August Hesse (Adam Holzschneider) - Civil War Soldier from Bavaria

August Hesse, Civil War Soldier from Bavaria

(Great grandfather of Jane and Sue Wichern)

August Hesse, posed wearing the “shell jacket" of an American Union Army cavalry private.
New York, Circa 1864

Note [from Bill MacKinnon]: In this rather remarkable photo of the soldier, the medal he’s wearing might be the one he received from Queen Victoria for his service in the Crimean War.  The U. S. Army then had no medals that it awarded except late in the Civil War Congress authorized the Medal of Honor for rare events and what he’s wearing isn’t that.

Let's start from the beginning.

His birth name was Gradam (Adam) Holzschneider, born in 1832 in Roesingen.  His parents Anne Marie Hesse and Georges Holzschneider were also from Roesingen (Rölingen), a town that no longer exists. 

It was reportedly located near Tagelsheim/Tagolsheim, beside the river Ill, near Strasbourg [Ref].  

In 1832 Roesingen was still part of Bavaria, Germany, but that area is now Alsace, France.

In August 1855 (at age 23) he joined the French Foreign Legion as a "Fusilier" (Infantryman).  Below is Geraldine's email from May 2020 (with my corrections in italics).

Subject: Great Grandfather
Reply-To: Geraldine K.

Jane,
Here is the information you requested. I have 3 original documents and one 4 by 6 photo. The first is his discharge paper from the French Foreign Legion. He was a fusilier in the second regiment and was discharged due to wounds. It describes him physically and gives some family information. His father is noted as Georges and mother as Anne Marie Hesse. He was born Aug. 6, 1832 and joined Aug. 10, 1855. He was born in a city noted as Roesingen (Rölingen), Bavaria [now in France]. His last address was (Ratisbonne), now known as Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany.

I have a paper saying that he received a medal from the Queen of England for his participation in the siege of Sevastopol in the Crimean War up to March 17, 1856. Another paper is a good conduct certificate dated Oct. 1858.

Other information I have pertains to his service in the Civil War and his naturalization papers. He fought in the NY Company H 18 (not sure of this). [confirmed-Al]. He used the name August Hesse in the war. He was naturalized Nov. 6, 1873.

Here is the medal instituted by Her Majesty the Queen of England, for his participation in the successful siege of Sevastopol (1854-55).  This was the turning point of the Crimean war.   NOTE: Crimea, including the city of Sevastopol was annexed by Russia in 2014.

Holzschneider Giadam, fusilier, 2nd Foreign Regiment
Medal instituted by Her Majesty the Queen of England, 
February, 1857

Below is his Certificate of Good Conduct (Certificat de Bonne Conduite) from the "2e Regiment Etranger" (2nd Foreign Regiment).  It says he is born in Roesingen, Bavaria. 

It describes him as having a "bouche grande" (big mouth).

Certificat de Bonne Conduite(Certificate of Good Conduct) 
 October, 1858

Below is his discharge paper from the French Foreign Legion, "Gradam Holzschneider, Fusilier, 2nd Foreign Regiment." 

It was signed by nine officials on October 6, 1858, in Sidi bel Abbes, Algeria, Headquarters of the French Foreign Legion.  It gives his parent's names and birthplace, and his full military record.  His father's occupation is "Tailor."

Conge de Reforme (Reform Leave)
Discharge from the 2nd Regiment, French Foreign Legion
 Sidi bel Abbes, Algeria, October 6, 1885

It mentions his "campagnes et blessures" (Campaigns and injuries), including service in the Africa Corps in 1856, 1857, 1858.

"campagnes et blessures" (Campaigns and injuries)

Here is the detail of services (I have trouble reading it!)

Detail des Services

NEW YORK

Six months after his discharge from the Africa Corps in 1858, Adam decided to emigrate to New York.  Two years later he would continue his military career in the American Civil War, using a different name.

Howard asked Bill MacKinnon (Civil War Historian): — "Is it credible that he came to the US and fought as a mercenary in the Civil War under the name August Hesse?"

BILL'S COMMENT:  "There weren’t any mercenary units fighting in the Civil war in the sense that the Brits “borrowed” whole regiments of Hessians to fight for them in America and shipped them over on a “contract” basis. However what a lot of Germans did was to emigrate and enlist in the U. S. (sometimes for a one-time bonus of $300 or so) for service with all-German units formed. These weren’t mercenaries, but they were “bonus babies” of sorts. Then there were other enlistees who went into service as “substitutes”  for men who had received a draft notice (1863 or later) and didn’t want to serve. Thousands of Germans did this." 

"Howard, when the Civil War started, half of the men in the regular army were not born in the U. S. and thousands of non-citizens poured into the Union Army (the sum of the old regular army and the volunteer regiments recruited for service for periods ranging from three months to three years.) There were Irish Brigades recruited also through the same process." 

John Adam Holzschneider arrived alone in  New York on April 7, 1859 from Le Havre, France on the bark (sailing ship) "David Hoadley"  Class: steerage, Occupation: <blank>.  Age: 27. NOTE:  The David Hoadley had a mishap in 1880.

Passenger List, D.Hoadley April 9, 1859
From Le Havre, France to New York

In February, 1861 he sold his land in New York City.

By October, 1863 he was a private in the 18th Regiment, Company H, New York Cavalry.  He used the alias "August Hesse." We don't know for sure why he changed his name, but as Bill MacKinnon suggested, some enlistees went into service as paid "substitutes" for men who had received a draft notice and didn't want to serve.

CIVIL WAR SERVICE

18th Regiment, Company H, New York Cavalry

SERVICE:

Duty in the Defences of Washington, D. C., till February, 1864.
Ordered to the Dept. of the Gulf February 16, 1864.
Red River Campaign March 10-May 22, 1864.

Advance from Franklin to Alexandria March 14-26, 1864.

Monett's Ferry and Cloutiersville March 29-30, 1864.

The unit ended up in Texas in 1866.  Adam was 34.

Battle Unit Details Here

LOSSES:
The Regiment lost during service: 1 Officer and 10 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 203 Enlisted men by disease. Total 216.

RAISING A FAMILY
The 1870 Federal Census shows Adam was married, 2 kids, living at 643 Fifth Street, Manhattan, New York City.  He was working as a Tailor.  He was 36 and his wife Mary, from Baden, was 30.

On October 9, 1868 "John" Adam applied for US Citizenship.  Here is his sworn statement: "I do solemnly swear that I will uphold the Constitution of the United States, and that I do solemnly and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign Prince, Potentate or Sovereignty whatever, and particularly to the Emperor of France of whom I was before a subject."  Note his address, 643 Fifth Street.  He became a citizen in 1873.

By 1880 Adam (46) and Mary (39) have 3 children, Johanna (12), August (10) and Mary "Mamie," (3).  They still lived at 643 Fifth Street in Manhattan.  Adam is a tailor.

His wife Mary applied for a Civil War Pension, first because Adam was an invalid (1890), then again when she was a widow (1894).

Adam's youngest daughter "Mamie" married Henry Wichern.  Their son Len (Leonard Wichern) is Howard Stein's uncle.  Mamie and Henry's story is here.
His two great granddaughters Jane and Sue still keep his papers and memories.

Many thanks to Howard Stein, Sue, and Bill MacKinnon for putting all the pieces of this story together.