Our Rich History: Cincinnati’s German regiments during the Siege of Cincinnati

By Don Heinrich Tolzmann
Special to NKyTribune

In an article previously published in the Northern Kentucky Tribune (7 June 2021) I highlighted the need for a historical marker for area Germans who served in the Civil War: “Honoring Cincinnati’s German Regiments who heeded the Call during the Civil War.” Although organized in Cincinnati, they consisted of Germans from the Tri-State area, not just the city of Cincinnati.

I follow up here, focusing on their relatively unknown role during the Siege of Cincinnati (1-13 September 1862). Altogether, four German regiments were there. One unit was a Union regiment, the 106th Ohio Vol. Infantry, and three were Ohio Militia Reserve Regiments, the 6th, 8th, and 11th. Altogether, they consisted of 4,000 soldiers.

The 106th Ohio Vol. Infantry Regiment was commanded by Lt. Col. Gustav Tafel, who as president of the Cincinnati Turnverein, helped organize another German regiment from Cincinnati, the 9th Ohio Vol. Infantry Regiment. In his History of the Cincinnati Germans in the Civil War, Tafel wrote: “The 106th held a position south of Covington and got a whiff of gun smoke stationed as it was in the foreground of the city of Cincinnati.”

He continued: “Lieutenant Schleyer of Company E and his troops were at their post at Latonia Springs, when in the early morning, a detachment of rebel troops organized as a chain of sharpshooters suddenly appeared. Salvos were fired from both sides and in accordance with orders, our troops moved back to their reserve troops. The rebels did the same.” So, the 106th did engage in gunfire with rebel troops, who eventually withdrew, thus bringing their projected Siege to an end.

Three regiments of the Ohio Militia Reserve, which were formed for the defense of the area, consisted of Germans recruited mainly from Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine district. Such regiments were under the command of the governor of Ohio, as they were not federal troops. The troops included some well-known members of the Cincinnati German community.

Christian Moerlein was a member of Company A of the 8th Regiment of the Ohio Militia Reserve, as was Heinrich Muhlhauser. Moerlein was the founding father of the Moerlein Brewing Company, and after the Civil War, Muhlhauser and his brother Gottlieb — along with Conrad Windisch — organized the Windisch-Muhlhauser Brewing Company, best known as the Lion Brewery.

The four German regiments from Cincinnati were not the only German troops involved in the Siege of Cincinnati. The Third Ohio Cavalry Regiment was also there. It was organized in Huron County and consisted of Germans from the Cleveland and Sandusky area. There were also an inestimable number of troops of German ancestry.

For example, Amos Shinkle served as Colonel of the Kentucky Home Guards, and was in charge of the defense of Covington during the Siege. The great-grandson of a German immigrant, Shinkle was a prosperous Covington businessman who subsequently became president of the Covington-Cincinnati Bridge Company.

The Siege was brief, but of crucial importance strategically for the Union. Tafel wrote: “The rebel General Kirby Smith had actually moved into Kentucky, smashed the troops consisting of newly formed regiments under the command of General (William) Nelson, and marched toward Cincinnati. Smith had seasoned troops and he might have succeeded in taking the city by means of rush marches, as there were no troops there and the town was filled with military supplies. Such a bold move would have been a great coup, even if he had temporarily occupied the city and then torched it.”

Fortunately, German regiments formed in Cincinnati helped defend the area during the Siege of Cincinnati. While other important forces have often been mentioned, such as the Squirrel Hunters and the Black Brigade, German regiments have largely gone unnoticed. So, it would be altogether appropriate and long overdue for them to finally be honored for their Civil War service, especially during the Siege of Cincinnati, by means of a historical marker.

Don Heinrich Tolzmann translated and edited Gustav Tafel’s The Cincinnati Germans in the Civil War, with Supplements on Germans from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana in the Civil War (2010).

Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD is Editor of the “Our Rich History” weekly series and Professor of History and Gender Studies at Northern Kentucky University (NKU). He can be contacted at tenkottep@nku.edu . Tenkotte also serves as Co-Director of the ORVILLE Project (Ohio River Valley Innovation Library and Learning Enrichment). For more information see orvillelearning.org

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