George von Amsberg Georg von Amsberg ( June 24 , 1821 – November 21 , 1876 ) was a German , who served in Austria , Hungary , and the United States as a military officer in both the Hungarian revolution of 1848 and the American Civil War . Along with such other figures as Carl Schurz and Franz Sigel , he was among a group of European revolutionaries and emigrants who have been collectively termed " Forty - Eighters " , a number of whom served prominently in the Union Army . Early years . Georg von Amsberg was born in Hildesheim near Hanover , where he was educated at the Polytechnic Institute ( the precursor to the University of Hanover ) . Like many Germans after the downfall of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation , he joined the Austrian Army in 1837 as a cadet , and advanced rapidly . By 1848 he was an officer in an elite Hungarian hussar ( light cavalry ) regiment . Hungarian Revolution . During the 1848 Hungarian revolution , Von Amsberg , with his regiment , allied with the Hungarian Revolutionary Army , or " Honvéd " , against Austrian rule . As a Major , he served as an Aide - de - Camp to General Henryk Dembiński , but he later rose to Brigadier General . He fought in twenty one battles during the conflict . Von Amsberg was awarded the Order of Valor by Lajos Kossuth for the " prowess and skill displayed in the Battle of Szolnok " . On August 2 , 1849 , he commanded 13 , 000 men of General József Nagysándor ' s Corps in the Battle of Debrecen , gaining a " great reputation for the valor and intelligence manifested in the engagement . " He was taken prisoner , however , with the surrender of the Hungarian Army eleven days later . During the subsequent retribution by the Austrian Empire he was sentenced to 16 years . After 9 years confinement he was released and banished . American Civil War . After his release von Amsberg emigrated to the United States . He arrived from Bremen in New York City on September 27 , 1858 on the ship " Husdon " . Von Amsberg worked for a time as a riding instructor at the Hoboken Riding School . Von Amsberg began his U . S . military service as a major in the 5th Regiment New York National Guard Infantry ( 5th Regiment of Militia of New York City ) on May 1 , 1861 , shortly after the outbreak of the American Civil War . The regiment was a three - month regiment , so von Amsberg was honorably mustered out of the militia with the rest of the regiment on August 7 , 1861 . On September 9 , 1861 , von Amsberg organized the 45th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment , which he commanded as colonel as of October 7 , 1861 . He commanded this unit during the Battle of Cross Keys and Battle of Chancellorsville . During the Battle of Gettysburg he assumed command of 1st Brigade , 3rd Division of XI Corps after the death of Major General John F . Reynolds necessitated advancement of the command structure . He tendered his resignation in September or October 1863 and was discharged for disability due to asthma , acute bronchitis and gastritis on January 22 , 1864 . Aftermath . After the war , von Amsberg was the proprietor of a hotel . He died on November 21 , 1876 at Hoboken , New Jersey . George von Amsberg is buried in Weehawken Cemetery in North Bergen , New Jersery , USA .