Galvanized Yankees were Confederate prisoners of war who joined the Union Army and went west to fight Indians. Three true tales of Civil War combat, as recounted by a #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. 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. The story is quite episodic, so dont expect a flowing, narrative tale. They arrived at Fort Rice on October 17. Related to me: 3rd cousin 4 x removed. Thank you for your interest, but I am not inclined to go public with the information. Burke's Battalion and the 17th Arkansas were sent with a battery of artillery aboard the first train to block the tracks at Egypt Station, a mile west of Aberdeen, Mississippi. They were a valuable presence at a time and place in which they were needed. The unit was folded into the U.S. Armys Eighth Corp and sent to Louisiana where it would eventually take part in the Red River campaign and the Union assault on Fort Morgan and the capture of Mobile, Alabama. For most of the Galvanized Yankees, there was little left in the South to return home to, though some went back to rebuild their homes and careers, while others decided to remain in the West, with the chance to start new lives on the American frontier. guarding the telegraph line and the Oregon Trail. These were the Galvanized Yankees, former soldiers of the Confederate States of America, who had worn gray or butternut before they accepted the blue uniform of the United States Army in exchange for freedom from prison pens where many of them had endured much of the war. She was held in the highest esteem by the men and became the mother figure of the Regiment. 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. Volunteers. 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. The battery moved to Fortress Monroe to train, where some members were induced to join the newly created 188th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. my great grandfather james calvin robins was in the 6th us volunteers. Despite these hardships, they rebuilt trans-continental telegraph lines, restored stagecoach and mail routes between Missouri and California, escorted supply trains along the Santa Fe Trail, and protected wagon trains as they crossed the plains. 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". 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. 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. 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. It had one of the highest desertion rates, with only 30 of its original 97 men left to muster out, only two of the losses due to death. 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. 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. What would make you agree to fight as a mercenary on behalf of your enemy? etina (cs) Deutsch (de) English (en) . Had no idea about how POW confederate soldiers from the civil war were recruited to help tame the expanding western prairie. Galvanized Yankees were Confederate prisoners of war who joined the Union Army and went west to fight Indians. 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. Volunteers and commanded by Northern officers, to the frontier to protect the trails, telegraph lines, and U.S. Mail routes. The Galvanized Yankees. Three companies of the 6th U.S.V.I. 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. Companies A, F, G, and I were commanded by Lt.Col. [4][n 1] The ban continued until 1863, except for a few enlistments of foreign-born Confederates into largely ethnic regiments. Those Confederates that took the oath and enlisted in the Union service were labeled "galvanized Yankees," by their former comrades. [2] At least 1,600 former Union prisoners of war enlisted in Confederate service in late 1864 and early 1865, most of them recent German or Irish immigrants who had been drafted into Union regiments. After suffering grievous casualties early in the war, the 1st Connecticut Cavalry drew replacements from Confederate prisoners being held in Delaware, which it scattered throughout its companies, as did the 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery and the 4th Delaware Infantry. Publication date 1963 Collection inlibrary; printdisabled; internetarchivebooks Digitizing sponsor Kahle/Austin Foundation Contributor Internet Archive Language English. In 1863, however, the prisoner exchange system had broken down, causing prison camps to become permanent areas of incarceration, where growing numbers of men had no hope of release until the end of the war. This book was released on 2012-10-23 with total page 421 pages. Died 1911. Amazingly, a handful of turncoats did eventually fight against their Confederate brethren. As usual, Dee Brown finds subjects of interest to write about. 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. Once on the battlefield, many deserted, surrendered and in some cases mutinied. [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. 8, 142143). They garrisoned frontier forts which were low on manpower at a time of general unrest among American Indians and were stationed along the Missouri River and Oregon and Santa Fe Trails. At least four Confederate units were recruited, including three units of Regulars in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States. En route, four of Company E's recruits plotted to involve all Confederates in the company in a mutiny when it reached Julesburg, but were disarmed and arrested before the attempt could be made. 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. They left Camp Dennison August 1 for Fort Leavenworth, reporting for duty August 13. 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. My book will present a more comprehensive view of the topic. The Galvanized Yankees. The expression "galvanized Yankees" sprang up as a term of deprecation among Confederate prisoners for those who chose to enlist. Also, a must read is, The Galvanized Yankees by Dee Brown. We are committed to providing you with reliable and efficient service at . Publisher: Bison Books. [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. Galvanized Yankees on the Upper Missouri : the face of loyalty / by: Butts, Michele Tucker Published: (2003) The military conquest of the southern plains. [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. mm. Prison camps were horrible, filthy places that lacked all the necessities of life. Save the date to save big! Initially, the men of the 1st USVI were assigned to provost or military police duties in Virginia and North Carolina before being transferred to the Dakota Territory. The author throws in a short conversation of Galvanized Confederates as well. Regiments containing former Confederates were . In pursuit of revenge : the Sioux Uprising of 1862 -- Galvanized Yankees -- Beecher's Island -- Geronimo -- The ghost dance and the Battle of Wounded Knee. I wanted to like this book since I live in the area where it takes place. Instead, they were sent west to keep the mail routes and roads open and safe from raiding Indians. [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. 30 December 1871, USS Pensacola. 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 Browns history of Confederate POWs who volunteered to join the Union Army and head West to protect the Santa Fe trail and the mail routes to California , man the western forts such as Fort Bridger and Fort Laramie, fight the Sioux and Cheyenne and the Mormons and protect against a nascent invasion from Mexico by the Emperor Napoleon . But in January 1864, prisoners held at the overcrowded holding camp at Point Lookout, Maryland were invited to join the Federal army, under the proviso that they wouldnt be required to fight their former comrades. 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. Assigned to the District of Eastern Virginia, Department of Virginia and North Carolina, it moved to Norfolk, Virginia, where on orders of General Grant it was relegated to provost duty there, Portsmouth, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina. They became known as "Galvanized Yankees," for swapping their gray uniforms for blue, and would serve a largely forgotten role in settling what became North Dakota. 1900, living in the National Soldiers Home, Washington County, TN. In the spring of 1864 Gen. Grant directed that all units containing former Confederates would be employed on the western frontier. He then goes on to discuss other former Confederates who served in units outside of the USV regiments, the most notable being Henry Morgan Stanley, who served in the Confederate Army, the Union Army, and the Union Navy. 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