[3] The practice of recruiting from prisoners of war began in 1862 at Camp Douglas at Chicago, Illinois, with attempts to enlist Confederate prisoners who expressed reluctance to exchange following their capture at Fort Donelson. Released October 17, 1864 after taking the Oath of allegiance and joining US Army. Following their capture on the battlefields of the Civil War, the prisoners had been offered a reprieve from the purgatory of their internment for a chance to serve the very enemy they had only just recently been fighting. [8][n 3] Due to doubts about their ultimate loyalty, galvanized Yankees in federal service were generally assigned to garrison forts far from the Civil War battlefields or in action against Indians in the west. Dimon was eager to test his men in battle, and the unit was sent to Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where they fired a few shots, seized horses and bales of cotton. More than 450 Southerners captured at Gettysburg agreed to join the 3rd Maryland Cavalry regiment in early 1864. Thornton, formerly a captain with the. Paperback. However, he was of a line of the family that I felt it best to leave him be. Introduction Galvanized Yankees was a term from the American Civil War denoting former Confederate prisoners of war who swore allegiance to the United States and joined the Union Army. About 200 agreed before top Union commanders ordered a halt to the practice. The matter was then referred to President Lincoln, who gave verbal authorization on January 2, 1864, and formal authorization on March 5 to raise the 1st United States Volunteer Infantry for three years' service without restrictions as to use. The next morning Grierson's 1st Brigade advanced and came under fire from Confederate skirmishers, including Burke's Battalion, which was ensconced in a stockade east of the rail line. William Tamblyn, and posted respectively at, Col. Andrew Patrick Caraher commanded the 2nd U.S. Volunteer Infantry. A young officer who had caught Butler's eye during his Louisiana sojourn, Col. Charles A. R. Dimon was put in command of 2nd Louisiana Volunteers. he received a regular commission as a 1st lieutenant in the 18th Infantry. Company G, 1st Connecticut Cavalry was commanded by Capt. It was apparently over-recruited in numbers. By 1866, the last of the USVI regiments were disbanded and its soldiers discharged. [n 6] was recruited at Point Lookout prison camp between January 21 and April 22, 1864, as a three-year regiment. Sidney Lewis Triplett Co. K, 53 NC Regiment. Most of these units were ordered to perform rear echelon duties or to serve on the distant western frontier. It is an interesting story, with a wide variety of quality and problems that faced them. He was only eighteen years old. On April 6, 1865, the remaining 40 former Confederates of the company transferred to the U.S. After plying their way up the winding Missouri and marching the last 250 miles, the First U.S. This is an account of an extraordinary, though often overlooked, group of men who served in unexpected ways at a pivotal moment in the nations history. arrived. "[2], Concise histories of all units of U.S. Volunteer Infantry are at Frederick H. Dyer's Compendium, p.1717, The 1st U.S.V.I. Dorris Alexander Dee Brown (19082002) was a celebrated author of both fiction and nonfiction, whose classic study. Volunteers. [n 14] was organized as a three-year regiment at Point Lookout on October 31, 1864, although only six companies could be induced to enlist. Approximately 5,600 former Confederate soldiers enlisted in the "United States Volunteers", organised into six regiments of infantry between January 1864 and November 1866. Learn how your comment data is processed. In the spring of 1864 Gen. Grant directed that all units containing former Confederates would be employed on the western frontier. (O.R. All of the former Confederates in the 1st Connecticut Cavalry were placed into Company G[n 19] and on April 26, 1864, sent to Fort Snelling, Minnesota, also serving at Forts Ridgely and Ripley. As a result, settlers and missionaries fled from the Minnesota frontier, seeking safety in New Ulm and St. Paul. I published a book on galvanized Confederates in December, 2020, through the University of Tennessee Press that is titled Changing Sides Union Prisoners of War Who Joined the Confederate Army. Volunteers. 10% deserted before the regiment reached Sioux City, Iowa, in Department of the Northwest, on May 28. Volunteers were recruited in the spring of 1865 to replace the 2nd and 3rd U.S.V.I., which had been enlisted as one-year regiments. [36] A concerted recruiting effort began on October 12 and continued to the end of the war. First published in hardcove Published 1963. Thanks for adding that. Apparently it was a pretty successful venture. A succession of units served at Fort Ellsworth, including Company C of the Second U.S. The Galvanized soldiers turned from fighting a war to divide the United States and joined a cause that endeavored to expand and strengthen the nation. In November, the men raised $1,000 to buy their colonel a sword, silk sash, silver inlaid revolver, and field glasses. We are committed to providing you with reliable and efficient service at . Save the date to save big! Henry E. Palmer was assigned to deliver a detachment of 60 recruits, all former members of Morgan's cavalry force, from Camp Chase to Fort Kearny, where they became Company K of the 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. Despite the varied origins of the 6,000 men who were Galvanized during the war, each had the chance to prove his loyalty to the United States. [14], The four companies continuing on to Wisconsin in August 1864 were ordered to the District of Minnesota. James R. Straut. At first, these recruitment offers came entirely from the U.S. Navy. [7] On September 1, Lincoln approved 1,750 more Confederate recruits in order to bolster his election chances in Pennsylvania, enough to form two more regiments, to be sent to the frontier to fight American Indians. Among them was a contingent from the . [12][n 8] Four companies were present at Fort Rice, along with two companies of the 4th U.S.V.I., when a large force of Lakota and Cheyenne[n 9] led by Sitting Bull attacked for three hours on July 28, 1865, making away with the entire horse herd and killing two soldiers. As early as 1862, the commander of an Illinois regiment lobbied rebels held at Camp Douglas near Chicago to renounce their allegiance to the Confederacy and join his outfit. A fascinating book! Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. After mustering out of the 6th U.S.V.I. The Galvanized Yankees Paperback - June 1, 1986 by Dee Brown (Author) 101 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $0.00 Read with Kindle Unlimited to also enjoy access to over 3 million more titles $11.99 to buy Hardcover $32.67 4 Used from $29.50 1 Collectible from $250.00 Paperback $22.95 32 Used from $2.10 14 New from $17.19 We're expanding the protective netting at both Tropicana Field and Charlotte Sports Park this season . While some galvanized units served with distinction, the program was only moderately successful. At least four Confederate units were recruited, including three units of Regulars in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States. They were seldom issued new clothing and often starved due to meager food allowances. Seddon had as early as March 1863 granted discretionary permission to commanders including Gen. John Pemberton to recruit prisoners, but few if any, were actually enlisted. my great grandfather james calvin robins was in the 6th us volunteers. At the same time the 3rd USVI was being recruited at Rock Island, the US Navy enlisted a substantial number of POWs from Rock Island and Camp Douglas. Died 1911. Here is the fascinating and little-known story of the Galvanized Yankees, who stood watch over a nation that they had once sought to destroy. The Galvanized Yankees is an interesting book about US Civil War Confederate soldiers who were offered a chance to take an oath of loyalty to the Union if they would enlist in the army and serve on the western frontier. Publisher: Bison Books. Approximately 5,600 former Confederate soldiers enlisted in the "United States Volunteers", organized into six regiments of infantry between January 1864 and November 1866. The author throws in a short conversation of Galvanized Confederates as well. The other seven companies frequently changed stations, posted at some point to Camp Wardwell, Julesburg, and Fort Sedgwick, Colorado; Post Alkali, Fort Cottonwood, Mud Springs, Plum Creek, and Columbus, Nebraska; Fort Wallace, Kansas; and Fort Laramie, Fort Halleck, Fort Caspar, and Sweetwater Station, Territory of Idaho. The Story Behind One of the Most Famous Wartime Posters in History. They are known in the army as "white-washed rebs," or as they call themselves, "galvanized Yankees. Life at Fort Rice proved to be a challenge, as the post had not been fully completed and its buildings being made of cottonwood, a very inferior material. Of those, more than 250 had begun their service as Union soldiers, were captured in battle, then enlisted in prison to join a regiment of the Confederate States Army. The Galvanized Yankees is written by Dee Brown and published by Open Road Media. Pennsylvania was the home state of Lincoln's opponent General. He served on a number of staffs and was promoted to major in February 1865, then brevetted a brigadier general of volunteers for "meritorious service" in March. Condition: Very Good. Volunteers for service in the West. Excerpted from The Museum Gazette, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, National Park Service. "This was no ordinary U.S. Army outfit. Galvanized Yankees, Confederate prisoners of war who secured their release from prison by enlisting in the Union Army, were organized into six regiments of U. S. Volunteers between January 1864 and May 1865. Your donations help keep MHN afloat. The state of Tennessee replaced losses in at least one of its regiments from the ranks of Yankee prisoners too. Some units suffered high desertion rates. However, I do not wish to push my luck. It was ordered to the Department of the Missouri and sent by rail to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where it was assigned to duty in the District of Upper Arkansas along the Santa Fe Trail from the Little Arkansas River to Fort Dodge, Kansas, and along the Cimarron Crossing to Fort Lyon, Colorado. What would make you agree to fight as a mercenary on behalf of your enemy? There has not been much written since then so this remains the primary source of information. . Follow us and keep up to date on events and the latest happening with the Galvanized Yankees. (Galvanized, because the process of galvanization coats the gray surface of steel with a thin layer of bluish zinc though the underlying metal is the same.) Four of those companies saw combat in the Western Theater against the Confederate Army, two served on the western frontier, and one became an independent company of U.S. Prison camps were horrible, filthy places that lacked all the necessities of life. Does anyone have information on these galvanized yankees ? My book will present a more comprehensive view of the topic. About the Book Here is the fascinating and little-known story of the Galvanized Yankees, who stood watch over a nation that they had once sought to destroy. Companies A and B were stationed at Fort Kearney; C and D at Cottonwood, Colorado; E and F at Fort Rankin; and G and H at Julesburg, Colorado, protecting overland mail routes from Indian attacks. The last of the six regiments lasted a year longer, with the final Galvanized Yankee becoming a civilian on November 13, 1866. Kathy Weiser-Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2021. Six companies proceeded to St. Louis, Missouri, where they boarded the steamboat Effie Deans and headed for their new home at Fort Rice in present-day North Dakota. Well- written exploration of the mostly forgotten part of the American Civil War out West. 67, 91, 205). Instead, they were sent west to keep the mail routes and roads open and safe from raiding Indians. They served in Arkansas, New Mexico, Nebraska, Montana, Idaho, Kansas, Oregon, Utah & Colorado between 1864 & 1866. The Galvanized Yankees. Amazingly, a handful of turncoats did eventually fight against their Confederate brethren. Well written and edited, with a good index. The lack of a western frontier with Indian problems didn't give the Confederacy the place to employ such troops as the Union did in Utah and elsewhere in the west. Many "Galvanized Yankees" [meaning those Confederate prisoners of war who joined the Union army while in Union prison camps] served in units other than the six United States Volunteer regiments recruited in 1864. The Galvanized Yankees were ordered westward. The 10th Tennessee Regiment ("Sons of Erin") was organized at. Worn-out clothing offered little protection from the elements, and the only shelter for the men was what they could improvise for themselves. [n 12] was authorized at the Rock Island prisoner camp in October 1864 as a one-year regiment but not organized until February 1865. 205206). This book is about Confederate POWs during the ACW, LOL, who volunteer for frontier duty chasing Indians, Mormons, and the mail in exchange for not dying in a Union prison camp. Volunteers. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any material on this site without expressand written permission from the author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. The Galvanized Yankees by D.Alexander Drown. Giving these men an opportunity to exchange the horrors of the wars POW camps for the danger of fighting native Americans attracted many prisoners. I wanted to like this book since I live in the area where it takes place. [2] The general use of "galvanized Yankees" originated in a story in the Springfield Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts) on May 25, 1865, by Samuel Bowles, who wrote: Among the present limited number of troops on the Plain are two regiments of infantry, all from the rebel army. After suffering a number of casualties, the 2nd New Jersey Cavalry responded with a charge in which it took severe casualties, including 22 dead, and lost 80 horses but captured more than 500 prisoners, among whom were Burke and 254 former Union soldiers from Burke's Battalion of the 10th Tennessee. Download or read book The Galvanized Yankees written by Dee Brown and published by Open Road Media. At first glance, the men from the regiment were indistinguishable from their fellow bluecoats. From the bestselling author of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, The Galvanized Yankees is "an accurate, interesting, and sometimes thrilling account of an unusual group of men [and] a fresh and informative study of the Old West in transition from frontier to stable society" (The New York Times Book Review). Though some took the opportunity to escape back to the Confederacy, most served bravely valiantly under the extreme conditions of the wild west. Afterward, Galvanized soldiers were shunned in the South and neglected by the Grand Army of the Republic. A fantastic account for those interested in the Western Frontier during and immediately after the American Civil War. Dee Brown's history of Confederate POWs who took the oath of allegiance and joined Federal regiments policing the prairie in order to get out of prison. Detailed look at men imprisoned at Camp Morton, Rock Island and other prison camps, and how they fared when shipped out west. Galvanized Yankees was a term from the American Civil War denoting former Confederate prisoners of war who swore allegiance to the United States and joined the Union Army. Assigned to receiving ship, USS North Caroline(Union). [21] Companies C and D, consisting mostly of former Union soldiers who had been captured after enlisting in the Confederate 10th Tennessee, escorted the Sawyers expedition to build a road to Montana and garrisoned Fort Reno for nearly a year. The quality of recruit was not as high as that of the earlier 1st U.S.V.I. They moved by the steamboat Effie Deans and by forced march to Fort Rice, Dakota Territory, arriving there October 17 for garrison duty. Still, many Confederates considered these men to be traitors. Thanks. During the American Civil War, many captured Confederate soldiers were offered a choice of rotting in a Union prisoner of war camp or entering the Union army to fight Indians on the Western frontier. 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