Franz Sigel as Artillerist
Union Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel is probably best known for his role as the loser of the May 1864 Civil War battle of New Market. Earlier in the war, however, he made a name for himself as a talented artillerist, playing a key role at the battles of Wilson’s Creek and Pea Ridge. Emerging Civil War’s Devan Sommerville chatted with Editor-in-Chief Chris Mackowski to offer the details.
If he had stayed at battery command….
Enjoyed the “Peter Principle” reference made by Devan !
He should have stayed with the battery. Every time I read about his exploits as a Major General I want to pull my hair out.
Sigel has become almost a cardboard figure, even a laughing stock, among CW enthusiasts and historians, painting his story with a big brush and labeling Sigel as an incompetent and abject failure on the battlefield…
Well, there is no evidence that Sigel was a trained artillerist. He attended the Allgemeine Kriegsschule at Karlsruhe in the Grand Duchy of Baden 1841-43 and after graduation was assigned as a Fähnrich (ensign) to the 2nd Infantry Regiment. After promotion to Leutnant (2nd lieutenant) he transferred to the 4th Infantry Regiment. He resigned his commission after a duel with an brother officer in 1847.
Sigel may have developed a personal preference for the “Queen of Battles” during his service in Baden and devoted particular attention to studying artillery, despite being assigned to the infantry. A new biography in Sigel will be published soon here in my native Germany, which may shed some light on this.. .