A Glimpse into German Life during the Civil War: Germans in the Civil War: The Letters They Wrote Home
The book Germans in the Civil War: The Letters They Wrote Home, written by Walter D. Kamphoefner, contains 300 letters written by German immigrants living through the Civil War to their families and friends back home in Germany. The letters contain the German perspective of the events occurring in the United States and their political views on slavery and other issues. The letters are written by men, women, civilians, and soldiers. The writers of the letters are Otto Albrecht, Caroline Eversmeier, and the Kessel and Rückels families.
The letter written by Otto Albrecht was written in November 1860 and discussed Carl Schurz and how the Germans, Republicans, and Democrats all viewed him. Carl Schurz was a hero to many Germans as he joined the revolutionary movement of 1848. His goal along with others fighting in the revolution hoped to replace autocracy with democracy. Albrecht also discusses the presidential election of Abraham Lincoln. He praises Lincoln’s rags-to-riches story.
Caroline Eversmeier was a criminal in Germany and was given the option to remain incarcerated indefinitely or immigrate to the United States. She decided to go to the United States and married a hack driver (like a cab driver). Caroline writes to her sister about her new life in the United States and mentions the brutality of the Civil War. She worries about being alone when her husband is sent off to fight. German women were strong-willed and wanted to be a part of the fight during the Civil War. Women did not want to be onlookers during the war, they wanted to assist the soldiers in any way they could.
Private Carl Ruff was born into a wealthy Catholic family and studied in Germany but did not graduate from university. He was not interested in learning English and wrote in impeccable German. He writes to his family back in Germany about his experience in America, he ended up living in St. Louis and enlisted in the 41st Missouri-Vol. regiment.
Ruff describes his anti-slavery point of view, and when he spoke up against slavery while living in New Orleans, he was arrested for being an enemy of the South. At least 80 percent of Germans in St. Louis voted for Lincoln; many were enrolled in the Union Army.
The Kessel and Rückels families were spread across the United States, most of the family was settled near St. Louis and came to the United States to pursue profit in farming. They showed little interest in German politics and their opinion on the Civil War was focused on the economic effects of the conflict. The letters discussed family news, such as new information on the war in their area. Regina Kessel and Amalie Rückels discussed the challenges of the war and how Germans in Missouri were being threatened. Many do not know about the Germans' substantial effect on the Union's success during the Civil War. The letters are valuable because they deal with contemporary military and political issues in the United States.
