Another group and their participation in the Civil War that is less analyzed is that of immigrants. Lisa Mullins explains “One of the not-so-well-known facts is how many of those who fought that day were foreign-born. The attack on one key rebel position, a sunken road, was led by the Irish Brigade, immigrants recruited by the states of New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Elsewhere, the 79th New York Regiment was distinguished: they were Scottish Highlanders, complete with bagpipes. Germans formed a huge proportion of the Union troops. An entire Corps of several divisions was formed of German volunteers, and every order from the general down to the lowest corporal was given in German. Complaints about such bilingualism in the military were overruled by Lincoln. Major Leopold Blumenberg, a Jewish immigrant from East Prussia, led the all-German 5th Maryland Regiment against a position held by the 12th Alabama, led by another German Jew, Captain Adolph Proskauer. Overall, immigrants made up 25 percent of the Union army in the Civil War: that's a far greater proportion than immigrants made in the general population. According to Patrick Young, a history blogger and immigration advocate, many joined because of their opposition to slavery. Others, Young says, were always writing about how the United States was the only hope in the world for freedom and democracy – what they called republicanism. "Princes and Kings would rejoice," Young quotes foreign born soldiers as saying, "if the United States were split apart." Young says the war also transformed the place of immigrants in the minds of many native-born Americans, at least in the north.”
This assignment is similar to what you did for Native Americans and their role in the Civil War. First, listen to the following clip from “The World”. Then, summarize the participation that immigrants had during the Civil War. Use one example of an important immigrant group from the clip in your summary. Write about 10 sentences for this part. Next, using critical thinking – as this answer is not found in your reading – why do you think we don’t know more about the contributions that immigrants had in the Civil War. Write about 7 sentences for this part.
Audio Citation: (Lisa Mullins, minutes: seconds)
Use the link
Sample Solution