The little-known true Civil War story of the Confederate soldiers who served in the Union Army by a #1 New York Times-bestselling author. From Fort Leavenworth the unit marched to Fort Riley, and stationed companies there and at Salem, Fort Ellsworth, Fort Larned, Fort Zarah and Fort Scott, Kansas. The quality of recruit was not as high as that of the earlier 1st U.S.V.I. Col. Carroll H. Potter had failed to complete West Point in 1857, was appointed an assistant adjutant general of volunteers with the rank of captain in October 1861. The galvanized units were recruited from Union prison camps at Point Lookout, Maryland; Rock Island, Alton, and Camp Douglas, Illinois; Camp Chase, Ohio; and Camp Morton, Indiana. It looks like you're offline. Binding Paperback Quantity-available 1 Seller Black Cat Hill Books Oregon City, Oregon, USA Seller rating : Description: New York, NY Curtis Books, 1963. [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. Does anyone have information on these galvanized yankees ? At least four Confederate units were recruited, including three units of Regulars in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States. Lot of 4 - Vintage The Galvanized Yankees, Third Alabama, Orphan Brigade,Cavalr. However, two important incidents gave settlers in the West reason to be concerned for their safety, especially since most of the able-bodied men had left the frontier to fight on eastern battlefields. 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. They surrendered to Union forces in December 1864 and were held by the United States as deserters, but were saved from prosecution by being enlisted in the 5th and 6th U.S. [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. Recommended if you have an interest in the U.S. Civil War or the Indian Wars. The state of Tennessee replaced losses in at least one of its regiments from the ranks of Yankee prisoners too. The Lincoln Administration wished to avoid any legal wrangles over the prisoner cartel that might be construed as recognition of the Confederacy as a legitimate government. 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. [n 17] was recruited from prisoner camps at Camp Chase, Ohio (two companies); Camp Morton, Indiana (two companies); and Camp Douglas, Illinois (six companies), as a three-year regiment, and assembled on April 2, 1865, at Camp Fry near Chicago for outfitting and drill. The soldiers weapon, the Springfield rifle, was ineffective against the Sioux, as it was a single-shot muzzle-loader that required fifteen seconds to reload. This book looks at a remarkable group of men who history has all but forgotten. In 1862, Colonel James Mulligan discovered that many Confederate prisoners did not wish to be exchanged and were willing to join the Union army; he illegally enlisted former Confederates to be used on the front lines. At first glance, the men from the regiment were indistinguishable from their fellow bluecoats. For a brief picture of Galvanized Yankees sent to Ft. Rice in the Dakota Territories from Point Lookout Camp for Confederate Prisoners in Maryland read, Cottages: A Chesapeake Bay Novel by Paula Farrar. Well written and edited, with a good index. In the process the surface color of the metal is altered, but underneath the coating the steel is unchanged. [1] By 1864, the Union Army fortifying the remote outposts across the western frontier was atrophying, due to the high toll of U. S. soldiers engaged in the Civil War. Many saw enlistment in the enemy forces as an escape and took advantage of the personnel shortage in either army by joining it. Read this book by Dee Brown to find out more about the men who had to make this terrible decision, and the greater moral conundrums they faced when they swore oaths of allegiance and took up arms for their former captors. Companies I and K were sent to Fort Laramie, and on May 15, 1865, were parceled out in small detachments along 300 miles of the Pacific Telegraph Company line from Laramie to South Pass, Territory of Idaho (now Wyoming). National Park Service publication on Andersonville National Historic Site. Assigned to Co. F, 3rd Regiment US Volunteers and sent to Julesburg, CO. 1870 living in Paris, Tx. 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. There has not been much written since then so this remains the primary source of information. Protective netting . Thanks for adding that. The majority of prisoners who enlisted came from Rock Island, Alton, Camp Douglas, Two companies were stationed at Fort Rice, then at Fort Sully; one at Fort Berthold; and three at Fort Randall until June 1866, when the six companies were recalled to Leavenworth, mustering out as they arrived between June 18 and July 2. I discovered the Galvanized Yankee connection because a librarian kept insisting to me the pension record of my family member was for a Federal pension, Since I now know of unit designations of the Galvanized Yankee Units, I have found another family member who was also a Galvanized Yankee. It was July 26, 1865 when a force of 3,000 Sioux and Cheyenne descended onto the U.S. Army outpost at Platte Bridge in Wyoming. Vol. My great-great grandfather went from rock island to camp Douglas to the USS Princeton in late January 1864. [34][35], Confederate recruitment of Union prisoners of war was authorized by Confederate Secretary of War James A. Seddon on September 30, 1864, after inquires from Gen. Braxton Bragg to recruit foreign-born prisoners. Among them was a contingent from the 3rd United States Volunteer Infantry (USVI). "[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. 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. 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. Events in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War continually overshadowed events in the American West. I havent seen any accounts of their subsequent service, if any. The Galvanized Yankees were Federal prisoners who were allowed to enlist in the Federal army to be assigned to fight the Indians in the West rather than having to fight their former compatriots in the East. Volunteers. 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. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. 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. Three factors led to a resurrection of the concept: an outbreak of the American Indian Wars by tribes in Minnesota and on the Great Plains; the disinclination of paroled but not exchanged Federal troops to be used to fight them; and protests of the Confederate government that any use of paroled troops in Indian warfare was a violation of the DixHill prisoner of war cartel. 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. Related to me: 3rd cousin 4 x removed. Very cool. 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. The Galvanized Yankees por: Brown, Dee Publicado: (1985) The Galvanized Yankees. arrived at Fort Kearny on the date that, Lt. Col. Charles C.G. y. [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. Together, they formed 1st United States Volunteer Infantry. What would make you agree to fight as a mercenary on behalf of your enemy? [9][n 4] The final two regiments of U.S. As most probably know, Galvanized Yankees were Confederates who, at different points after being put in POW camps, not only took the oath of allegiance, but also opted to enlist in the U.S. Army. All that stood between the raiders and the vital 1,000-foot long river crossing that connected the territories of Oregon and Montana was a detachment of 120 lightly armed troops. June 20 1863 deserted to the enemy. XLVIII, p. 264) He had been commissioned from the ranks while in Company A, 25th Massachusetts Volunteers. Some 228 prisoners of mostly Irish extraction were enlisted by Col. James A. Mulligan before the War Department banned further recruitment March 15. 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. Get help and learn more about the design. 1900, widowed, living in Tarrant County, TX. Great research and interesting story, but sometimes I felt the story got bogged down in just following army units all over the place. They were a valuable presence at a time and place in which they were needed. Much appreciated. Declared a US Navy invalid. 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. 172 likes. A Galvanized Yankee On May 19, 1862, John Henry Smith of Catawba County was mustered into the Confederate army. Kathy Weiser-Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2021. It would have been a bit more reader friendly if it would have been possible to follow a few key individuals and feature them more than the units themselves. Commanded by Col. Julius G. Tucker (formerly captain, 10th Virginia Cavalry). Company H, 5th U.S.V.I. Though some took the opportunity to escape back to the Confederacy, most served bravely valiantly under the extreme conditions of the wild west. The following May, the Confederate Congress passed a joint resolution suspending exchange of black Union soldiers and their white officers, and ordering that they instead be put on trial and punished. The story is quite episodic, so dont expect a flowing, narrative tale. Another 800 rebel prisoners were absorbed into various state regiments from Northern prison camps. Instead, they were sent west to keep the mail routes and roads open and safe from raiding Indians. (Brown 1963, pp. 1980 2000 1961 1963". 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. Three companies of the 6th U.S.V.I. The little known saga of the imprisoned Confederate soldiers who, during the American Civil War, volunteered to join the US Army and fight on the western frontier. Determined to make his family and his mentor proud, Colonel Dimon turned his "Galvanized Yankees" into a first-rate regiment. The Union cavalry force had already captured a substantial number of Brig. was the most traveled of the "galvanized Yankee" units in its 20 months of service on the plains, operating in five districts and at every post in Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas; and seeing considerable skirmishing. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . The Galvanized Yankees by Brown, Dee. Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Galvanized Yankees Meet the Confederate POWs who joined the Union Army, Civil War United States Volunteer Infantry, Riot Acts The Surprising History of Wartime Civil Unrest , HMS St. Lawrence The Mightiest Ship To Never Sail the Seas, Frank Arthur Brock Meet the Swashbuckling British Inventor Who Ended the German Zeppelin Menace, The 40 Thieves of Saipan Meet the Elite Marine Scout-Snipers of the Pacific War, Mustang vs. Corsair Inside the U.S. Navys 1944 Match-Up Between the Two Fighters, Battlefield Stalingrad Four Maps That Tell the Story of World War Twos Pivotal Struggle, Bloody First Contact When Vikings Clashed with Native North Americans, "I Want YOU!" Company I was involved in numerous skirmishes, including combat at the Battle of the Platte Bridge Station, and suffered higher casualties than any other company of the 3rd U.S.V.I. When these gifts were presented, the Colonel was hardly able to speak. The soldiers published a weekly newspaper entitled The Frontier Scout, which served to partially dispel the remoteness of their post. [11] Between May 10 and August 31, 1865, Company K garrisoned Fort Berthold and Company B the trading post known as Fort Union at the mouth of the Yellowstone, obliged to travel by steamboat through hostile territory. Download or read book The Galvanized Yankees written by Dee Brown and published by Open Road Media. At the very least, it seemed to offer a better alternative to life in a POW camp. Love a scan or a digital pic to post. New Rollbacks & more drop Oct. 10-13. 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. Company G, 1st Connecticut Cavalry was commanded by Capt. Volunteers, 1,000 men strong, boarded the ship Continental in August of 1864, sailed to New York, then traveled by train to Chicago. A fascinating book! (Brown 1963 pp. An interesting book by a very readable author relating the adventures of a body of men sometimes regarded as turncoats by their comrades. The book is available on Amazon.com. Company I of the 6th U.S.V.I. From 1864 to 1866 six regiments of Galvanized Yankees fought Indians, escorted supply trains along the Oregon and Sante Fe trails, accompanied expeditions, guarded surveying parties for the Union Pacific Railroad, and manned lonely outposts on the frontier. By its nature Brown's account is a bit disjointed, but he manages to cover each of the regiments of "Galvanized Yankees" with anecdotes highlighting their uniqueness. The last of the six regiments lasted a year longer, with the final Galvanized Yankee becoming a civilian on November 13, 1866. Six regiments of U.S. A fantastic account for those interested in the Western Frontier during and immediately after the American Civil War. 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". 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