German Americans in the Civil War German - Americans in the American Civil War were the largest ethnic contingent to fight for the Union . More than 200 , 000 native Germans served in the Union Army , notably from New York and Ohio . Thousands also served in the Confederacy , being primarily descended from Pennsylvania German ancestors who had migrated to the Carolinas in the 18th century and early 19th century , along with Swabian , Swiss , and Austrian immigrants who arrived directly in the South . German - American army units . Approximately 516 , 000 Union soldiers , or 23 . 4 % of all Union soldiers , were immigrants ; about 216 , 000 of these were born in Germany . New York supplied the largest number of these native - born Germans with 36 , 000 . Behind the Empire State came Missouri with 30 , 000 and Ohio with 20 , 000 . Scores of individual regiment s , such as the 9th Ohio , 74th Pennsylvania , 32nd Indiana ( 1st German ) , and the 9th Wisconsin Infantry , consisted entirely of German Americans . Major recruiting efforts aimed at German Americans were conducted in Cincinnati , St . Louis , and Milwaukee , among many other cities . New York and Ohio each provided ten divisions dominated by German - born men . Commonly referred to as " Dutchmen " by other Union soldiers , and " lopeared Dutch " by Confederates , German - American units in general earned a reputation for discipline . German - American commanders of note . A popular Union commander and native German , Major General Franz Sigel was the highest ranking German - American officer in the Union Army , with many Germans enlisting to " fight mit Sigel . " Sigel was a political appointment of President Abraham Lincoln , who hoped that Sigel ' s immense popularity would help deliver the votes of the increasingly important German segment of the population . He was a member of the Forty - Eighters , a political movement of the revolutions in German states that led to thousands of Germans emigrating to the United States . These included such future Civil War officers as Maj . Gen . Carl Schurz , Brig . Gen . August Willich , Louis Blenker , Max Weber , and Alexander Schimmelfennig . Schurz was part of the politico - social movement in America known as the Turners , who contributed to getting Lincoln elected as President . The Turners provided the bodyguard at Lincoln ' s inauguration on March 4 , 1861 , and also at Lincoln ' s funeral in April 1865 . Other prominent German - born generals included Godfrey Weitzel , Adolph von Steinwehr , Edward S . Salomon , Frederick C . Salomon , August Kautz , Felix Salm - Salm , and Peter Osterhaus . Hundreds of German - born officers led regiments during the war , including Col . Gustav Tafel , Col . Paul A . Frank , Col . Friedrich Hecker , Col . Leopold von Gilsa , and Maj . Jurgen Wilson . Among the very best Union artillerists was German - born Capt . Hubert Dilger , who had been trained at the Karlsruhe Military Academy . Veteran Prussian military officer Heros von Borcke slipped through the Union blockade into Charleston Harbor and eventually became one of Confederate Maj . Gen . J . E . B . Stuart ' s closest confidants and his Chief of Staff and Adjutant . In 1866 , he became one of the few former Confederate officers to fight in the Austro - Prussian War . Another famous German American , George Armstrong Custer , fought against the Confederate cavalry of Maj . Gen . J . E . B . Stuart and Heros von Borcke at Hanover and Hunterstown , on the way to the main event at Gettysburg . Medal of Honor Recipients . Among those German immigrants who received the Medal of Honor for valor during the war include : Noted incidents . Camp Jackson Affair . In neutral Missouri on May 10 , 1861 , Union Capt . Nathaniel Lyon , a Radical Republican , marched a large contingent of pro - southern Missouri militia prisoners - of - war through the streets of St . Louis . The men had been captured by a large force composed mostly of German volunteers during an unsuccessful attempt by the pro - southerners to seize the Federal arsenal in St . Louis . The prisoners were guarded by two lines of German - American Union soldiers , who were unpopular with many native - born Missourians , who resented their anti - slavery and anti - secessionist political views . Many people in St . Louis , having moved to the area from Kentucky , Tennessee , North Carolina , and Virginia , had southern sympathies . Tensions quickly mounted on the streets as civilians hurled fruit , rocks , paving stones , and insults at Lyon ' s Germans . Shots rang out , killing three militiamen . The soldiers fired into the nearby crowd of bystanders , injuring or killing numerous civilians . Angry mobs rioted throughout the city for the next two days , burning a number of buildings . At least seven more civilians were shot by Federal troops patrolling the streets . The final death toll was 28 . Nueces Massacre . In the spring of 1862 , German Texan s from Central Texas and the Texas Hill Country , mostly Unionist or neutral in their political views , were drafted into the Confederate Army over their strong objections . Confederate authorities took their reluctance to serve as a sign of rebellion and sent in troops . A violent confrontation between Confederate soldiers and civilians took place on August 10 , 1862 , in Kinney County , Texas , leading to the deaths of 34 German Texans who were fleeing to Mexico to avoid the draft . Confederate Army . There were also several German regiments in the Confederate army . About 2 , 000 Germans served voluntarily with another 3 , 000 serving against their will or with neutral status . Almost all of these came from Texas , Georgia , Alabama , Louisiana , or , Virginia . The most famous German regiment was the German Fusilier . Many families in the South referred to themselves as " Dutch by descent " in the 19th century , which at the time meant " Deitsch " , or German . Germans from Europe and Pennsylvania settled in the Carolinas in large numbers by 1800 , and then spread throughout the Southeast . Many intermarried with Native American women ( especially Cherokee ) populations , who fought for the Confederacy and Cherokee interests . Daniel Dodson Watts , a native of North Carolina , and his son , James Britton Watts , were ethnic German - Cherokees who served in the 48th Alabama Infantry Regiment . Heros von Borcke is the most famous German officer in the Confederacy .