- Julius Stahel
Infobox Military Person
name= Julius H. Stahel-Számwald
born= Birth date|1825|11|5
died= Death date and age|1912|12|4|1825|11|5
placeofbirth=Szeged ,Hungary
placeofdeath=New York City ,New York
placeofburial=Arlington National Cemetery
caption=
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch=United States Army
serviceyears=
rank=Major General
commands=
unit=
battles=American Civil War *First Battle of Bull Run
awards=
laterwork=Julius H. Stahel-Számwald (
November 5 ,1825 –December 4 ,1912 ) was a Hungarian soldier who emigrated to theUnited States and became a Union General in theAmerican Civil War . After the war, he served as a U.S. diplomat, a mining engineer, and a life insurance company executive. He received theMedal of Honor for gallantry in action at theBattle of Piedmont in 1864.Birth and early years
Stahel was born in
Szeged ,Hungary , 200 km southeast ofBudapest . After schooling in Szeged and Budapest, he entered theAustrian Army , rising to the rank oflieutenant . Stahel joined the movement for Hungarian independence led byLajos Kossuth during theRevolution of 1848 . When the Hungarian uprising against theHabsburg dynasty was put down in 1849, he fled toPrussia and then toEngland before migrating to theUnited States in 1859. Until the outbreak of the American Civil War, he worked for a German-language newspaper inNew York City .Civil War service
In 1861, with the outbreak of war, Stahel and
Louis Blenker recruited the8th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment , the 1st German Rifles or Blenker's Rifles. Stahel, who had dropped the "Számwald" portion of his surname, became theregiment 's lieutenant colonel, while Blenker served as colonel. Stahel first saw combat at theFirst Battle of Bull Run , leading the regiment in Blenker's firstbrigade ofDixon Miles 's Fifth Division. The regiment had to cover covered the flight of the Union Army of Brig. Gen.Irvin McDowell . The 8th New York served in Blenker's division of the new-bornArmy of the Potomac until it was transferred to western Virginia. Stahel become a colonel onApril 23 ,1862 . He commanded a brigade under Blenker in this period.Stahel led a brigade under Maj. Gen.
John C. Fremont in theMountain Department during an incursion into theShenandoah Valley ofVirginia . His brigade was of Fremont's left at theBattle of Cross Keys in whichStonewall Jackson stopped the Union advance into the Valley. Stahel's position on the left exposed his command to a flank attack byIsaac Trimble 's brigade as Fremont was attempting to turn the right of the Confederate line.By July 1862, Stahel was commander of the first brigade of
Robert C. Schenck 's first division Army of Virginia in the corps led byFranz Sigel in Maj. Gen. John Pope'sArmy of Virginia . At theSecond Battle of Bull Run , Schenck was wounded and Stahel became acting commander of the division. (Adolphus Buschbeck succeeded to command of the brigade.) Stahel's brigade was one of two that covered Sigel's retreat when Pope's army was defeated.Stahel was appointed a brigadier general on
November 12 ,1862 . He commanded the first division in Sigel's corps, which became XI Corps in the Army of the Potomac. He commanded the corps briefly in early 1863. Stahel was named a major general onMarch 14 ,1863 .In March 1863 Stahel was assigned to command a Union cavalry division in the defenses of
Washington, D.C. When the division joined the Army of the Potomac in June 1863,Alfred Pleasonton had Stahel removed, promotingJudson Kilpatrick in his place. He then served as cavalry commander in theDepartment of the Susquehanna at the time of theGettysburg Campaign .when they counterattacked.
At the
Battle of Piedmont onJune 5 ,1864 , serving underDavid Hunter , Stahel distinguished himself under fire until he was hit in the shoulder. This led to Stahel's being awarded theMedal of Honor , onNovember 4 ,1893 , for leading his division until seriously wounded. Stahel served, after recovering from his wound, on court-martial duty until he resigned onFebruary 8 ,1865 .After the Civil War, Stahel served in the diplomatic corps as consul in
Yokohama , (1866–1869) andOsaka ,Japan (1877–1884). After that he was consul general atShanghai ,China (1884–1885). Between diplomatic assignments, he worked as a mining engineer. Upon returning to the United States for reasons of health, Stahel worked for the Equitable Life Insurance Company in New York City.He died in a New York City at 87 years of age. After a funeral in Washington, he was buried in the
Arlington National Cemetery .Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Major General, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Piedmont, Va., 5 June 1864. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Born: 5 November 1825, Hungary. Date of issue: 4 November 1893.
Citation:
:Led his division into action until he was severely wounded.
ee also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients
*
*List of American Civil War generalsReferences
* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., "Civil War High Commands", Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
* Engle, Stephen Douglas, "The Yankee Dutchman : the life of Franz Sigel", Fayetteville : University of Arkansas Press, 1993.
* Hennessy, John J., "Return to Bull Run: The Campaign and Battle of Second Manassas", University of Oklahoma Press, 1993, ISBN 0-806 1-3187-X.
* Patchan, Scott C., "The Battle of Piedmont, Virginia", Fredericksburg: Sgt. Kirkland's Press, 1996.Persondata
NAME= Wilson, James Grant
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Union Army general
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=New York City ,New York
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