Leopold Von Gilsa - Civil War

Civil War

When the Civil War erupted, von Gilsa organized the De Kalb Regiment, an all-German unit, which became the 41st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. It was named for a hero of the American Revolution, Baron de Kalb. The regiment's development, which occurred in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, was reported in the New York Times during the spring of 1861. Some of the expenses were paid by the Union Defense Committee of New York City.

The regiment left for Washington, D.C., by water for Elizabethport, New Jersey, on July 8, 1861, followed by a trip via railroad. The regiment served under von Gilsa in the campaign leading up to the First Battle of Bull Run. It was in reserve with the rest of Theodore Runyon's Fourth Division, Army of the Potomac. The regiment then participated in the campaigns of John C. Frémont in western Virginia. Von Gilsa was severely wounded leading the regiment in the Battle of Cross Keys.

Minus its leader, von Gilsa's regiment served in the brigade of Julius Stahel under Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel in the Second Battle of Bull Run. When Sigel's command became XI Corps, Army of the Potomac in late 1862, the De Kalbs were in First Brigade of Stahel's First Division. Von Gilsa, after recuperating, became brigade commander in this period. Following the Battle of Antietam, he assigned the De Kalb Regiment to take part in a reconnaissance led by Sigel into Virginia.