Hermann Lieb (also known as Herman Lieb;Eicher p.348 May 23, 1826 – March 5, 1908) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

immigrant to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

who served in the Union Army 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 ...

. He is best remembered as the commander of the Union forces at the

Battle of Milliken's Bend The Battle of Milliken's Bend was fought on June 7, 1863, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Major General (United States), Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army had placed the strategic Mississippi Rive ...

in 1863.

Biography

Lieb was born in on May 23, 1826 in

Ermatingen Ermatingen is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen (district), Kreuzlingen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History The Stone Age Westerfeld and Büge shoreline settlements w ...

, Switzerland, to Sigmund Friedrich Lieb and Christine Vasmer, and was educated in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Vevey Vevey (; ; ) is a town in Switzerland in the Vaud, canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Leman, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the Vevey (district), district of the same name until 200 ...

, and in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In 1846 he moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he worked as a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

, and there took part in the

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (), also known as the February Revolution (), was a period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation of the French Second Republic. It sparked t ...

. Lieb emigrated to the United States and settled in 1856 in

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city in Macon County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

, where he began practicing law. He was also an editor of the ''

Chicago Democrat The ''Chicago Democrat'' was the first newspaper in Chicago, Illinois. It was published from 1833 to 1861. In 2017 Atom, LLC restarteChicago Democratand has built a website aimed at statewide coverage of news, sports, weather and information in Il ...

''.

American Civil War

At the outbreak of the war, he enlisted for ninety days as a private in Company B of the

8th Illinois Infantry The 8th Illinois Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service Initial 3-month service The infantry regiment was organized at Springfield, Illinois, and mustered in on April 25, ...

.Vicksburg NMP
/ref> Upon reorganization of the regiment as a three-year unit in July 1861, Lieb was elected captain and the following year was promoted to major. He fought at the battles of

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 ...

, Shiloh and the

siege of Corinth The siege of Corinth, also known as the first battle of Corinth, was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. A collection of Union forces under the overall command of Major General Henry H ...

. On April 14, 1863 he was appointed colonel of the 9th Louisiana Regiment of African Descent. During the

Vicksburg campaign The Vicksburg campaigns were a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi ...

Lieb commanded the post of Milliken's Bend along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. Here, on June 7, 1863, Lieb defeated Confederate forces under General

Henry E. McCulloch Henry Eustace McCulloch (December 6, 1816 – March 12, 1895) was a soldier in the Texas Revolution, a Texas Ranger Division, Texas Ranger, and a Brigadier general (United States), brigadier general in the army of the Confederate States of Amer ...

and was wounded during the fighting. On August 7 his unit was converted into an artillery unit which eventually became the 5th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery. With his regiment he performed garrison duty in the Vicksburg area for the remainder of 1863. On May 6, 1864, he was given command of the artillery forces of the Post of Vicksburg.Eicher p.348 On March 13, 1865 Lieb was promoted to brevet brigadier general of U.S. Volunteers and was mustered out of the volunteer service on March 20, 1866.Eicher p.348

After the war

Lieb returned to Illinois where he worked as a newspaper editor, postal worker and author. He was elected Clerk of Cook County in 1873. He also served as clerk of the County Court of Cook County. Lieb died in Chicago on March 5, 1908.

References

*Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, .
Five Generals from Decatur

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lieb, Herman 1826 births 1908 deaths People from Kreuzlingen District People of the Revolutions of 1848 Swiss emigrants to France Swiss emigrants to the United States Union army colonels People of Illinois in the American Civil War Illinois lawyers People from Decatur, Illinois Cook County Clerks