The Schulenbergs of west central Ohio are one example of a family that would send four brothers to serve during the Civil War, as well as exemplifies the strong Germanic support for the Union from the influx of German immigration during the 1830s and 1840s.
When the Civil War started, the Schulenberg family was residing in Bremen, Ohio, a German Protestant community along the Miami-Erie Canal (the town would later be called New Bremen so as to avoid confusion with another Bremen, Ohio). Established in 1832 by a group of Bavarians and Hanoverians called the City of Bremen Society, New Bremen's growth was initially stymied due to its location in a swampy area of Ohio. This changed when the canal was completed, which not only helped drain the wet ground and create excellent soil for farming, but also increased trade to and from New Bremen, opening up markets and reducing prices on goods. Into this situation Heinrich Friedrich Schulenberg brought his family. There would be a total of twelve Schulenberg children, including two sets of twins, with four sons going off to war.
Heinrich Friedrich (father) - Born in what is now Germany in either 1802 or 1809, Heinrich the elder would marry Anna Maria Christine Buck in 1832. Immigrating to the United States in 1833 they would arrive in Baltimore then move to Cincinnati where a growing German community was beginning to flourish. Heinrich and the family would then move to New Bremen before returning to Cincinnati, only to return a final time to New Bremen. Prior to immigrating Heinrich had served in the army and this experience led to a captaincy in the Ohio state militia. In 1846 he was part of a mob that turned away the freed slaves of John Randolph from settling in the county.[1] He would die of cholera in 1849 and Anna would die that same year due to a "lung fever." Heinrich had been a noted carpenter in the area, building many fine homes and other buildings. Heinrich's and Anna's deaths in 1849 left their young children destitute of parents, but that did not seem to keep the Schulenberg children (at least those that survived to adulthood) from being successful citizens.
Georg Wilhelm - Perhaps the most known of the brothers, Georg, who went by William after the war, was a prominent citizen in the New Bremen area. Born in Cincinnati (must have been during the time his parents had returned to the Queen City of the West). William would find employ in canal related work. It was William who brought the flag of the Thirty-Seventh back to Ohio, and the flag remained in the family for a number of years. After the war he was the first Republican sheriff of Auglaize County, helped to construct some of New Bremen's buildings, and would be a farmer in his later years. Today the Bicycle Museum of America can be found in the Schulenberg Building on West Monroe Street in New Bremen, a building that Georg Wilhelm Schulenberg had built. He is buried in the German Protestant Cemetery, having died on January 26th, 1928.
Heinrich Friedrich (son) - Appearing as Frederick Shulenberger on the roster of the First Ohio Cavalry, little is known of his life. He was the second son to be named Heinrich Friedrich, the first passing away shortly after birth in Hanover. Born on February 7th, 1840, possibly during the Schulenberg's return to Cincinnati, the second Heinrich would join Company E of the First Ohio Cavalry on August 30th, 1861.[3] He would serve nearly four years, mustering out on June 3rd, 1865 in Indianapolis. Alas, he would die of tuberculosis in Cincinnati on December 23rd of that same year. He is also buried in New Bremen's German Protestant Cemetery.
Johann Heinrich (Henry) - Born on St. Patrick's Day, 1843, in New Bremen. He had enlisted in the three month version of the Twentieth Ohio (Company E) in April 1861 (appearing on the roster as John H. Schullenberg). He would enlist in Company C of the Thirty-Seventh Ohio Infantry on September 2nd, 1861, mustering out at Little Rock, Arkansas on August 7th, 1865 as part of the veteran version of the Thirty-Seventh. Prior to the war Johann had been a blacksmith, returning to this trade after the war's conclusion. He would then venture into the oil business, as well as become a grocer. His obituary in the New Bremen Sun of May 19th, 1911 mentioned that "friendship with him was a source of pleasure..." Johann is buried in Elm Grove Cemetery in St. Mary's, Ohio, which is also the resting place of August Willich, brevet major general.
August Bernhard (Ben) - Born February 12th, 1845, August would be the fourth son to serve in the Civil War. He would enlist on August 25th, 1862 with his older brothers Georg and Johann in the Thirty-Seventh Ohio. Serving three years (including service with the veteran version of the Thirty-Seventh), he would return home to New Bremen and work for the New Bremen Plow Company. August would pass away on July 20th, 1915, and is buried in the same section of the German Protestant Cemetery as brothers Georg and Heinrich.
Just south of the German Protestant Cemetery is New Bremen's Kuenning-Dicke Park. Within the park along one of the walking trails can be found a monument to Company C of the Thirty-Seventh Ohio. Most of the men in Company C were from the surrounding region. The monument was modeled after the monument of the Thirty=Seventh found at Vicksburg. It is on this monument in New Bremen that one can find William's words about service during the War of the Rebellion:
Notes:
[1] John Randolph of Charlotte, Virginia freed his 383 slaves in his will. From 2,000 to 3,000 acres were secured in Mercer County for the freed persons to settle. The county had been selected due to its sparse population and the existence of other black communities in the area. However, Ohio had instituted a series of "Black Laws" in which blacks had to carry at all times their papers proving their free status, recorded by the state, or be sent to the South. Blacks also had to pay a fee for filing these papers at the state level. Free, but not equal, was the plight of Ohio's black population.
[2] The Thirty-Seventh, known as the Third German, was recruited from around the state. This regiment was organized at Cleveland, from September 9th, 1861, to March 1st, 1862. It would first see service in western Virginia then move in early 1863 to the Western Theater. Six of its members would earn the Medal of Honor for their actions on May 22nd, 1863 at Vicksburg, including Company C's Christian Schnell. Two more members would earn the medal at Missionary Ridge, November 25th, 1863. In March 1864 three-quarters of the regiment would reenlist, earning the distinction of veteran status. They would continue in action during the Atlanta Campaign, the March to the Sea, and in the Carolinas, before participating in the Grand Review in Washington City. The regiment would muster out of service on August 7th, 1865.
[3] The First Ohio Cavalry was organized from late summer to early fall 1861 at Camp Chase near Columbus. Two companies were ordered to western Virginia, and would stay in the Eastern Theater for the duration of the war. The remaining companies would be in the Western Theater, seeing action at numerous skirmishes and engagements, as well as battles such as Stones River.
Sources:
American Civil War Research Database
Chronicling America
Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Volume I. 1893.
Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Volume III. 1887.
Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Volume XI. 1891.
Further Reading:
Bernstein, Mark - Company C: New Bremen and the Civil War. Crown Equipment Company, 2008.
Curry, W. L. - Four Years in the Saddle: History of the First Regiment Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. Freedom Hill Press, 1984.
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