Many Americans today believe that our Civil War was a titanic struggle between American men of European descent. But that’s not really true. The War Between the States – like America itself – was a war that was filled with diversity – on both sides and of all kinds.
A diversity of races…
Joseph Pierce
Co. F, 14th Connecticut Vol Inf Reg’t
Felix Cornelius Balderry
Co.s A &F, 11th Michigan Vol Inf Reg’t
Captain Cristobal Benavides
33rd Texas Cavalry
Sgt. George Mitchell
Co.K , 62nd U.S. Colored Inf Reg’t
Pleasant Porter
1st Creek Mounted Volunteers
They served in both armies, and at every rank from private to officer.
Staff Officer for Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
104th U.S. Colored Inf Reg’t
(1st Af-Am Field Officer)
Cherokee Mounted Rifles
Newly arrived immigrants were involved in this war also. Besides individuals from various countries serving throughout both the Union and Confederate armies, there also was a Union regiment composed entirely of just immigrants.
The 39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, (the “Garibaldi Guard“), was recruited in New York City and mustered into service in 1861. The regiment was composed of three companies of Hungarian immigrants, three companies of Germans, one Swiss company, one Italian company, one French company, one Spanish company, and one Portuguese company. Most of the members of this unique regiment had already seen military service (and combat) with the armies of their homelands.
and genders…
In July 1863, a burial detail at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania made a startling discovery near Cemetery Ridge. Among the human wreckage of the Confederate attacks during the battle, the men found a dead woman wearing the uniform of a Confederate private. She was killed in Pickett’s charge.
Historian Elizabeth D. Leonard estimates that between 500 to 1,000 women clandestinely fought on both sides during America’s Civil War. Most served anonymously, and some, like the unfortunate woman at Gettysburg, died that way.
Of the group below who served, one died, and one became the only woman to receive a soldier’s pension from the U.S. Government.
#2 ~ Jenny Hodgers aka “Albert D.J. Cashier”, 95th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Reg’t;
#3 ~ Sarah Emma Edmonds aka “Franklin Thompson”, 2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry;
#4 ~ Sarah Malinda Pritchard Blalock aka “Samuel Blalock”, Co. F 26th North Carolina Volunteer Infantry;
#5 ~ Kady Brownell, served alongside her husband Robert in the 1st Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry.
and even species!
Soldiers on both sides of this conflict loved pets, and many individuals, companies, regiments, and branch of service had their particular pets or mascots – even bald eagles and one-hump camels!
8th Wisconsin Vol. Inf. Reg’t
43rd Mississippi Vol. Inf. Reg’t
On the back of his tombstone at Vicksburg is the ‘rest of the story’ about Old Douglas
Some mascots were even honored with statues.
11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
(The statue is on the Gettysburg Battlefield)
This final image is a fitting one on which to end this page. It provides the perfect example of the “diversity” in this civil war – Two Maltese dogs “serving” in the Irish Brigade!
Remember
Many of the graves in every Civil War battlefield park across this country and in our national cemetery in Arlington, Virginia are occupied by this uncommon diversity of races, immigrants, genders, and species ‘who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It’s altogether fitting and proper that‘ we remember and celebrate them, for our Civil War was truly a “diverse” conflict in every aspect of the word.
Mac
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