Role of Immigrants in the American Civil War

Role of Immigrants in the American Civil War

For minorities, as for other Americans, the Civil War was an

opportunity to prove their valor and loyalty. Among the first mustered

into the Union Army were a De Kalb regiment of German American clerks, the

Garibakdi Guards made up of Italian Americans, a "Polish Legion," and

hundreds of Irish American youths form Boston and New York. But in Ohio

and Washington, D.C., African American volunteers were turned away from

recruiting stations and told, "This is a white man's war." Some citizens

questioned the loyalty of immigrants who lived in crowded city tenements

until an Italian American from Brooklyn turned that around. In the New

York Senate, Democrat Francis Spinola had been a vigorous foe of

Republican policies and Lincoln. But now he swore his loyalty with

stirring words, "This is my flag, which I will follow and defend." This

speech gave great assurance that the masses in the great cities were

devoted to the Union and ready to enlist for its defense.

More than 400,000 European immigrants fought for the Union,

including more than 170,00 Germans and more than 150,00 Irish. Many saw

their services as a proud sacrifice. The first officer to die for the

Union was Captain Constatin Blandowski, one of many immigrants who earlier

had fought for freedom in Europe and then joined Lincoln's army. Born in

Upper Silesia and trained at Dresden, Germany, he was a veteran of

democratic struggles - a Polish revolt at Krakow, the Polish Legion's

battles against Austria, and the Hungarian fight for independence. Some

nationalities contributed more than their share of Union soldiers.

Some immigrants earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. Italian

American officer Louis di Cesnola, was the Colonel of the 4th Cavalry

Regiment. At Aldie, Virginia, in 1863, he earned the Medal of Honor and

was appointed a general. He charged unarmed at the foe, read his citation,

"rallied his men ...until desperately wounded and taken prisoner in

action." In 1879 Cesnola became director of New York's Metropolitan

Museum of Art. The museum then became, wrote a critic, "a monument to his

energy, enterprise, and rare executive skill."

Italian American privates also won the Medal of Honor. Joseph

Sova of the 8th Cavalry earned it for capturing the Confederate flag at

Appomattox. Private Orlando Caruana of the 51st Infantry won it at