My gr-gr-grandfather also came over, apparently to avoid military service. Enrolled voluntarily. Got shot in the hip on his second engagement, got a discharge, re-enlisted for someone else a year later ($300 bounty). Re-enlisted again (another $300 bounty, all on top of his own $100 bounty). Got shot and captured at the second to last campaign of the war. Had a court-martial in there for trying to hop a train home to bury his first, and at that time only child, a mere toddler. wound up with an honorable discharge. Afterwards, he made a good living as a cabinet maker and saloon owner. His brother made trips back to the Old Country to drum up sources for beer and what not. Another brother came over, and dropped off the face of the Earth. Had he only been Irish, he'd have realized one needs to hold onto a blade of grass when you're that drunk. ;') But careful examination of the roll calls before those infamous Civil War battles would be very enlightening to those who have drunk the Kool-aid they call American History in grade schools. It would seem a great many of the registered folk that make up those history book muster were AWOL. A LOT. Some were signed up in multiple regiments at the same time! I could use a few clones myself. Brian On Mon, March 28, 2011 8:12 pm, mmongoose wrote: > As a person with 75% German ancestry, I totally agree that > many of them had embraced their adopted country (perhaps Generations > back ) and were embarrassed at what what was going on in the united > Germany. German was dropped from the schools in Evansville Indiana > where I was born and which had many German settlers. My father > decided that we were now from Alsace - tho even as a young child > I never accepted for a moment. We were from LOTS of places in > what was called at one tine or another the Palatine, Rhenish > Bavaria ... or a number of small states which frequently changed > rulers through marriage or being otherwise attached to a more powerful > neighbors. Many of my ancestors lived near Alzey in what looked > like walking distance on the inadequate map I had -- but they were > were lines who then officially lived in totally different governing > districts - (Including KircheimBolandan) and some didnt meet until > they reached Indiana. > > I am most proud of those Germans who came just before the civil war -- > may to avoid military service in their homeland == adopted their new > country and served their new country voluntarily. When Lincoln > realized that it was going to be a long one, added to his calls for > men to serve a few months to 3 years > and many Germans insisted in those companies. When I heard that my > Great Granddad had come home on furlough - gotten married = and > interestedly, I was shocked that the honeymoon was over so soon. > It was a long time before I got the timing straight. It was 1864 > when Lincoln was running against McClellan who was promising to end the > war - which was not going well in the east - He seemed unlikely to win > - and worse, those 3 year soldiers were at the end of their enlistment > time.... But, as someone put it -- those vets -- including my > granddad who was with Sherman - Reenlisted - got their furlough > voted for Lincoln (and got married like GrandPo -) and went back to > finish the job. (By the way when they asked him how he survived the > march through Georgia he said he hid behind a tree. > > > Feigel Elzer Rimstidt Griess (Converted to Gryce by an uncle) Maier > Schneider Decker Dietrich ..Bretz .. and a bunch more in > Hesse Rhenish Bavaria and - including the soutn and all those families > south west and NORTH of Alsey >