Joseph Gerhardt

(1817 - 1881)
Home State: District Of Columbia
Command Billet: Commanding Regiment
Branch of Service: Infantry
Unit: 46th New York Infantry

see his Battle Report

Before the Antietam Campaign:
He was a participant in the failed Revolution of 1848-9 in Germany, and fled the country through Switzerland, arriving in Washington DC in 1851. He operated restaurants and hotels, and played violin on the side for extra income. He was also an employee of the US Department of the Interior for at least a short time.

At the start of the War he raised a militia company in Washington and was their Captain. He was then appointed Major in the 46th New York.

The remainder of the War:
He went West with his regiment in the IX Corps, and by the seige of Vicksburg (May 1863) he was their Colonel.

After the War:
He had contracted malaria during the war, and had several repeat episodes, the last of which was the cause of his death in Washington at age 64.

Birth Date: 5/25/1817    Place of Birth: Bonn, GERMANY
College: University at Bonn
Death Date: 8/19/1881    Death Place: Washington, DC

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