German 48ers concluded progress
was made through blood and iron

By DOUG LIPPMAN
Bugle Staff Writer

As the United States and Mexico were ending their war in 1848, the flames of revolution were spreading throughout Europe. With the exception of England, every European nation experienced attempts to overthrow the Old Regime and institute a more progressive Republican form of government. For the most part, these revolutions failed, as the military supported the aristocracy. This led to a mass migration which sent hundreds of thousands of Germans to the New World.

There were many Germans living in America already, principally in the north. These Germans tended to be more conservative than their immigrating compatriots, and they distinguished the new immigrants by referring to them as 48ers. While the early arrivals were fervently patriotic, they did not share the revolutionary idealism of their frustrated countrymen.

The 48ers immediately began forming Turner Societies. These were highly nationalistic gymnastic men’s clubs whose goal was to prepare for war. The first was formed in Philadelphia, but soon they spread across the nation.  They anticipated war in their new nation, and wanted to be prepared to make their mark in the coming victory. But they were by no means monolithic. Some were old school liberals, while others were republicans, socialists or communists. Yet, they shared one common ideal, to wipe out the last vestiges of feudalism on the globe. They viewed the American Civil War as a logical culmination of the 1848 revolutions, and an opportunity to stamp the German name on the global advancement of civilization. For 48ers, the Civil War was never about the right to secede, but a war of principle against slavery.

While one-fourth of all Union soldiers claimed German ethnicity, approximately 200,000 of those Germans were 48ers. They had settled in several specific areas in the United States. Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee and the “German Triangle” in Texas were among the most heavily populated with the revolutionary immigrants. But their motivations were not all altruistic. While many fought for the ideals of freedom, others fought to prove their manhood, to overcome prejudice against Germans, or simply to have a paying job. The Turners had previously served as bodyguards for Republicans and abolitionists, as they had combat experience in Europe.

These Germans shared a distinct ethnic arrogance. They considered themselves to be superior soldiers to the common Americans, and they did perform well on some battlefields. However, their rout at Wilson’s Creek and the subsequent problems of the Eleventh Corps (which was dominantly German) at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg brought rapid humility to those who had boasted too much. After these battles, the Eleventh Corps was derisively referred to as “The Flying Dutchmen,” borrowing a title from an opera by Richard Wagner.

While they weren’t always successful in battle (no one is), they did produce several famous and infamous generals. Franz Sigel had a checkered career in Europe and in the United States. Peter Osterhaus was one of the premier division commanders in the Union Army. Carl Schurz was a mediocre general in the Eleventh Corps, but he later became a senator from Wisconsin and finally served as Secretary of the Interior.

Without any question, the carnage of the Civil War challenged the patriotism and resolve of many a 48er. The carnival of death they witnessed was terrifying in the extreme. Nevertheless, the lesson they learned from the war was that liberal progress will not be made by peaceful deliberation, but by “blood and iron.” They later made peace with the united Germany created by Otto von Bismarck in 1871, despite its aristocratic leadership. Unfortunately for the world, the Germans had come to a conclusion which would later cause great distress. They firmly resolved that war works.

There is much more to be said on this topic. For those interested in pursuing the subject, read the works of Dr. Mischa Honeck.