Some units suffered high desertion rates. Kathy Weiser-Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2021. They left Camp Dennison August 1 for Fort Leavenworth, reporting for duty August 13. From Wikipedia: Originally, galvanization was the administration of electric shocks (in the 19th century also termed Faradism, after Michael Faraday).It stemmed from Galvani's induction of twitches in severed frogs ' legs, by his accidental generation of electricity. New Rollbacks & more drop Oct. 10-13. XLVIII, p. 264) He had been commissioned from the ranks while in Company A, 25th Massachusetts Volunteers. James R. Straut. Vol. Several Northern states recruited POW's. The term "galvanized" rebels or Yankees was coined by Samuel Bowles, a newspaper reporter, referring to galvanized metal, which turns colors when coated with zinc. [n 29] O'Neill, recovering from wounds received at the Battle of Resaca, appears to have delegated part of the task to a newly appointed lieutenant colonel, Michael Burke. Worst of all was the uninterrupted immigration of new settlers, which eventually forced the Sioux to give up nearly 900,000 acres of their reservation lands for 30 cents an acre. Declared a US Navy invalid. [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. It was sent west for duty on the Indian frontier in February 1862 to resolve a political dispute after its commander refused to consolidate with the 6th Ohio Cavalry. 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 he befriended Two Bears of the Yanktonai Sioux, he made the mistake of considering Two Bears enemies to be his own. Brown mentioned them several times in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and this book, written in 1963, was the first book length examination of the Galvanized Yankees. Still, they were saved from individual trials by General Grenville Dodge, who recruited them into the 5th and 6th U.S. The Union had raised five others between 1864 and 1865 enlisting at total of 5,600 Southerners. At the very least, it seemed to offer a better alternative to life in a POW camp. Learn how your comment data is processed. [32][33], The 11th Regiment Cavalry, Ohio Volunteers was originally raised as four companies of the 7th Ohio Cavalry in October 1861. Many if not most of the original 228 Confederate prisoners recruited at Camp Douglas in early 1862 to the Union side were likely from the 10th Tennessee, and this may have been the origin of O'Neill's request to recruit from Union prisoners. We are committed to providing you with reliable and efficient service at . As usual, Dee Brown finds subjects of interest to write about. The trip was extremely arduous, as the regiment lacked tents to protect themselves from pelting rain and hail and initially had no wagons to carry what meager supplies they had been issued. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . 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. Due to doubts of their ultimate loyalty, they were generally assigned to posts far from the Civil War battlefields, often protecting the trails and settlements in the American West. He drilled his former Confederates & Unionist Louisiana volunteers into a first-rate regiment. Recommended if you have an interest in the U.S. Civil War or the Indian Wars. After marching 150 miles, they were recalled and marched to Fort Laramie between September 2 and October 10. Organized as Burke's Battalion, 10th Tennessee, they were made part of an ad hoc defense force assembled by Lt. Col. William W. Wier and sent by train towards Tupelo, Mississippi, to repel a raid along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad by two brigades of Union cavalry under the command of Brig. 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. In the early days of the war, prison camps were merely holding areas where men waited to be exchanged for equal numbers of prisoners held by the other side. [n 15] was enlisted at the Alton and Camp Douglas prisoner camps in Illinois in March and April 1865 as a three-year regiment, then ordered to Fort Leavenworth on April 28, 1865, at the urging of Maj. Gen. Grenville Dodge, commanding general of the Department of the Missouri. 205206). Despite pressure to try the prisoners for desertion or even treason, eventually those taken in rebel uniform were eventually allowed to enlist in the USVI regiments as galvanized Yankees. [38][n 31]. Used; Good. 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. [24] Between May 14 and May 31, they marched to Fort Kearny, Nebraska, where it dispersed to replace the various companies of the 3rd U.S.V.I. 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. (O.R. In August Gen. Patrick E. Connor ordered regimental headquarters and three companies to garrison Camp Douglas, Utah; and two companies west from Fort Rankin, Colorado, to replace the cavalry along the telegraph line west of Fort Laramie. It was apparently over-recruited in numbers. Michele Tucker Butts is an associate professor of history at Austin Peay State University, where she teaches the history of the American West and Native American history. Lot of 4 - Vintage The Galvanized Yankees, Third Alabama, Orphan Brigade,Cavalr y. This is the only book I ever stole from a library. [20] In August three companies were sent to Fort Halleck, Idaho Territory (now Wyoming); two companies to Camp Wardwell, Colorado; two companies to Fort Lyon, and Company B to Denver for quartermaster duty. Much appreciated. Under orders to take no prisoners, the soldiers killed 150 men, women, and children. [n 12] was authorized at the Rock Island prisoner camp in October 1864 as a one-year regiment but not organized until February 1865. Their requests were denied. More than 450 Southerners captured at Gettysburg agreed to join the 3rd Maryland Cavalry regiment in early 1864. I havent seen any accounts of their subsequent service, if any. The six regiments of Galvanized Yankees wrote a proud record as they fought Indians, guarded surveying parties for the Union Pacific Railroad, escorted supply trains along the Oregon and Santa Fe trails, rebuilt hundreds of miles of telegraph lines destroyed by Indians, accompanied expeditions, protected stage coach routes, and manned lonely . Worn-out clothing offered little protection from the elements, and the only shelter for the men was what they could improvise for themselves. Died 1911. There has not been much written since then so this remains the primary source of information. The expression "galvanized Yankees" sprang up as a term of deprecation among Confederate prisoners for those who chose to enlist. The Galvanized Yankees: The little-known and awe-inspiring true story of a group of captured Confederate soldiers who chose to serve in the Union Army rather than endure the grim conditions of prisoner of war camps. mm. Among these pioneering "Galvanized Yankees" were brothers Samuel Kael Groah and Andrew Jackson Groah. Born in, Col. Christopher H. McNally, born in England, was commissioned in the, The 3rd U.S.V.I. [n 11] was not organized until February 1865. About 7000 POWs took advantage of this offer, mostly sent to areas far removed from the major battles of the time. Volunteers, serving in Minnesota. In the case of the 4th USVI, more than a tenth of its recruits slipped away from the regiment before it even arrived at its first frontier outpost. He discusses the US Navys Galvanized Yankees. my great grandfather james calvin robins was in the 6th us volunteers. The book is available on Amazon.com. Study the history of Federal POW camps during the War Between the States, and you'll have your answer. [n 5]. [30][31][n 22], Battery M, 3rd Regiment Heavy Artillery, Pennsylvania Volunteers[n 23] was raised in Philadelphia, then recruited prisoners at Fort Delaware in July and August 1863 to fill out its ranks. Efforts were made at first to recruit Irish immigrants in compliance with Seddon's original instructions, but when few complied, native-born Union soldiers were enlisted. escorted a wagon train to Fort Union; and a detachment of 10 men of Company H, 1st U.S.V.I. Company I of the 6th U.S.V.I. 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. 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. Civil War Prison Camp Also, a must read is, The Galvanized Yankees by Dee Brown. "[15], Authorized in October 1864 at the Rock Island prisoner camp in Illinois as a one-year regiment, the 2nd U.S.V.I. The 10th Tennessee Regiment ("Sons of Erin") was organized at. 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. Yet by the beginning of 1864, with the war dragging on, manpower reserves dwindling and native uprisings breaking out all along the frontier, the War Department in Washington found itself compelled to offer bluecoats and muskets to rebel detainees. Three true tales of Civil War combat, as recounted by a #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Amazingly, a handful of turncoats did eventually fight against their Confederate brethren. In 1864, Colonel John Chivington further inflamed the frontier by leading 700 volunteers in an early morning raid on an encampment of 550 Cheyenne and Arapaho at Sand Creek, Colorado. They arrived at Fort Rice on October 17. He was only eighteen years old. Thornton, formerly a captain with the. Sent by steamship to New Orleans and Madisonville, Louisiana, the 3rd Maryland Cavalry took part in the Red River Campaign, in the Atchafalaya Expedition in the first week of June 1864,[n 21] and in August was dismounted to participate in the siege of Fort Morgan. The pejorative term "Galvanized Yankees" was meant to imply that former Confederate soldiers were traitorous Johnny Rebs beneath the galvanized veneer of a Union uniform. The Galvanized Yankees. The four companies from Fort Delaware were recruited by regimental commander Lt. Col. Capt. [return][return]The vast majority of former Confederates made up the 1st -6th U.S. Volunteer Regiments and Brown discusses the actions and activities of each in turn. Butts places the number at 500, Brown 1,000. Companies saw periodic duty at Fort McPherson, Nebraska; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Fort John Buford, Wyoming. The first commander after the transfer was 1st Lt. Cyrus L. Hutchins, Worcester, Massachusetts, of the 1st U.S.V.I. 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. On the first day of the Sioux uprising, 1,500 settlers were killed, and the town of New Ulm was saved only by the efforts of ill-equipped local volunteers. The little-known true Civil War story of the Confederate soldiers who served in the Union Army by a #1 New York Timesbestselling author. The recommendation for clemency was resisted by the Judge Advocate General's Office in Washington, D.C., which advocated that the former Union soldiers be tried for desertion, citing testimony from Union officers at Egypt Station that they resisted at the battle until their ammunition was exhausted. Galvanized Yankees - Meet the Confederate POWs who joined the Union Army - MilitaryHistoryNow.com 12 August, 2013 The Battle of Platte Bridge of 1865 saw a U.S. Army regiment made up of Confederate POWs fight off a vastly superior force of native warriors. In November, the men raised $1,000 to buy their colonel a sword, silk sash, silver inlaid revolver, and field glasses. [16], The 3rd U.S.V.I. A very interesting read about how the west was developed during the expansion years. A Galvanized Yankee On May 19, 1862, John Henry Smith of Catawba County was mustered into the Confederate army. Despite this, a number of ethnic regiments quietly drew replacements from the ranks Confederate prisoners, although their recruiting targeted only recent immigrants from those regiments respective old countries. Hundreds accepted the offer. [26][n 18], The 1st Regiment Cavalry, Connecticut Volunteers was originally raised in November 1861 as the 1st Battalion Connecticut Cavalry, and campaigned in West Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley, and the Second Battle of Bull Run. Approximately 5,600 former Confederate soldiers enlisted in the "United States Volunteers", organized into six regiments of infantry between January 1864 and November 1866. Historian Dee Brown uncovers an exciting episode in American history: During the Civil War, a group of Confederate soldiers opted to assist the Union Army rather than endure the grim conditions of POW camps. Dee Brown relates the little-known story of Confederate prisoners during the American Civil War who switched sides and joined the "United States Volunteer Cavalry". [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. I am currently working on a book on galvanized Yankees that I hope to publish through the same press. Their duties involved scouting, wagon train escort and operating against Indians. (Brown 1963 pp. Thanks for adding that. Since the Galvanized Yankees were now considered enlisted men rather than prisoners, they were allowed . On July 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln ordered suspension of exchanges of Confederate prisoners until the Confederacy agreed to treat black prisoners the same as white prisoners. Permanently detached and given the designation 1st Independent Battalion Ohio Cavalry, it arrived at Fort Laramie on May 30, 1862. y. 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