Max Weber (August 27, 1824 – June 15, 1901) was a military officer in the armies of

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and later the

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, most known for serving as a brigadier general 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 ...

Biography

Born in Achern, in the German state of Baden, Weber graduated from the military school at

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

in 1843, and served as an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the Grand Duke's army. In 1849, during the

Revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

, he served with the revolutionaries under Franz Sigel. He emigrated to America, one of a large group of political refugees who came to be as known as the Forty-Eighters. He settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and worked as proprietor of the Konstanz Hotel in New York.Eicher p.558 Weber enlisted to fight in the Civil War as a colonel on May 16, 1861. He raised a German-American unit known as the "Turner Rifles," a company that eventually became a part of the 20th New York Infantry.Antietam on the Web
/ref> Weber was stationed at Fort Monroe in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. He took part in the capture of Fort Hatteras. From September 1861 until May 1862, he commanded Camp Hamilton, near Fort Monroe, being commissioned brigadier general of volunteers on April 28, 1862. He was at Newport News during the fight between the ''Monitor'' and ''Virginia'' in anticipation of a Confederate attack by land. He took part in the capture of

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in May, and then commanded at

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until September, when he was ordered to the Army of the Potomac where he commanded the Third Brigade, Third Division, Second Army Corps in the Army of the Potomac. Weber's brigade was the first to attack the Sunken Road during the Battle of Antietam. His right arm was grievously wounded in the ill-fated attack on the Confederate positions. The injury forced Weber off to a series of desk assignments for the duration of the conflict. He served on administrative duty in Washington, D.C., in 1863. He served under Gen. David Hunter and Gen. Franz Sigel in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864. He was the garrison commander of Harpers Ferry and repelled Jubal A. Early's July 4–7 raid. Weber resigned his commission on May 13, 1865. After the war, he was assessor of internal revenue in New York in 1870-72, and then collector until April 1883, when he resigned. Weber served as U.S. consul in Nantes, France. He died at his home in Brooklyn on June 15, 1901.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
Max Weber
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weber, Max 1824 births 1901 deaths People from Achern Emigrants from the Grand Duchy of Baden Immigrants to the United States Union army generals People of New York (state) in the American Civil War

Biography

See also

Notes

References