New Jersey’s “Uhlan” - Garden State Legacy · 2020. 12. 12. · New Jersey’s “Uhlan”| Joseph Wroblewski | GSL 50 December 2020 Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855) was a Polish

New Jersey’s “Uhlan” | Joseph Wroblewski | www.GardenStateLegacy.com GSL 50 December 2020

Of the three volunteer cavalry regiments fielded by the State ofNew Jersey during the Civil War, Brevet Brigadier GeneralJoseph Kargé helped to recruit, train, and command two:

First New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry (“Halstead’s Horse”) in which hefought in the Virginia Campaigns of 1862, and Second New JerseyVolunteer Cavalry (1863–1865) which he led against the Confederateforces in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Both regimentsachieved enviable reputations in their theaters of operation. Kargéwas a strong disciplinarian, planner, and organizer. However, he had ashort temper and could rage at incompetence—often with a colorfulvocabulary—but, in the main, he was respected by most his superiors,officers, and men.2 So, how did this Polish scholar-turn-revolutionarycome to be associated with New Jersey’s Civil War history?

Joseph Kargé was born on July 4, 1823 near the city of Posen(Poznan) in the Grand Duchy of Posen, a Polish dependency ofPrussia. Joseph was the youngest of five girls and two boys. Hisfather, Jacob, was of the landed aristocracy, known as the Szlachta,and served as a colonel in Napoleon’s Cavalry during the invasion ofRussia in 1812. While his father died before Joseph came of age, heleft a profound impression on his youngest son of what qualities agood officer and gentleman should possess.3

After finishing Gymnasium (secondary school) in Posen, Kargéenrolled at the University of Breslau (Wroclaw) where he studiedclassical philology (study of language in oral and written historicalsources), history, and Slavic languages. He then furthered hiseducation by attending the College de France in Paris (1845) takingcourses in Slavic Literature in the department chaired by the Polishpoet Adam Mickiewicz. It was at this time that he became a memberof the Polish National Committee, a secret society whose object wasto bring about the liberation of Poland. The country had beenpartitioned three times between 1772 and 1795. Its boundaries hadbeen adjusted by the Congress of Vienna (1815), leaving it ruled byPrussia in the west, Russia in the east, and Austria in the south.4

As a member of this secret society, Kargé was to experienceadventures and perils that would rival those of any fictional actionhero and were later described by him to a student correspondent fora Princeton University literary magazine.5 His life as a Polishrevolutionary began in 1846 when he undertook a mission to RussianPoland and was arrested as a suspected subversive and deportedback to Prussia. While no formal charges were brought against him,he was ordered to serve his mandatory Prussian military service.6

Due to his status as a member of the minor nobility, he could choosewhere he served and elected to join the Royal Horse Guardsheadquartered in Berlin.

Of his service in the Prussian Army, Kargé stated, “If I chose I


Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855)was a Polish poet, dramatist,essayist, publicist, translator andpolitical activist. He was servingas chair of the Slavic Literaturedepartment when Kargé attendedthe College de France in Paris.

www.wikipedia.org

might call this the bitterest period of my life.”7 This was due to the factthat not only did he have to endure the normal rigors of training forthis elite unit, but also his ethnicity added further burdens; for as hefurther stated: “I had to endure the most terrible taunts andaspersions upon my birth, character, education and loyalty; for I wasgenerally known as a rabid rebel in spirit, though I was not known tohave been an active one.”8 However, through self-control andobedience to orders, he slowly won the respect of the officers andmen of the Regiment.

In 1848, liberal uprisings broke out throughout Europe; then inMarch one took place in Berlin. Kargé deserted the Prussian Armyand joined the rebels. Later when an uprising broke out against thePrussians in the Duchy of Posen, he returned home to take part in thefight to free Poland from its occupiers. For the next three years, his lifeas a revolutionary took on many twists and turns, including anescape from the Prussian authorities just before his scheduledexecution.9

Finally, in 1851 he decided it was no longer viable to remain wherehe could be arrested and turned over to the Prussian authorities. Hewent to the free city of Hamburg and covertly made his way onto aBritish ship. About this last escape from his—and his country’s—oppressors, Kargé stated: “The moment my foot pressed English oakI turned, removed my cap and revealing my face to those whoseclutches I had escaped, I bade a defiant farewell to them and to myold life. I was a free man, and free forever.”10

Kargé decided to immigrate to the United States, and with hisuniversity education, he was able to support himself as a private tutorin Danbury, Connecticut. In 1852 he married a 31-year-old widow,Maria Williams (née Baldwin) at the Brick Presbyterian Church in NewYork City.11 He then opened an academy for classical studies in NewYork City. In 1856, after the required waiting period, Joseph Kargébecame a citizen of the United States.

For Joseph Kargé, this peaceful and fulfilling life he attained forhimself and his family was to take a dramatic change when, in April1861, Fort Sumter was fired upon and President Lincoln called for75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion. With his previous militarytraining, the 38-year-old Kargé volunteered his services to aid hisadopted country. As Ann Sidwa stated in her paper before the NewJersey Historical Society on this matter, “ . . . and he was prepared toserve his adopted country with no less loyal—but now wiser andmaturer—energy and patriotism than he had earlier shown in behalfof his native Poland.”12

His offer was accepted, and in October 1861, he was given acommission as Lieutenant Colonel of Volunteers and assigned to aprivately-raised cavalry regiment from New Jersey, Halsted’s Horse,that was eventually designated the First New Jersey Volunteer


I bade adefiant

farewell tothem and tomy old life. I was a free

man, andfree forever

Cavalry (16th Volunteers).13 Joseph Kargé’s time with the 1st NewJersey Volunteer Cavalry (October 1861—December 1862) hadalmost as many bizarre twists and turns as his time with the PrussianArmy and his service with the secret society fighting to free Poland.

During this early period of the 1st New Jersey Cavalry’s existence,Halsted’s Horse was a perfect example of Murphy’s Law: “Anythingthat can go wrong, will go wrong.” It was commanded by a sickly, a67 year old lawyer and former Whig (turned Republican)Congressman, William Halsted. In the main, he appointedinexperienced officers (like himself), including members of his familyin key positions.14 This lack of experienced commissioned and non-commissioned officers led to a lack of discipline, military supplies,and basic camp hygiene that contributed to disease. Complicatingthe training regime was that not only did the recruits have to learn tobecome cavalrymen, they had to learn the basics of soldiering!15

Governor Charles Olden, upon receiving reports about the chaosin Halsted’s Horse, saw a way to help alleviate the problem byappointing an experienced cavalryman as Halsted’s secondcommand, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kargé. However, the Prussian-trained soldier was not well received by most of the regiment’sofficers and men—he expected them to act and behave like Europeansoldiers.16 By mid-October, Halsted’s health had so deteriorated hesecured an extended leave and returned to New Jersey to recuperate,leaving Kargé in command. He began to have the men drilled hourafter hour, including Sundays, confronting anyone he deemed laggardwith curses and threats of bodily harm, whether they were an officeror an enlisted man.17 With Lt. Col. Kargé’s intensive training program,life in the camp took on the appearance of an actual military unit andit was noted that “ . . . Halsted’s Horse was in good drill and discipline,better than most of the volunteer cavalry regiments.”18

The next step Lt. Col. Kargé undertook was to weed outincompetent officers, sending those whom were perceived to beineffective or incompetent to the Examination Board of VolunteerOfficers, with the result that a number were cashiered from theRegiment—including the Colonel’s son, the RegimentalQuartermaster, Benjamin Halsted; along with a cousin, Major HenryHalsted.19

However problems with the Regiment continued: arrests whenHalsted was charged with fraud involving Regimental funds (he wasexonerated); further boards of inquiry when more of Halsted’sappointed officers cashiered as incompetent; court martials whenKargé was charged by Halsted for insubordination. These charges,however, were dismissed as “biased, inconsequential, and of afrivolous character.”20 With such drama, there was seriouscontemplation by the end of January by the War Department todissolve the Regiment and send the men to other regiments.


William Halstead (1794-1878)www.findagrave.com

Then on February 18, 1862 the War Department of Board ofInquiry determined that Col. Halsted was incompetent andrecommended his dismissal. On the next day the State of New Jerseystepped in and authorized the funding for a Volunteer CavalryRegiment from New Jersey, with the result that Halsted’s Horsebecame the 1st New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry (16th Volunteers).21 AfterHalsted left camp, Colonel (Sir) Percy Wyndam, a British soldier offortune, arrived at camp as the Regimental Commander.22 Under thenew command structure of two European-trained officers, the 1st NJCavalry renewed intensive training.

After months of training and drilling, finally the regiment receivedorders to break camp and to move south towards Fredericksburg,Virginia. The 1st New Jersey Cavalry was attached to the cavalrybrigade commanded by Brigadier General George D. Bayard, part ofMajor General Irvin McDowell’s I Corps.23 Due to the presence ofGeneral Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and his movements in theShenandoah Valley, it was perceived as a threat to Washington D.C.,so McDowell was sent to stop him.

It was a turbulent summer and autumn of 1862 for Lt. Col. JosephKargé. On June 2nd, near Woodstock, Virginia, Kargé had a miraculousescape from death when a Confederate artillery shell landed betweenthe forelegs of his mount, exploding and throwing both the horse andrider into the air. To the amazement of his men, he was unhurt. Thenon June 6, 1862, near the town of Harrisonburg, Virginia, ColonelWyndam was taken prisoner and Lt. Col. Kargé once again had a


“The battle at Cedar Mountain,”by Currier and Ives

www.wikipedia.org

horse shot out from under him and was almost captured, but at thelast minute a group of his troopers rescued him.24

After the Battle of Cedar Mountain (August 9, 1862) Kargé wasaccused of cowardice and dereliction of duty by a number of officersof the Regiment; however, all charges were dropped and the DivisionCommander reprimanded the officers who brought them:

“I find nothing to justify these charges after anexamination of the officers whose names are noted aswitnesses, I was convinced that many of themmistaken the manner of Maj. [sic] Kargé, whileempressé [sic], for excitement from fear. Maj.Beaumont confessed that he is now convinced thatthese charges were hastily made and are in factwithout foundation.”25

Kargé was wounded in the leg at the Battle of Brandy Station(August 19–20, 1862). Five weeks later, even though the wound hadnot fully healed, Bayard requested Karge’s early return. The reason forthis was that General Bayard was named commander of all cavalryforces assigned to the defense of Washington D.C. south of thePotomac. Colonel Wyndam took over a cavalry brigade in Sigel’sCorps and Kargé was given command of the 1st New Jersey to whichadditional units were added and his command was designated a“light brigade.”26


“Cavalry Charge Near BrandyStation, Virginia,” drawn byEdwin Forbes of the Battle ofBrandy Station.

www.wikipedia.org

With the coming of the Fredericksburg Campaign in December1862, the Regiment was stationed at Falmouth, on the northern bankof the Rappahannock River, when two events occurred that greatlyaffected Kargé. The leg wound that he received back in August wasnot healing and he asked for medical leave to return home and seektreatment. Then on December 14, 1862, his Brigade Commander andclose friend Brig. Gen. George D. Bayard, died of shrapnel wounds hereceived the previous day. Finally, on December 22, 1862, not havingany word on his request for medical leave, Kargé resigned hiscommission and returned to his home in Belleville, NJ.27

Joseph Kargé’s return to his home proved beneficial in healing hiswounded leg and he was treated as a returning hero. On January 15,1863 the citizens of Belleville held a dinner “to testify theirappreciation for gallant services of their fellow citizen, Col. Kargé.”28

Being able to rest and recuperate, by March, Kargé began to thinkabout returning to active service, but only with his own command.This project received the backing of prominent New Jerseypoliticians, along with a number of his former commanding officers.With these endorsements, Kargé petitioned Governor Joel Parker forthe authority to raise a volunteer cavalry regiment. Parker agreed, sothe petition next went to the War Department for approval of this newregiment, to be known as the 2nd New Jersey Volunteer CavalryRegiment (32nd Volunteers). On June 12th, President Lincoln gave hisapproval and passed it on to the General-in-Chief of the Union Army,Major General Henry Halleck and to Edwin Stanton, Secretary ofWar.29 However, before final action could be taken, events in the fieldwere to cause a brief delay in its organization.

In June 1863 with the Army of Northern Virginia enteringPennsylvania, Governor Parker declared an emergency, putting out acall for volunteers to fill ten infantry and two cavalry regiments toserve for thirty days to repel the Confederate Army nearing the state.He named Colonel Joseph Kargé as Chief of Cavalry of New JerseyMilitia. Following the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), however,the crisis did not last long enough to actually activate the regiments,and Kargé could proceed with the establishment of the 2nd NewJersey Cavalry.

With over two years of fighting having taken place, Kargé wasdetermined to fill the ranks with proven commissioned and non-commissioned officers so there would no repeat of the chaos thataccompanied the organization of the 1st New Jersey Cavalry backin 1861. This goal was noted in the Newark Daily Advertiser:“Colonel Kargé is too careful of his reputation to surround himselfin such an undertaking by any but officers of the higheststanding.”30 Recruiting was going along quite well and a trainingcamp was established in Trenton.31

On September 25, 1863 the rolls of the Regiment were complete,


Joel Parker (1816-1888)www.wikipedia.org

with forty-four officers and 1,105 non-commissioned officers andprivates. Included in the Regiment’s staff and field officers wereveterans of the 1st New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry. One final note on themembership of the Regiment was the inclusion of three foreignofficers. Two Prussian officers, Erich von Panniwitz and Julius vonRudophi, had asked the American Ambassador in Berlin forpermission to join the Union Army and to serve in the Western Theaterof Operations. Permission was granted and, most likely becauseKargé was fluent in German, were assigned to the 2nd NJ Cavalry, aunit designated to serve in the West. Panniwitz was made Captain ofCompany L and Rudophi was appointed 1st Lieutenant. An Austrian,Sigismund von Braida, was made a 2nd Lieutenant in the company,earning Company L the nickname the “Prussian Company.”32

Having filled its ranks and ready to depart for the war, the 2nd NewJersey Volunteer Cavalry held a “Grand Review” on September 28,1863 in Trenton. Finally on October 5th, they boarded trains andheaded to Washington D. C.33 Upon arriving, they were assigned to acamp across the Potomac River in Virginia, located between LongBridge and Alexandria, that became known as Camp Stockton.34 OnNovember 9, 1863 they left for Eastport, Mississippi, to join MajorGeneral William T. Sherman’s Army of the Tennessee. The trip tooktwenty days, using both railroads and riverboats to reach theirdestination. The arduous trip took a particularly heavy toll on thehealth of the horses, where upon arrival, many were not fit forservice.35 Furthermore the winter of 1863–64 was very harsh, addingto the deterioration of the horses and the men’s health. Frostbite wasof particular concern, with one trooper having both feet amputated.36

In March 1864, major changes took place in the Western Theater:Ulysses S. Grant was made General-in-Chief of the Union Armies andwent to Washington DC. Major General William T. Sherman wasnamed commander in the West and decided on his “March to theSea” strategy, moving much of the Union forces east for the marchthrough Georgia. There were also major changes in the organizationof the Army of the Tennessee and Col. Kargé was made commanderof the 1st Brigade of the Cavalry Division.

With the change in Union strategy, it gave Confederate GeneralNathan Bedford Forrest—“that devil Forrest”—the opportunity tooperate with impunity in Mississippi and Tennessee.37 The first majoroperation that the 2nd NJ Cavalry was to take part in was a plan putforward to destroy the base of operations of Forrest’s forces, but withlittle success.38

In the Regiment’s first major operation, the Union Army wasrouted by Bedford Forrest at West Point, Mississippi, and the 2nd NewJersey Volunteer Cavalry took on a role they were to provide in anumber of other engagements: providing a rearguard. The reason forthis was that 2nd NJ Cavalry was one of the only units in the Western


Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821-1877)

www.wikipedia.org

Theater armed entirely with Spencer repeating rifles; they inflictedheavy casualties on the pursuing Confederates.39

Before continuing with the military exploits of the 2nd New JerseyVolunteer Cavalry, sadly an event took place that proved to be a bloton the Regiment’s history. While based at Memphis, Tennessee, onthe afternoon of March 12th, three troopers: Pvt. John Callaghan (orCallahan) (Co. H) age 18; Pvt. Jacob Snover 41, (Co. M), a marriedfarmer with four children; and Pvt. Thomas Johnson 22, (Co. D) whowere on picket duty on a road near Memphis were accused of thegang rape of Mrs. Margaret J. Brooks (married, with two youngchildren). A court martial found them guilty and on June 10th, in frontof 10,000 soldiers and thousands of civilians, they were executed byfiring squad at Fort Pickering, Tennessee.40

In June 1864 another expedition to oust Forrest from Mississippiwas undertaken under the command of Maj. Gen. Samuel Sturgisand Brig. Gen. Benjamin Grierson who commanded the cavalrycontingent. In this operation Col. Kargé with his brigade was sent ona reconnaissance mission to find where Forrest’s troops werelocated. He sent back word that most likely Forrest was in Tupelo,Mississippi. The main Union army set out to advance on theConfederates but Forrest met them at Brice’s Crossroad, resulting inanother Union rout, with once again the 2nd New Jersey VolunteerCalvary providing the rear-guard. 41

Colonel Kargé’s reputation as an excellent cavalry officer was notdamaged by the previous campaigns. In July 1864, when Griersonreorganized his Cavalry Division, he named Kargé Commander of the1st Brigade. As for the 2nd New Jersey, Lt. Col. Marcus Kitchen, whowas the second-in-command, resigned his commission due to poorhealth and Kargé recommended that the 21-year old Major J. P. Yorkebe promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and take command of theRegiment.42 By August 1864 due to attrition, the 2nd New Jersey wasdown to its lowest enrollment of available troopers: thirteen officersand two hundred-fifty enlistees. They were part of Kargé’s 1st Brigadethat also included the 10th Pennsylvania, 7th Indiana, and 1st

Mississippi Mounted Rifles, with a complement of fifty-two officersand 1,383 enlisted men.43

Following another failed attempt to destroy Forrest’s forces,Kargé’s Brigade was sent across the Mississippi River to Arkansaswhere a Confederate army under General Stirling Price was causingproblems in September and November 1864. They marched toBrownsville, Arkansas, a few miles from Little Rock. On the marchthey had to travel through hot and humid swamps and wetlands,taking a toll on men and horses. Colonel Kargé became so ill he wasevacuated to Memphis. Thanks to the harsh conditions, themanpower was down to only about two hundred men, with no field orstaff officers, and was commanded by Captain Michael Gallagher.44


By August1864 due toattrition, the

2nd NewJersey wasdown to its

lowestenrollment...

Finally, on November 20, 1864 they returned to Memphis having spenteighty-one days west of the Mississippi.

While in Memphis, Col. Kargé recovered from his illness and onOctober 31, 1864, he oversaw the arrival of replacements sent to fillthe depleted ranks of the 2nd New Jersey. They were filled with one-year draftees and substitutes and the Regiment exceeded itsauthorized strength, with about 1,400 on roll. One problem they facedwas there were only enough horses (around 700) to mount about onlyhalf the men.45

In November 1864 a new threat to Sherman’s supply lineappeared in the person of the Confederate Major General John B.Hood. One part of the plan to end the threat from the General Hoodwas to destroy his lines of supply and communications; chosen for this operation was General Grierson. His force of 3,500cavalrymen was tasked with disrupting operations of the Mobileand Ohio Railroad, between Meridian and Tupelo, along with asmuch military supplies that could be found. After fulfilling theirmission, Grierson raiders then turned north and on January 6, 1865the column reached Vicksburg, with them they had six hundredPOWs, eight hundred head of livestock, and about 1,000 freedmenfollowing them.46

After returning to Memphis, Kargé asked for and was grantedtwenty days leave and returned to his home in Belleville, New Jersey.Upon Karge’s return to duty, he was again appointed a brigadecommander by General Grierson who was commanding all cavalryinvolved in an operation to capture Mobile, Alabama, and, as before,the 2nd New Jersey was part of Karge’s Brigade. The Confederatestrongholds of Mobile, Montgomery, and Selma fell to the invadingUnion Army. Then on April 29, 1865, while the invasion force was inEufala, Alabama, General Joseph Johnson, commander ofConfederate forces in the region, surrendered to General Sherman,thereby for all intents and purpose the war came to an end. The 2nd

New Jersey was then sent to Vicksburg where they were servedgarrison duty. Finally, on November 1, 1865, the Regiment returned toNew Jersey and were mustered out.47

Kargé decided he would like to remain in the Regular Army;however, it was not until June 1867 that he was appointed, with thereduced rank of First Lieutenant. He was assigned to the 8th U.S.Cavalry whose area of operations included California, Nevada,Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. 1st Lt. Kargé was assignedas Commander of Troop A, headquartered at Camp Winfield Scott,located in Northern Nevada. Its main duty was to protect ranchers’stock from Indian raids. If his time in the Prussian Army was the“bitterest time” of his life, his time with the post-Civil War Army mighthave been his greatest regret.

Then in 1870, while on furlough in New Jersey, he met with James


John Bell Hood (1831-1879)www.wikipedia.org

Benjamin H. Grierson (1825-1911)www.wikipedia.org

McCosh, the President of the College of New Jersey (PrincetonUniversity) with the following result:

“the Chair of Continental Languages and Literature atPrinceton was offered him and promptly accepted. Hewas glad to bring his family—his wife and two youngsons—to such a residence, and to such opportunitiesfor education and he welcomed again for himself thestudies and instruction which had been interrupted bythe preceding years of active military service.”48

Joseph Kargé spent the next twenty-two years at PrincetonUniversity. Of his time there it has been described as:

“His colleagues cherished the memory of ProfessorKarge’s perfectly transparent, trustworthy, honorableand cordial character, wholly removed from all intrigueand self-seeking policy. Reared as he had been inanother land and another religious faith, then comingto Princeton from a sharply contrasting kind ofexistence in this country, he quickly and completelyidentified himself in all substantial respects with theconditions of Princeton’s academic, social andreligious life. He was a good, active citizen, and serveda term on the Princeton Borough Council withsteadfast regard to the interests of the community.”49

From stories about his time as a Professor of ContinentalLanguages, he seems not to have been much different than when hewas in the Army—a “by the book” disciplinarian who didn’t sufferfools easily and was not shy of making his feeling known.50 One of theamazing highlights of his time of Princeton was when he and anotherprofessor led a group of sixteen students on a geology expedition toColorado, Wyoming, and Utah in the summer 1877 to collect dinosaurfossils.51 Professor Kargé, called the “General” by the students, wentto provide a military presence in that it was only a year since Custer’sdefeat at the Little Bighorn.52

On December 27, 1892, although not having been feeling well inthe previous few months, he along with two colleagues decided totravel to New York City. Kargé planned to visit his son Ladislaus, alawyer with offices in Manhattan.53 While on the ferry from JerseyCity, he collapsed and died. Following the funeral service, he wasinterred in the Princeton Cemetery.54 As a post-script to the life of thisvalorous and intriguing individual, during the Centennial of the CivilWar, the Governor of New Jersey, Richard Hughes honored him bydeclaring July 4, 1962 “General Joseph Kargé Day.”55


James McCosh (1811-1894)www.wikipedia.org

Joseph Kargé’s gravemarkerAuthor’s Picture.

1. Uhlan (Polish: Ulan) Polish light cavalry armed withlances, sabers and pistols, this formation adopted bymost European armies in the early 19th century. A brevetrank was an honorary promotion given to an officer inrecognition of gallant conduct or other meritoriousservice.

2. For a good description of Kargé’s personality in thisperiod see: Edward G. Longacre, Jersey Cavaliers: AHistory of the First New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry1861–1865, (Hightstown, NJ: Longstreet House, 1992),14–27.

3. William Packard, “Professor Joseph Karge, Ph.D.”Princeton College Bulletin, vol. V, no. 2, April 1893, 25.Found on-line @google.book.com. (Hereafter: “CollegeBulletin”).

4. Packard, College Bulletin, 26.5. E.M. Hopkins, “An Evening with Our Professor,” Nassau

Literary Review, vol. 43, nos. 4, 5, 6, November 1887,December 1887, January 1888. An Evening with OurProfessor is Kargé’s account of his amazing life inEurope as a Polish Patriot, Revolutionary and Prussiancavalryman. Found at the Samuel Mudd Library atPrinceton University and online Papers at [email protected]. (Hereafter: “An Evening”). RegrettablyKargé did not leave a memoir of his time during the CivilWar.

6. By an order and law of King Frederick William III in 1814,all able-bodied males between the ages of 20–25 livingin Prussian Provinces were required to serve three yearscompulsory military service.

7. Hopkins, “An Evening,” no. 4, Nov. 1887, 199.8. Hopkins, “An Evening,” no. 4, Nov. 1887 200.9. Hopkins, “An Evening,” no. 5, Dec. 1887, 289–295.10. Hopkins, “An Evening,” no. 6, Jan. 1888, 348. (Note:

When Joseph arrived in England he met his brotherFrancis who was a Franciscan priest and both sailed forAmerica, Francis worked in German parishes in Ohio.)

11. Joseph and Maria had two sons: Ladislaus (1852) andRomuald (1854). (Note: Out of respect for his mother,Kargé did not become a Presbyterian until her death;see College Bulletin, 33).

12. Anne H. Sidwa, “Joseph Karge 1823–1892,”Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, vol.81, 1963, 247–55. (Note: can be found [email protected]. This reprint was sponsored by EdwardPinkowski.)

13. While New Jersey authorized infantry regiments, it didnot fund any cavalry or artillery units. A federal lawsanctioned private individuals to raise regiments to beunder the direct control of the Federal Government;Halsted’s Horse was one.

14. An exception to this was the senior Major Myron H.Beaumont who served in the Mexican War and in NewJersey’s 3rd Militia Regiment at Bull Run. For a briefbiography of Beaumont see: Civil War in the East atcivilwarintheeast.com.

15. For an excellent first-hand account of the First New

Jersey Volunteer Cavalry problems in its early existencesee: Henry Pyne, Ride to War: The History of the FirstNew Jersey Cavalry Regiment, (Trenton, NJ: J.A.Beecher Pub., 1871), 17—25. Found [email protected]. Henry Pyne was a Chaplain with the 1st

NJ Cavalry.16. The first major problem was that, probably through a

clerical error, two lieutenant colonels were appointed tothe regiment, Joseph Kargé and Julius Alexander. Theproblem was resolved in that Alexander soon resigned.For a description of the situation see: John Y. Foster,New Jersey and the Rebellion: History of the Services ofthe Troops and People of New Jersey in Aid of the UnionCause, (Newark: Martin R. Dennis, Co. 1868), 409.(Hereafter: New Jersey and the Rebellion).

17. For a description of some of the effects of this trainingregime on the men, see John Foster, New Jersey andthe Rebellion, 410.

18. Francis C. Kanjecki, Star on Many a Battlefield,(Rutherford, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson Press, 1980), 31.

19. Joseph G. Bilby and William C. Goble, Remember YouAre Jerseymen!: A Military History of New Jersey Troopsin the Civil War, (Hightstown, NJ: Longstreet House,1998), 439.

20. For the reason behind the court martial charges see:Kanjecki, Star on Many a Battlefield, 37.

21. Until this point, as previously noted, New Jersey onlyfunded the less expensive infantry units. Aside fromtheir pay the troopers now qualified for the state bounty$25 for enlisting and monthly family allowance $6. Payfor a private during the Civil War was $13/month.

22. Bilby and Goble, Remember You Are Jerseymen, 441.Sir Percy Wyndam was a British officer/mercenary whoserved with Garibaldi in Italy. For more information onWyndam see: Eric Wittenberg, “Col. Sir Percy Wyndam,”Rantings of a Civil War Historian, Jan, 16, 2008, @civilwarcavalry.com.

23. Aside from being Kargé’s Brigade Commander hebecame a close personal friend as seen in a letter to hisfather in which he noted: “I trust Wyndam but I loveKargé.” Found in, Kanjecki, Star on Many a Battlefield,73.

24. If you are interested in the daily actions of the 1st NJVCthere are on-line sites that provide the information: CivilWar in the East—1st New Jersey Cavalry Regiment; TheCivil War Archive: Union Regimental Histories—NewJersey—1st Regiment Cavalry (16th Volunteers); Civil WarIndex—Primary Source Material on Soldiers andBattles—1st NJ Cavalry.

25. Francis C. Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, 71–74.(Beaumont originally supported Kargé).

26. Due to this reassignment to the defense of Washington,the 1st New Jersey did not take part in the Battle ofAntietam. It was at this time the Kargé was deniedpromotion to brigadier general.

27. Longacre, Jersey Cavaliers, 126–127. (Note: Ironically,the leave was granted in January 1863!)


28. Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, 97.29. Packard, College Bulletin, 30.30. Newark Daily Advertiser, July 8, 1863.31. It was named Camp Parker after Governor Joel Parker.

(Note: Regrettably the 2nd NJ Cavalry did not have aneyewitness historian like the 1st NJ Cavalry did with Rev.Henry Pyne.)

32. Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, 106, (see fn. 28for further details on their service in the Union Army).

33. According to the Absecon Democrat, October 17, 1863,“The regiment cost the State of New Jersey about$280,000, the sum to be refunded by the generalgovernment as soon as can be audited. It is perhapsthe best regiment of cavalry in the service and reflectsin great credit on the State.”

34. The camp was named for the Adjutant General of NewJersey, Robert F. Stockton, Jr.

35. John Y. Foster, New Jersey and the Rebellion: 590, (Seefn. 1 “An extract from the diary of an officer of theregiment.”)

36. George P. Walmsley, Experiences of a Civil War Horse-Soldier, (Lanham, MD: University Press of America,1993), Chapter 3: “Tennessee Winter Patrols,” 29–38.(Note: The Walmsley book is a “pseudo memoir” basedon the journal and letters of the author’s grandfather,Socrates Townsend Walmsley, who at 19-years old,enlisted in the 2nd NJVC in August 1863 and served until1865). Walmsley’s enlistment details can be found inStryker, Record of Officers, 1305.

37. General Grant referred to Forrest with that epithet. Foran interesting look into Nathan B. Forrest’s life see:John A. Wyeth, That Devil Forrest: Life of GeneralNathan Bedford Forrest, (New York: Harper andBrothers. 1899). Wyeth served in a Confederate cavalryunit from Alabama and went on to become a prominentphysician in New York City.

38. As with the 1st NJVC, anyone interested in a detailedaccount of the 2nd NJVC in the West see the on-linesites noted in footnote 24. (although Civil War in theEast would be West.)

39. Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, 160. (Note:Among the Confederate KIA was Colonel JefferyForrest, General Nathan Forrest’s youngest brother).

40. See on-line: bgill: Fold3.com, Crime and Punishment inthe Civil War, (June 6, 2007). According to the articletwenty-four Union soldiers were executed for rape inthe Civil War. Also on-line see at Findagrave.com forJohn Snover. For a first hand description of theexecution see: Lyman B. Pierce (Sgt. Regimental ColorBearer), History of 2nd Iowa Cavalry, (Burlington, IA:Hawkeye Steam Book and Printing Establishment,

1865), 96–97. (Note: Members the 2nd NJVC were notpresent for the executions, they were on the “SturgisExpedition,” June 1–13, 1864).

41. For details of the 2nd NJ Cavalry in the Battle of Brice’sCrossroad, see: Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield,146–153; Walmsley, Experiences of a Civil War Horse-Soldier, Chapter Six: Brice’s Crossroads, 75–84; also,John Foster, New Jersey and the Rebellion, 596–597.

42. Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, 168. .43. For an interesting look at the 1st Mississippi Rifles, see:

Beau Johnson, 1st Mississippi Rifles: Mississippi’sUnion Battalion in the Civil War, (Southern MississippiUniversity: Honors Theses, 2012). ([email protected]).

44. Captain Gallagher who had been taken as a POW backin Virginia (October 1863) had escaped from LibbyPrison in Richmond and reunited with the 2nd NJCavalry, Sadly, on December 28, 1864 he was killed atthe Battle of Egypt Station, MS. Foster, New Jersey andthe Rebellion, 589; 601.

45. Kanjecki, A Star on Many a Battlefield, 186.46. The Grierson Raid was the background for a popular

John Wayne (1959) movie, “Horse Soldiers.” Wayne’scharacter “Colonel Marlowe” was based on BenjaminGrierson.

47. Joseph Kargé, who commanded brigades in both theEast and West, and for a while in Mississippicommanded a division, was twice passed over forpromotion to Brigadier General; then in June 1865 hewas promoted to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General.

48. Packard, College Bulletin, 32. (Note: Kargé wasdischarged from the Army on January 1, 1871.)

49. Sidwa, “Joseph Karge 1823–1892.”50. Packard, College Bulletin, 32.51. This was a response of competition in the “Ivy League”

due to the discovery dinosaur fossils by an expeditionfrom Yale in 1873.

52. Kargé drilled the students in the use of arms and wasable to receive rifles and ammunition along with othermilitary equipment to outfit the expedition from NewJersey’s militia. For an interesting description of theexpedition see: William B. Scott, Some Memories of aPalaeontologist (sic), (Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press,1939), Chapter Six: First Western Expedition, 57–70.

53. Packard, College Bulletin, 33.54. Note: Both Bayard (former commander and friend) and

Kargé are buried in the Princeton Cemetery.55. Anna Sidwa, “Joseph Kargé 1823 -1892” noted that the

Governors of Illinois and Ohio along with the cities ofChicago, Cleveland, Elizabeth and Sayreville, NJ alsodeclared General Kargé Day.


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