Others born in Germany
GERMAN-BORN GENERAL OFFICERS
Of the thousands of Germans who served in the Union Army, the most prominent (and in many cases, the best remembered) were those who achieved the rank of general. As with any list of officers from that time, modern historians and "arm-chair generals" may judge these men to be of varying quality. Some performed excellently on the battlefields. Some were great leaders, but poor military strategists. Some had reputations less than that. All, however, were looked to with pride by the members of the German American communities throughout the North.
The men below are those men who were originally born in Germany and who attained the rank of Brigadier General or Major General during the Civil War. The list does not attempt to rate these men in any particular importance. The list does not include officers who recieved a brevet (honorary) promotion to general officer, or those colonels who may have acted as brigadier generals in the absence of a brigade commander. It also does not attmept to list any German-American generals who were born in the United States. Consequently, it is best seen as a mere sampling of the leaders who represented the German -American community in the service.