August Kautz

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August Valentin Kautz 1828–1895

August-Valentin Kautz (born January 5, 1828 in Ispringen , Grand Duchy of Baden , Germany , † September 4, 1895 in Seattle , Washington) was a German-American cavalry officer and major general in the US Army . He was the author of several manuals that were eventually adopted by the US military.

Childhood and youth

Kautz's parents, Johann Georg (e) Kautz and Dorothea Elisabetha Löwing, emigrated from Germany in the summer of 1828 and reached the USA on October 13, 1828. August Kautz grew up in Georgetown , Ohio and attended a private school there. One of his classmates was the future president Ulysses S. Grant . Kautz had three brothers.

August Kautz volunteered for one year with the 1st OH Infantry Regiment on June 8, 1846. As a soldier he took part in the Mexican-American War and was honorably discharged on June 14, 1847.

Life until civil war

Kautz was appointed to the Military Academy in West Point , New York , as a cadet on July 1, 1848 . His classmates included the later Generals Crook , Slocum and Anderson ( CSA ). Kautz graduated in June 1852 as the 35th of 45 classmates.

Kautz was transferred to the 4th US Infantry Regiment in Fort Columbus, New York with the brevet rank lieutenant . He moved with the regiment to the Oregon Territory and was promoted to lieutenant in the active army on March 24, 1853. He was wounded twice while fighting with Indians and was promoted to lieutenant on December 4, 1855 .

Kautz did not marry Tenas Puss Nisqually, the daughter of an Indian chief, around 1856 and had two children with her. During his service in the northwest he was an advocate for Chief "Leschi". Kautz believed that his execution was unlawful and that Leschi should have been treated like a prisoner of war . Shortly before Leschi's execution , Kautz published two reports in the “Truth Teller” newspaper, under the title: “Dedicated to spreading the truth and compensating for humbug ”. In 1859 Kautz was given leave of absence for an educational trip to Europe. He returned to the United States in 1860 and was promoted to captain on May 14, 1861 , and appointed company commander in the 3rd US Cavalry Regiment. On August 3, 1861, Kautz was transferred to the newly established 6th US Cavalry Regiment and used in the defense positions around Washington, DC . His partner stayed behind with the children in Washington Territory .

Civil war

During the Peninsular Campaign , Kautz served in the Potomac Army and was appointed regimental commander during the campaign . His promotion to colonel of the Army Volunteer Organization took place on September 2, 1862 when he was transferred to the 2nd OH Cavalry Regiment. With the regiment Kautz was first transferred to Fort Scott, Kansas and from December 25, 1862 to Camp Chase, Ohio - a prison and training camp - as its commander. On April 27, 1863, Kautz was appointed brigade commander of a cavalry brigade. He was involved in the capture of Confederate General John Hunt Morgans during his raid on Ohio. Therefore he was promoted to the rank of major in the active army on June 9th . Kautz was then from August to December 1863 cavalry leader of the cavalry of the Ohio Army .

For the first four months of 1864 Kautz was on the staff of the Cavalry General in Washington, DC in the War Department. He then took over command of the James Army's cavalry division on April 28, 1864 , which he led until March 11, 1865. During this time he was involved in the Wilson Kautz raid as deputy commander. During the siege of Petersburg Kautz was promoted several times:

- May 7, 1864 - Brigadier General of the Volunteers
- June 9, 1864 - Brevet rank lieutenant colonel in the active army
- October 7, 1864 - Brevet rank colonel in the active army
- October 28, 1864 - Brevet rank major general of the volunteers
- March 13, 1865 - Brevet rank Brigadier General of the active army

He participated in many battles before Richmond , Virginia and Petersburg , Virginia without outstanding success. In March 1865 he was with the leadership of the 1st Division of the XXV. Corps instructed. At the head of these black divisions, he marched into Richmond on April 3, 1865.

After the civil war

From May 8 to July 15, 1865, Kautz was a member of the military commission charged with investigating the circumstances surrounding the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln . He then became commander of the 34th US Infantry Regiment and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on July 28. Kautz married Charlotte Tod, daughter of the governor of Ohio, on September 14, 1865, who died childless of typhoid three years later. The regiment was deployed in various locations in the southwest until 1869.

Kautz took over command of the 15th US Infantry Regiment on March 15, 1869 and carried out several campaigns against the Apaches in New Mexico . On November 27, 1872, he married the musician, painter and aspiring actress Fannie Markbreit, with whom he had two children. Kautz was appointed Commander of the 8th US Infantry Regiment on June 8, 1874 and promoted to Colonel.

On March 22, 1875 Kautz was also appointed commander of the Arizona Defense Area, which he led for three years. During this time, Kautz fell out with Arizona residents, other officers, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs over their dealings with the Indians. Under pressure from public and political opinion, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General of the Army William T. Sherman , buckled and the regiment and the commander were transferred to California on March 5, 1878. Kautz was charged with public criticism of the Judge Advocat General of the US Army in court- martial on , but was acquitted of all charges on June 4, 1878.

Kautz was promoted to brigadier general on April 20, 1891 and on July 25, 1891 appointed commander in the military area of ​​the Columbia in the states of Washington and Oregon. He led this until his retirement on January 5, 1892.

Kautz lived in Seattle, Washington until his death. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery , Virginia.

Works

  • August V. Kautz: The Company Clerk . Lippincott & Co, Philadelphia, Pa 1864 (English, google.de ).
  • August V. Kautz: The 1865 Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers & Soldiers . Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pa 2001, ISBN 978-0-8117-0399-4 (English, 64thill.org [PDF]).
  • August V. Kautz: Customs of Service for Officers . Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pa 2002, ISBN 978-0-8117-0006-1 (English, 64thill.org [PDF]).
  • August V. Kautz: Nothing Worthy of Note Transpired Today: The Northwest Journals of August V. Kautz . Tacoma Public Library, August 1978, OCLC 183268629 (English).
  • Aubrey L. Haines: Mountain Challenge, 1857: Journal of Lt. August V. Kautz on Mount Rainier . In: The Pacific Northwest Quarterly . tape 48 , no. 4 , October 1957, p. 134-138 , JSTOR : 40487264 .
  • Martin F. Schmitt: From Missouri to Oregon in 1860: The Diary of August V. Kautz . In: The Pacific Northwest Quarterly . tape 37 , no. 3 , July 1946, p. 193-230 , JSTOR : 40732722 .

literature

  • Lawrence G. Kautz: August Valentine Kautz, USA. Biography of a Civil War General . McFarland & Co, Jefferson, NC 2008, ISBN 978-0-7864-3323-0 (English).
  • Martin Öfele: Memories of the Civil War . Publisher for American Studies, Wyk auf Föhr 1998, ISBN 3-89510-049-8 .

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lawrence G. Kautz: August Valentine Kautz, USA: Biography of a Civil War General. McFarland & Co, 2008, accessed on April 17, 2017 (English, Biography Kautz 'pp. 3–7).
  2. ↑ a b c d Harry Searles: August Valentine Kautz. Ohio State University, January 16, 2017, accessed April 16, 2017 (Kautz's CV).
  3. ^ A b c John H. and David J. Eicher: Civil War High Commands. Stanford University Press, 2001, accessed on April 15, 2017 (Life Data Kautz 'p. 327).
  4. ^ A b John H. and David J. Eicher: Civil War High Commands. Stanford University Press, 2001, accessed on April 15, 2017 (Life Data Kautz 'p. 328).
  5. ↑ Ezra J. Warner: Generals in Blue. Louisiana State University Press, 1987, accessed April 15, 2017 (Kautz's CV, p. 258).
personal data
SURNAME Kautz, August
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kautz, August Valentin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION General of the US Army
DATE OF BIRTH January 5, 1828
PLACE OF BIRTH Ispringen
DATE OF DEATH 4th September 1895
Place of death Seattle , Washington (State)