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DER BLOGGER
Are the Boomers Are Heading for the Barn?
When the April figures on unemployment were released May 4, they were more than disappointing. They were deeply disturbing. While the unemployment rate had fallen from 8.2 percent to 8.1 percent, 342,000 workers had stopped looking for work. They had just dropped out of the labor market. Only 63.6 percent of the U.S. working age population is now in thelabor force, the lowest level since December 1981.
WANDERLUST
Eurostar Eyes Frankfurt Link
Eurostar is to extend its high speed rail service to link Frankfurt and Cologne via the Channel Tunnel to London within the next five years, according to a British newspaper report on Monday.
GERMERICANA
Digging into German Culture in Pennsylvania
By Chris Sholley
During the past year, a group of Lebanon Valley College students poured over German documents at the Lebanon County Historical Society of Pennsylvania as part of an advanced course in the language. They made interesting discoveries about the lives of German immigrants.
AKADEMIA
Learning and Teaching German
With the free German courses from Deutsche Welle, you can choose the learning style that suits you best: e-learning at the computer, with short videos, audio courses or podcasts, or with texts and worksheets you can print out. For DW's website, please click HERE
GERMERICA LINKS
RSS FEED
Germans in the Civil War
Wed, 07/06/2011 - 07:18 —A popular Union commander, Sigel was the highest ranking German-American officer in the Union Army, with many Germans enlisting to "fight mit Sigel."
Sigel was a political appointment of President Abraham Lincoln, who hoped that Sigel's immense popularity would help deliver the votes of the increasingly important German segment of the population.
Born in Baden in 1824, Germany, Sigel was a member of the Forty-Eighters, a political movement of the revolutions in German states that led to thousands of Germans emigrating to the United States. These included such future Civil War officers as Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz, Brig. Gen. August Willich, Louis Blenker, Max Weber, and Alexander Schimmelpfennig.
After the 1848 revolution failed, Sigel fled to Switzerland. He lived in England for a while until emigrating to the United States.
He taught in New York City schools before becoming the director of education in St. Louis.An opponent of slavery, he immediately joined the Union Army on the outbreak of the American Civil War.
On July 5, 1861, Sigel led the Battle of Carthage, Missouri, against the Southern-sympathizing Missouri State Guard, commanded by Gov. Claiborne Jackson.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of that battle, the first serious conflict that would last four years.
Sigel was commissioned Colonel of the 3rd Missouri but within a few weeks had been promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.
He commanded the 4th Brigade of Army of Southwest Missouri from January to February of 1862. He took part in the battles at Wilson's Creek. and Pea Ridge before being appointed Major General on 21st March, 1862.
Three months later he fought against Thomas Stonewall Jackson in Shenandoah Valley (4th to 26th June) and against Robert E. Lee at the 2nd Battle of Bull Run.
In the winter of 1863 bad health forced Sigel to rest from active duty. He returned in March, 1864, but was badly defeated at New Market.
In July he fought Major General Jubal Early at Harpers Ferry but soon afterwards was relieved of his command for "lack of aggression".
After the war Sigel went to live in Baltimore where he worked as a journalist. He later moved to New York City where he became involved in publishing and lecturing.
Franz Sigel died in New York on 21st August, 1902.
WAS IST LOS?
KULTUR
Celebrating Gustav Klimt
Vienna's art trade will be marking the 150th anniversary of Gustav Klimt’s birth in style. A series of special events in 2012 will pay tribute to the artist, who was a leading light in the Vienna Secession movement and a pioneer of modernism.
DAS KINO
Portrait of Wally - The Movie
A documentary about Austrian painter Egon Schiele's famous portrait of his mistress "Wally" opens Friday, in New York's Quad Cinema III. It traces the legal and emotional drama surrounding the oil painting. The following review is by Chuck Bowen of Slant.
DER STAMMTISCH
Gertrude Stein's Strange Views
By Mark Weber
Scholars of the life of Gertrude Stein were recently startled to learn that in 1938 the prominent American writer Gertrude Stein had spearheaded a campaign urging the Nobel committee to award its Peace Prize to Adolf Hitler.
FUSSBALL
