Peter J. Osterhaus
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| Peter Joseph Osterhaus | |
|---|---|
| January 4, 1823 – January 2, 1917 (aged 93) | |
 Peter J. Osterhaus |
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| Place of birth | Koblenz, Rhenish Prussia |
| Place of burial | Koblenz |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Service/branch | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861 - 1866 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Peter Joseph Osterhaus (1823-1917) was a German-American soldier who served as a Union Army general in the American Civil War and later served as a U.S. diplomat.
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[edit] Early life
Osterhaus was born in Koblenz, Rhenish Prussia. He attended the Berlin Military Academy and after serving for some time as a Prussian Army officer, he emigrated to the United States and settled in St. Louis.
[edit] Civil War
At the outbreak of the Civil War Osterhaus was appointed a major of the 2nd Missouri Volunteers and during the first year of the war was employed in Missouri and Arkansas, where he took a conspicuous part in the battles of Wilson's Creek (August 10, 1861) and Pea Ridge (March 7-8, 1862). At Pea Ridge he commanded the troops that first made contact with Confederate forces advancing on the Union left. He was promoted to brigadier general on June 9, 1862. In 1863 he commanded a division in the Battle of Port Gibson, where he displayed tactical ability in prying Confederate defenders out of a favorable position.
Osterhaus continued in division command during the Vicksburg Campaign, fighting in the Battle of Champion Hill and at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge, where he was slightly wounded. Osterhaus's division made an unsuccessful first attack on the defenses of Vicksburg, the first act of the Siege of Vicksburg. His division helped cover the siege against intervention by the Confederate forces of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, and he took part in Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's advance on Jackson, Mississippi, that was designed to protect the rear of the Army of the Tennessee in its siege operations.
After the fall of Vicksburg, Osterhaus's division was transferred to Tennessee. In the Chattanooga Campaign (November 23 to November 25) he aided Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker in the capture of Lookout Mountain. After the capture of Atlanta, he received command of the XV Corps, one of the four corps into which the army was consolidated, in the March to the Sea. He was mustered out of the service on January 15, 1866, and the same year was appointed United States Consul at Lyons, France, but subsequently made his home in Germany, at Duisburg. He retired from the Army in 1905, and was in 1915 the oldest pensioner on the Army list.
Osterhaus died in Duisburg and was buried in Koblenz. The grave no longer exists. [1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- Woodworth, Steven E., Grant's Lieutenants, vol. 1: From Cairo to Vicksburg, Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2001.
- This article incorporates text from an edition of the New International Encyclopedia that is in the public domain.
[edit] Notes
- ^ H. P. Kleber, Peter Joseph Osterhaus: ein deutsch-amerikanisches Leben. Koblenzer Beitraege zur Geschichte und Kultur. New Series 2. 1992, p. 106.
