Major General Carl Schurz in the Civil War

Major General Carl Schurz in the Civil War Carl Schurz - Early Life Career: Born March 2, 1829 near Cologne, Rhenish Prussia (Germany), Carl Schurz was the son of Christian and Marianne Schurz.   The product of a schoolteacher and a journalist, Schurz initially attended the Jesuit Gymnasium of Cologne but was forced leave a year before graduation due to his familys financial problems.   Despite this setback, he secured his diploma via a special exam and commenced study at the University of Bonn.   Developing a close friendship with Professor Gottfried Kinkel, Schurz became engaged in the revolutionary liberal movement that was sweeping through Germany in 1848.   Taking up arms in support of this cause, he met future fellow Union generals Franz Sigel and Alexander Schimmelfennig.   Serving as a staff officer in the revolutionary forces, Schurz was captured by the Prussians in 1849 when the fortress of Rastatt fell.   Escaping, he traveled south to safety in Switzerland.   Learning that his mentor Kinkel was being held at Spandau prison in Berlin, Schurz slipped into Prussia in late 1850 and facilitated his escape.   After a brief stay in France, Schurz moved to London in 1851.   While there, he married Margarethe Meyer, an early advocate of the kindergarten system.   Shortly afterwards, the couple departed for the United States and arrived in August 1852.   Initially living in Philadelphia, they soon moved west to Watertown, WI.   Ã‚   Carl Schurz - Political Rise: Improving his English, Schurz quickly became active in politics through the newly-formed Republican Party.   Speaking out against slavery, he gained a following among the immigrant communities in Wisconsin and was an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor in 1857.   Traveling south the following year, Schurz spoke to German-American communities on behalf of Abraham Lincolns campaign for US Senate in Illinois.   Passing the bar exam in 1858, he commenced practicing law in Milwaukee and increasingly became a national voice for the party due to his appeal to immigrant voters.   Attending the 1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Schurz served as the  spokesman of the delegation from Wisconsin. Carl Schurz - The Civil War Begins: With the election of Lincoln that fall, Schurz received an appointment to serve as US Ambassador to Spain.   Assuming the post in July 1861, shortly after the start of the Civil War, he worked to ensure that Spain remained neutral and did not provide aid to the Confederacy.   Eager to be part of the events unfolding at home, Schurz left his post in December and returned to the United States in January 1862.   Immediately traveling to Washington, he pressed Lincoln to advance the issue of emancipation as well as give him a military commission.   Though the president resisted the latter, he ultimately appointed Schurz a brigadier general on April 15.   A purely political move, Lincoln hoped to win additional support in German-American communities. Carl Schurz - Into Battle: Given command of a division in Major General John C. Frà ©monts forces in the Shenandoah Valley in June, Schurzs men then moved east to join Major General John Popes newly-created Army of Virginia.   Serving in Sigels I Corps, he made his combat debut at Freemans Ford in late August.   Performing poorly, Schurz saw one of his brigades suffer heavy losses.   Recovering from this outing, he showed better on August 29 when his men mounted determined, but unsuccessful assaults against Major General A.P. Hills division at the Second Battle of Manassas.   That fall, Sigels corps was re-designated XI Corps and remained on the defensive in front of Washington, DC.   As a result, it did not take part in the Battles of Antietam or Fredericksburg.   In early 1863, command of the corps passed to Major General Oliver O. Howard as Sigel departed due to a dispute with new army commander Major General Joseph Hooker.   Ã‚      Carl Schurz - Chancellorsville Gettysburg: In March 1863, Schurz received a promotion to major general.   This caused some ire in the Union ranks due to its political nature and his performance relative to his peers.   In early May, Schurzs men were positioned along the Orange Turnpike facing south as Hooker conducted the opening moves of the Battle of Chancellorsville.   To Schurzs right, the division of Brigadier General Charles Devens, Jr. represented the right flank of the army.   Not anchored on any type of natural obstacle, this force was preparing for dinner around 5:30 PM on May 2 when it was surprised attacked by Lieutenant General Thomas Stonewall Jacksons corps.   As Devens men fled east, Schurz was able to realign his men to meet the threat.   Badly outnumbered, his division was overwhelmed and he was forced to order a retreat around 6:30 PM.   Falling back, his division played little role in the rest of the battle.   Carl Schurz - Gettysburg: The following month, Schurzs division and the rest of XI Corps moved north as the Army of the Potomac pursued General Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia towards Pennsylvania.   Though a diligent officer, Schurz became increasingly overbearing during this time leading Howard to correctly guess that his subordinate was lobbying Lincoln to have Sigel returned to XI Corps.   Despite the tension between the two men, Schurz moved quickly on July 1 when Howard sent him a dispatch stating that Major General John Reynolds I Corps was engaged at Gettysburg.   Riding ahead he met with Howard on Cemetery Hill around 10:30 AM.   Informed that Reynolds was dead, Schurz assumed command of XI Corps as Howard took overall control of Union forces on the field. Directed to deploy his men north of town to the right of I Corps, Schurz ordered his division (now led by  Schimmelfennig) to secure Oak Hill.   Finding it occupied by Confederate forces, he also saw the XI Corps division of Brigadier General Francis Barlow arrive and form too far forward of Schimmelfennigs right.   Before Schurz could address this gap, the two XI Corps divisions came under attack from the divisions of Major General Robert Rodes and Jubal A. Early.   Though he showed energy in organizing a defense, Schurzs men were overwhelmed and driven back through the town with around 50% losses.   Re-forming on Cemetery Hill, he resumed command of his division and aided in repelling a Confederate attack against the heights the next day.      Carl Schurz - Ordered West:       In September 1863, XI and XII Corps were ordered west to aid the beleaguered Army of the Cumberland after its defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga.   Under the leadership of Hooker, the two corps reached Tennessee and took part in Major General Ulysses S. Grants campaign to lift the siege of Chattanooga.   During the resulting Battle of Chattanooga in late November, Schurzs division operated on the Union left in support of Major General William T. Shermans forces.   In April 1864, XI and XII Corps were combined into XX Corps.   As part of this reorganization, Schurz left his division to oversee a Corps of Instruction in Nashville. In this post briefly, Schurz took leave to serve as an orator on behalf of Lincolns reelection campaign.   Seeking to return to active duty following the election that fall, he had difficulty securing a command.   Finally obtaining a post as chief of staff in Major General Henry Slocums Army of Georgia, Schurz saw service in the Carolinas during the final months of the war.   With the end of hostilities, he was tasked by President Andrew Johnson with conducting a tour of the South to assess conditions throughout the region.   Returning to private life, Schurz operated a newspaper in Detroit before moving to St. Louis. Carl Schurz - Politician: Elected to the US Senate in 1868, Schurz advocated fiscal responsibility and anti-imperialism.   Breaking with the Grant Administration in 1870, he helped start the Liberal Republican movement.   Overseeing the partys convention two years later, Schurz campaigned for its presidential nominee, Horace Greeley.   Defeated in 1874, Schurz returned to newspapers until appointed Secretary of the Interior by President Rutherford B. Hayes three years later.   In this role, he worked to reduce racism towards Native Americans on the frontier, fought to keep the Office of Indian Affairs in his department, and advocated for a merit-based system of advancement in the civil service. Leaving office in 1881, Schurz settled in New York City and aided in overseeing several newspapers.   After serving as a representative of the Hamburg American Steamship Company from 1888 to 1892, he accepted a position as president of the National Civil Service Reform League. Active in attempts to modernize the civil service, he remained an outspoken anti-imperialist.   This saw him speak out against the Spanish-American War and lobby President William McKinley against annexing land taken during the conflict.   Remaining engaged in politics into the early 20th century, Schurz died in New York City on May 14, 1906.   His remains were interred at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, NY.           Ã‚     Ã‚   Selected Sources Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Carl SchurzGettysburg: Major General Carl SchurzMr. Lincolns White House: Carl Schurz

Manson Family Member Linda Kasabian

Manson Family Member Linda Kasabian Charles Manson made a poor call when he picked Linda Kasabian to join the group of killers who set out to kill everyone inside the homes of actress Sharon Tate and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Kasabian was there  but stood in horror as the screams of the victims broke the nights silence. She managed to escape from the Manson family and later turned states evidence during the Tate and LaBianca murder trials. It was her eye-witness testimony that sealed the convictions of those responsible for the brutal murders. The Early Days Linda Kasabian was born on June 21, 1949, in Biddeford, Maine. At age 16, she quit school, left home and headed out west in search for the meaning of life. While on the road, she lived in various hippie communes where she engaged in casual sex and drugs. By the age of 20, she was a two-time divorcee and had given birth to a baby girl. On July 4, 1969, pregnant with her second child, she visited Spahn Ranch and immediately joined Charles Manson and the Manson family. Helter Skelter On August 8, 1969, Kasabian, who had only been with the Manson family for four weeks, was selected by Manson to drive family members Tex Watson, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel to 10050 Cielo Drive. The assignment for the night was to murder everyone inside the home. Manson believed that the massacre would kick start an apocalyptic race war that he had predicted and named Helter Skelter. It was the address of actor Sharon Tate and her husband, film director Roman Polanski.   The couple was renting the house and Sharon Tate, who was eight and a half months pregnant, invited Hollywood hairstylist, Jay Sebring,  coffee heiress Abigail Folger, and Polish actor Wojciech Frykowski, to stay as house guests while Polanski was away in London. 10050 Cielo Drive had previously been the home of record producer Terry Melcher, who Manson had tried to get a record contract with, but the deal never materialized. Angry that Melcher was putting him off, Manson when to his home to confront him, but Melcher had moved away and Manson was asked to leave the premises. Angry and rejected, the address became symbolic of all that Manson hated about the establishment. Butchered When the Manson family members arrived at the Tate home, Kasabian watched as the groups first victim, 18-year-old Steven Parent, was shot to death by Tex Watson. Parent had just graduated from high school and was trying to raise money for college. He was hoping to sell his radio to his friend William Garretson, who was the caretaker of the Tate home.  After visiting with Garretson, he  was on his way home and was driving up to the electric gates to leave the Tate home, just as the Manson group arrived. Watson knifed and shot him three times, killing him. Kasabian later  stood watch outside the Tate home and heard screams coming from inside. She watched in shock as some of the victims came running outside the home, soaked in blood and screaming for help, only to be caught and butchered on the front lawn by Tex Watson  and Susan Atkins. Kasabian tried to stop the massacre by telling the group that she heard noises, but her attempts failed and everyone inside the house, including eight-month pregnant Sharon Tate was viciously murdered. After the murders, Kasabian wiped off blood and fingerprints from the weapons used in the murders and dropped them into a ravine. The LaBianca Murders The next night Kasabian was ordered by Manson to go out again and later testified that she was too afraid to tell him no. This time the group included Manson, Watson, Atkins, Krenwinkel. Kasabian, Van Houten and Steve Grogan. The group drove to Leo and Rosemary LaBianca. First Manson and Tex went inside the LaBianca home and tied up the couple. He instructed Watson, Krenwinkel, and Van Houten to go inside and kill the couple. Manson, Kasabian, Atkins and Grogan drove away, and went hunting for another victim.   Manson wanted to find and murder an actor who was also one of Kasabians old boyfriends. She purposely pointed out the wrong apartment and the group, tired of driving around, gave up and returned to the ranch. Kasabian Escapes Spahn Ranch Two days after the LaBianca murders, Kasabian agreeing to run an errand for Manson, used the opportunity to flee from Spahn Ranch. To avoid suspicion she had to leave her daughter Tonya behind. Later  she located her daughter at a foster home where she was placed after the October police raid on Spahn Ranch. Kasabian Turns State Evidence Kasabian went to live with her mother in New Hampshire. A warrant for her arrest was issued on December 2, 1969, for her involvement in the Tate and LaBianca murders. She immediately turned herself over to the authorities and turned states evidence and was given immunity for her testimony. Her testimony was invaluable for the prosecution in the Tate-LaBianca murder trial. Co-defendants Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten were found guilty largely based on Kasabians direct and honest testimony. After the trial, she returned to New Hampshire where she dealt with a lot of public scorn. She eventually changed her name and it has been rumored hat she moved to Washington State. See Also: The Manson Family Photo Album Source:Desert Shadows by Bob MurphyHelter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt GentryThe Trial of Charles Manson by Bradley Steffens