Maj. Gen. Gottfried Weitzel

[jkBluesman]

Maj. Gen. Gottfried Weitzel (b. 1835, d. 1884). Although Weitzel was born in the German state of Bavaria, his family immigrated to the United States when he was one year old and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. Weitzel graduated from West Point in 1855 as second in a class of 34 graduates. During his service in the Engineer Corps of the US-Army he helped to construct fortifications in the harbour of New Orleans and taught Engineering at West Point from 1859 till 1861. At the beginning of the Civil War he served as part of the engineer corps in Washington, D.C.. Due to his knowledge of the fortifications in New Orleans he was assigned to Gen. Benjamin Butler in February 1862 to help prepare and conduct the capture of the important town in Louisiana (accomplished in May). Weitzel became a Butler protegée and was made Brig. Gen. in August 1862. He led his troops well at Labadieville und Thibodeaux in October that same year and at Irish Bend and Fort Bisland (all Louisiana) on April 13-14, 1863. When Gen. Nathaniel Banks tried to capture Port Hudson during the summer, Weitzel participated in the unsuccessful assaults in May and June as leader of a temporary division in the XIX corps. He was still with Banks during the battle of Sabine Pass, which ended the attempt to conquer Texas. In the campaigns of 1864 Butler requested Weitzel’s service for the Army of the James. Thus the young general fought at Bermuda Hundred, the failed attempt by Butler to capture Petersburg, Virginia. Weitzel became the Chief Engineer of the Army of the James afterwards. When his corps commander Gen. E. O. C. Ord was wounded during the attacks on Fort Harrison (Sept. 28, 1864), Weitzel assumed temporarily command of the XVIII corps. He got his own corps (the XXV, made up of African-American soldiers) after his promotion to Maj. Gen. of Volunteers (November 17, 1864) at the age of 29. His first mission in the new rank was a failure. The attempt to capture Fort Fisher and in consequence the harbour of Wilmington in December was stopped by Butler. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant relieved Butler of command but kept his high opinion on Butler’s second in command: Weitzel. Back in Virginia, the German born officer was responsible for the Union troops north of the Appomattox River and the first Union General to enter the captured town of Richmond on April 3, 1865. In May, his corps was part of the force sent to the Rio Grande to make an impression on the French troops in Mexico that were soon withdrawn to Europe. After the war Weitzel stayed in the regular army and worked as engineer. Due to bad health the Lieutenant Colonel with the brevet rank of Maj. Gen. was limited to desk duties from 1882 on. Two years later he died from typhoid fever caused from jaundice at the age of 48. He was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati.


Ldr: 4
Tact: 5
Init: 3
Cmd: 4
Cav: 0

Teaches: Diggers, maybe Swampwise

[Gil R.]

Thanks!