Heros von Borcke Johann August Heinrich Heros von Borcke ( July 23 , 1835 – May 10 , 1895 ) was a German American cavalry officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and in the Prussian Army during the Austro - Prussian War . Biography . Borcke was born in Festung Ehrenbreitstein , where his father Otto Theodor Heros von Borcke ( 1805 – 1878 ) served as a Second lieutenant in the Prussian Infantry Regiment 19 . His father left service in 1836 to administer his family ' s estates of Wangerin in Pomerania and later Giesenbrügge ( New March ) ( now Giżyn , Myślibórz County , Poland ) . Borcke was educated at the local school of Giesenbrügge , the gymnasium in Cölln ( today a district of Berlin ) and the Franckesche Stiftungen in Halle and joined the Prussian Army at the Gardes du Corps Cuirassier Regiment in Berlin . American Civil War . A tall man at 6 ' 4 " and weighting in at more than 240 pounds , he was a lieutenant in the 2nd Brandenburg Regiment of Dragoons when news arrived of the beginning of the American Civil War . He eventually secured his release from his duties in the Prussian Army and sailed for the Bermuda , finally slipping into Charleston ( South Carolina ) Harbor on a blockade runner in May 1862 . He brought with him a massive Solingen straight sword , which would become famous during his ensuing career . By the end of the month , he had made his way to Richmond , Virginia , the capital of the Confederacy . He was given the rank of captain in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States on June 1 of that year and assigned to Maj . Gen . J . E . B . Stuart by the order of Secretary of War George W . Randolph . Von Borcke became a close confidant and aide to Stuart and , conspicuous on the battlefield for his large height and girth and the extremely large sword he wielded , became known as the " giant in gray . " Stuart soon was impressed by the new arrival , and the two became fast friends . Following the cavalry ' s famed " ride around McClellan ' s army " , Stuart wrote , " Capt . Heros von Borcke , a Prussian cavalry officer , who lately ran the blockade , assigned me by the honorable Secretary of War , joined in the charge of the First Squadron in gallant style , and subsequently , by his energy , skill , and activity , won the praise and admiration of all " . In August of the year , von Borcke was promoted to the rank of major , an appointment confirmed by the First Confederate Congress on September 19 . He rode with Stuart as his Chief of Staff and adjutant general during the Northern Virginia Campaign and the Maryland Campaign , further adding to his reputation for bravery in the face of the enemy . Stuart detailed him to accompany the body of fallen horse artillerist John Pelham to Richmond for burial following Pelham ' s death at the Battle of Kelly ' s Ford . During the early phases of the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign , von Borcke suffered a significant wound from a bullet in his neck during the Battle of Middleburg and was incapacitated for the remainder of the year . He recovered enough to resume staff duties in the spring of 1864 , and was present at the Battle of Yellow Tavern in which his superior Stuart was killed . In December of that year , he was promoted again , this time to lieutenant colonel and voted the official thanks of the Confederate Congress . He was also sent by President Jefferson Davis on a diplomatic mission to England . Prussia . With the collapse of the Confederacy in the spring of 1865 and the ensuing surrender of its main armies , von Borcke returned to his native Prussia . He resumed his military career and fought in the 1866 Austro - Prussian War in the personal staff of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia , receiving the coveted Order of the Red Eagle for his gallantry . He married Magdalene Honig and raised three sons . Still suffering lingering effects from his Middleburg wound , he retired from the Prussian Army in 1867 and bought an estate at Sichts , West Prussia ( today Żychce , Poland ) . After his father ' s death he returned to Giesenbrügge , where he proudly flew the Confederate flag from its battlements . In 1877 , von Borcke published his memoirs of his adventures in the Confederate army . In 1883 , his wife died , and two years later , he married her sister Tony , they named their daughter Karoline Virginia in honor of Borcke ' s adopted state . In between , in 1884 , he sailed back to again visit the United States and was reunited with many former comrades and friends , including Wade Hampton , William H . F . Lee , and Matthew C . Butler . He died in Berlin in 1895 due to a sepsis caused by the remaining projectile which had wounded him in the Battle of Middleburg on 19 June 1863 . His headstone over his grave in Giesenbrügge was destroyed by the Soviet army during World War II . The Sons of Confederate Veterans purchased a new headstone for the Confederate veteran , which was reinstalled in 2008 .