Brig. Gen. George Washington Deitzler

[jkBluesman]

Brig. Gen. George Washington Deitzler (b. 1826, d. 1884). One of the prominent figures of the free-state party in Kansas, Deitzler led troops of the “Sunflower State” during the Civil War. Born at Pine Grove, Pennsylvania he moved to Kansas after graduating from school. He supported the free-state party from the outset and was nominated as delegate to the Topeka constitutional convention (October to November, 1855), which banned slavery from the territory. However, Pres. Franklin Pierce declared the convention to be revolutionary and ordered the arrest of its leaders. Deitzler was one of the seven radicals who were arrested on May 14, 1857, on charge of high treason by Federal troops. The prisoners were taken from Lawrence to Lecompton and held in a camp for several months. After his release Deitzler served as member and speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives. Subsequently he was elected mayor of Lawrence. Made colonel of the First Kansas Infantry at the beginning of the Civil War, he led the 4th brigade under Gen. Nathaniel Lyon at Wilson’s Creek in August, 1861. During the Union defeat Deitzler was seriously wounded. He remained in service although he never fully recovered from the wound. In November 1862, Deitzler was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers and led a brigade in Gen. Ulysses S. Grant Vicksburg Campaign the next year. Still suffering from his wound he had received at Wilson’s Creek, Deitzler resigned his commission after the stronghold on the Mississippi fell. His service for the Union did not stop at that point as Deitzler served as major general of Kansas militia from 1864. In that capacity he led some 10 000 men in support of Gen. Samuel R. Curits’ Army of the Border to defend Missouri and Kansas against Gen. Sterling Price’s raid in fall of 1864. Price was defeated at Westport, Missouri on October 23rd and Deitzler had seen his last fight. After the war, Deitzler worked as railroad promoter. On April 11, 1884, he was killed by being thrown from a carriage at Tucson, Arizona.

Ldr: 3
Tact: 1
Init: 2
Cmd: 3
Cav: 0

Teaches: Random

[Gil R.]

Thanks! Sadly, we don't yet have a mugshot of Dietzler, but I think this can still be in the next patch.

[jkBluesman]

You better start calling him Deitzler or you end up as AGEOD where they had Deitzler and Dietzler in their list of generals (I found this while googling Deitzler).
You can find a mugshot of him here
and here.

[Gil R.]

Now you're confusing me. The sites you sent me to call him Dietzler! But other sites have Deitzler! The good news is that we appear to have a mugshot of him already, since the commanders.txt file lists one "Deitzer,_G.W." and there appears to be no such general.

I suggest we go with the spelling at the back of Heidler, in the complete list of USA generals.

Thanks for pointing this out, even if I'm temporarily more confused than before.

[jkBluesman]

You are right, it is totally confusing. Wikipedia has an entry for "Dietzler", but has "George Washington Deitzler" in their list of Union Civil War Generals (thoug there is no entry yet for him).
Heidler lists him as "Dietzler". The sites on his relation to Kansas list him all as "Deitzler".

[Gil R.]

Though Heidler does have some errors -- how could it not? -- I'd want to rely on that over websites. Let me know if you find anything definitive, though (like a town named in the guy's honor, or some such thing).

[jkBluesman]

If I could just find a reason why there is a different spelling. After all, he did not immigrate as others who's name was changed by misspelling when they arrived in the US.

Here is the summary of my research:

- it seems, the guy was not important enough to name a town or county after him, not even in Kansas

- I did four google-fights: Dietzler won twice, Deitzler two as well

- one of the sites I gave the link for lists him as Deitzler although under the mugshot he is called Dietzler

- David J. Eicher in "The Longest Night" calls him Deitzler

- the Kansas History Society calls him Deitzler

Why did you call him first Deitzler and then Dietzler (in the "Bios for scenarios thread)?

[Gil R.]

Why did you call him first Deitzler and then Dietzler (in the "Bios for scenarios thread)?

Either by mistake, or because I was reading his name off a different source.

[jkBluesman]

I assume that the problems with his name come from the fact that it is a German name. "ei" is pronounced like "y" in "cry" or "i" in "white" in German. "ie" signals that it is pronounced like "ee" in "sleep". So perhaps sometimes people mixed the writing of his name up when they heard how it was pronounced.
Anyway, as both names (Deitzler and Dietzler) are possible in German, you just decide which to use in FoF.

[Gil R.]

Let's go with Heidler (not Hiedler!).

[Gil R.]

Here’s Deitzler. Note that I decided to call him that instead of Dietzler because the website of the Kansas State Historical Society uses that, and I trust them most of all. I couldn’t tell if the Free-Staters were a formal political party, so I rephrased a bit. Also, I’m not sure that one should call Wilson’s Creek a Union defeat, since the Confederates withdrew first, so I rephrased that part, too. Otherwise, no significant changes.


Brig. Gen. George Washington Deitzler (b. 1826, d. 1884). One of the prominent figures of the Free Stater movement in Kansas, Deitzler led troops of the “Sunflower State” during the Civil War. Born at Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, he moved to Kansas after graduating from school. He supported the Free Staters from the outset and was nominated to represent them as a delegate to the Topeka Constitutional Convention of October-November 1855, which created for Kansas its first attempt at a constitution – and one that banned slavery from the territory. After elections under the constitution were held on January 15, 1856 and elected a governor, Charles L. Robinson, Pres. Franklin Pierce in response declared the convention to be revolutionary and ordered the arrest of its leaders. Deitzler was one of the seven radicals who were arrested by Federal troops in May 1856 and charged with high treason. The prisoners were taken from Lawrence to Lecompton and held in a camp for several months. After his release, Deitzler served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, becoming Speaker and in that capacity overseeing the controversial voting on the pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution that took place in December 1857 and twice more in 1858. Subsequently, Deitzler was elected mayor of Lawrence. Made Colonel of the 1st Kansas Infantry at the beginning of the Civil War, Dieztler led the 4th Brigade under Gen. Nathaniel Lyon at Wilson’s Creek, the first major battle west of the Mississippi River, on August 10, 1861, and was seriously wounded in the Union’s failed attempt to drive the Confederates from Missouri. Although he never fully recovered from the wound, Deitzler continued to serve in the army. In November 1862, he was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers, and led a brigade in Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign the next year. Still suffering from the wound he had received at Wilson’s Creek two years earlier, Deitzler resigned his commission after the stronghold on the Mississippi River fell. However, his service for the Union did not stop at that point, since Deitzler served as major general of the Kansas militia from 1864. In that capacity he led some 10,000 men in support of Gen. Samuel R. Curtis’s Army of the Border to defend Missouri and Kansas against Gen. Sterling Price’s raid in fall of 1864. Price was finally defeated at Westport, Missouri on October 23, and Deitzler had seen his last fight. After the war, he worked as a railroad promoter. On April 11, 1884, Deitzler was killed when he was thrown from a carriage at Tucson, Arizona. (Bio by Joern Kaesebier)

Ldr: 3
Tact: 1
Init: 2
Cmd: 3
Cav: 0

Teaches: Random

Start date: 44