Adolph Engelmann (February 11, 1825 – October 5, 1890) was a farmer, lawyer, postmaster,

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

veteran, and Union Army

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. On May 18, 1866, the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

confirmed his appointment as brevet brigadier general of volunteers.

Biography

Engelmann was born in Imsbach, then in the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...

, on February 11, 1825.Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 227.Hunt, Roger D. and Brown, Jack R., ''Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue''. Olde Soldier Books, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, 1990. . p. 194. His family immigrated to the United States in 1831. He served as a second lieutenant in the 2nd Regiment of Illinois Volunteers (12 months) during the Mexican–American War.Elliott, Isaac H.; Illinois Adjutant General's Office
''Record of the Services of Illinois Soldiers in the Black Hawk War, 1831–32, and in the Mexican War, 1846-8''
Springfield, IL: H.W. Rokker, State printer, 1882. . Retrieved August 26, 2014. p. 239. He was wounded at the

Battle of Buena Vista The Battle of Buena Vista (February 22–23, 1847), known as the Battle of La Angostura in Mexico, and sometimes as Battle of Buena Vista/La Angostura, was a battle of the Mexican–American War. It was fought between U.S. forces, largely vol ...

in February 1847. After becoming a Chicago lawyer, Engelmann briefly served in the provisional army of the duchies of

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been di ...

and

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

during the

First Schleswig War The First Schleswig War (), also known as the Schleswig-Holstein uprising () and the Three Years' War (), was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig–Holstein question: who should control the Du ...

. On December 16, 1861, Engelmann was commissioned a lieutenant colonel of the

43rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 43rd Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, known as the "Koerner Regiment" after Gustav Körner, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 43rd Illinois Infantry was organized at Camp ...

. He participated with his regiment in garrisoning

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

after its capture by the Union Army under Brigadier General

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

. As commander of the regiment, he fought at the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...

. He was promoted to

of the regiment on April 12, 1862. Engelmann succeeded Colonel

Julius Raith Julius Raith (March 29, 1819 – April 11, 1862) was a German-American military officer who served in the American Civil War and the Mexican–American War. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of Shiloh. Born in Göttingen, Hanover, Raith came to ...

, his company captain in the Mexican–American War, who was mortally wounded while commanding the brigade which included his 43rd Illinois Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Shiloh. While still colonel of the 43rd Illinois Infantry Regiment, Engelmann commanded brigades, and briefly divisions, during the remainder of his term or service. From May 28, 1863, to August 10, 1863, including the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

, Engelmann commanded the 1st Brigade, Kimball's Division, XVI Corps,

Army of the Tennessee The Army of the Tennessee was a Union Army, Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. A 2005 study of the army states that it "was present at most of the great battles that became turning points ...

. He commanded the 2nd Division of the same corps, then in the

Army of Arkansas The Army of Arkansas was a Union Army that served in the Trans-Mississippi Theater during the American Civil War. This force functioned exclusively in the state of Arkansas. History The Army of Arkansas was created on July 27, 1863, with Major G ...

, from September 6, 1863, to September 31, 1863, before resuming command of his brigade in that division. He participated in the capture of

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

. On January 6, 1864, the Army of Arkansas became the

Department of Arkansas The Department of the Arkansas was a territorial department of the United States Army during the American Civil War. History The Department of the Arkansas was created on January 6, 1864, to consist of Union occupied Arkansas, except Fort Smith. ...

. Engelmann took command of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division,

VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII ...

. He commanded two other brigades in the 3rd and 1st divisions of the VII Corps during most of the remainder of 1863. He commanded the 1st Division of the VII Corps between September 9, 1864, and September 25, 1864. During this time, he participated in the

Camden Expedition The Camden Expedition (March 23 – May 3, 1864) was the final Military campaign, campaign conducted by the Union Army in south Arkansas during the American Civil War, Civil War. The Offensive (military), offensive was designed to cooperate w ...

, a subsidiary action of the Red River Campaign. Engelmann was mustered out of the

United States Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army (United ...

on December 16, 1864. On May 18, 1866, the U.S. Senate confirmed Engelmann's appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, for faithful and meritorious services. The sources do not have the date of his nomination by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

. Adolph Engelmann died on October 5, 1890, at Shiloh, Illinois.A book published in 1908 erroneously states that Englemann was killed at the

. von Skal, Georg. ''History of German Immigration in the United States and Successful German-Americans and Their Descendants''. New York: Smiley, 1908. . p. 33. Engelmann was buried in the Engelmann Family Cemetery at Shiloh, Illinois.

Notes

References

* Elliott, Isaac H.; Illinois Adjutant General's Office
''Record of the Services of Illinois Soldiers in the Black Hawk War, 1831–32, and in the Mexican War, 1846–8''
Springfield, IL: H.W. Rokker, State printer, 1882. . Retrieved August 26, 2014. * Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Hunt, Roger D. and Brown, Jack R., ''Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue''. Olde Soldier Books, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, 1990. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Englemann, Adolph Union army colonels 1825 births 1890 deaths Emigrants from Bavaria to the United States United States Army officers American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People of the First Schleswig War

Biography

See also

Notes

References