At the Point of Dutchman's Bayonets: German Immigrants and the Outbreak of the Civil War in Missouri

“AT THE POINT OF DUTCHMEN’S BAYONETS”: GERMAN IMMIGRANTS AND THE OUTBREAK OF THE CIVIL WAR IN MISSOURI

German immigrants played a major role in the early days of the Civil War in Missouri. They were nearly united in their support for the Union and were among the first to enlist in its army. In their eyes, this support for their adopted fatherland was a sign of their loyalty and suitability to be citizens of the republic. By taking up arms to defend the US government, many Germans felt they should have silenced for all time debates over whether or not they deserved the full rights of citizenship. Their reputation for supporting the North would cause problems, however, with Confederate-sympathizing Missourians, and in rural parts of the state Germans were sometimes targeted by Southern guerrillas. Also problematic in the eyes of many white Missourians was the Germans’ support for emancipation as a war aim, something that many Unionist Missourians were not eager to see. Ultimately, Missouri Germans played an important role in the Civil War, but due to the hostility they encountered from Confederates and conservative Unionists, their involvement did not make them less conscious of their ethnic identity, but instead made them even more aware of—and proud of—their identity as an immigrant group within Missouri.

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