluesman]

Thanks for the editing. I think to mentione the park is okay. I had choosen the Samoa crisis for more or less the same reason. As I am German I wanted to include his effort to keep the relations between his former and his new country peaceful.

[Gil R.]

I didn't realize. I've just restored it, adding this sentence: "He also played an important role settling a conflict between the United States and his native Germany over Samoa in 1889."