How many of the people fleeing from Europe to America after the 1848 anti-monarchy riots were hired as experienced soldiers in America during their 1865 Civil War and otherwise?
Were rebel commanders from the 1848ers considered prized soldiers useful for war?
Did anyone even give that a thought? I have the impression that the draft was haphazard and scrambled. Plus I do not think that the barricade warfare of 48 would have been of any use in the open field war of 61.
That’s where almost half of my family comes from, German princes. None of the family served in the Civil War though, as far as I am aware.
The book “Republican Party Red from the Start” might have some answers in it. It’s by some guy named Alan Stang, if I’m not mistaken.
Even if they had been, they paled compared to US born officers who fought in the 1846 war with Mexico. Jefferson Davis was a colonel in the Mississipi Militia and led his regiment (Mississipi Rifles) at the Battle of Buena Vista. William T. Sherman’s brother, Thomas, was also present, commanding an artillery battery. Braxton Bragg commanded another battery in the same battle. The storming of Chapultepec Castle reads like a muster call of the most famous Confederate leaders: Robert Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Joe Johnston and George Pickett were all present.
The US Civil War led to such an enormous expansion of the military establishment that pretty much everyone boasting military experience was given a commission, no questions asked. This was particularly evident in the Army of the Potomac during the first year of the war, since most of its units were drafted from major urban areas with high immigration from Europe. A number of New York regiments were almost exclusively made up of German, Irish, Scottish and Italian immigrants, led by men who had military experience in Europe. French immigrants were instrumental in initiating the so-called “Zouave craze”, though most of the zouave regiments (including the 5th New York, considered one of the best in the Union Army) were raised by American citizens (the famous Colonel Duryee came from a French Huguenot family but was born and raised in New York).