This whole subject matter is often overlooked. This is REAL HISTORY not learned in books. Those who have seen the movie "THE GANGS OF NEW YORK" may recall the massive recruiting of (in the film Irish) immigrants coming off the ships for the Union Army. ============ On Tue, 5 Sep 2006 10:51:27 -0500 "Bette McIntosh" <bmcintosh@new.rr.com> writes: > Hello "Masugu" (et al), > > I found your observations regarding emigration and Prussian > conscription > interesting. To add further to your posting, in my own research of > extended > family, I found it curious that an emigrant from Pomerania, born in > 1836, > would enlist at the age of 28 in the American Civil War in 1864, > serve > honorably and be "mustered out" at Vicksburg, MS in 1865. Having > served the > American military effort, on the side of the Union I might add, his > honorable discharged earned him automatic American citizenship > without his > having to complete the *three step* Naturalization process, incurred > by > other immigrants who did not join the American military. In > addition, this > Prussian (Pomeranian) born immigrant is buried in the military > section of a > U.S.A. cemetery while his Prussian born wife's remains are located > elsewhere > in the same cemetery. > > For what it's worth. > Bette > > > > Since the Prussians required registration for conscription at a > very early > > age > > (15, if I remember correctly), and since the young men felt > absolutely > > no loyalty to Prussia, many fled elsewhere to avoid the draft. > Once > > having arrived in the US however, their point of view in re > citizenship > > often did a 180. Thus the irony that many who fled Prussia to > avoid the > > draft ended up enlisting in US Federal or CSA military units. > > Cheers, Masugu > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GERMANY-PASSENGER-LISTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the > message >