Hermann Lieb (also known as Herman Lieb;Eicher p.348 May 23, 1826 – March 5, 1908) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

immigrant to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

who served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He is best remembered as the commander of the Union forces at the

Battle of Milliken's Bend The Battle of Milliken's Bend was fought on June 7, 1863, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Major General (United States), Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army had placed the strategic Mississippi Rive ...

in 1863.

Biography

Lieb was born in on May 23, 1826 in

Ermatingen Ermatingen is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen (district), Kreuzlingen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History The Stone Age Westerfeld and Büge shoreline settlements w ...

, Switzerland, to Sigmund Friedrich Lieb and Christine Vasmer, and was educated in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

Vevey Vevey (; frp, Vevê; german: label=former German, Vivis) is a town in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the district of ...

, and in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In 1846 he moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, where he worked as a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

, and there took part in the

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (french: Révolution française de 1848), also known as the February Revolution (), was a brief period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation ...

. Lieb emigrated to the United States and settled in 1856 in

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Ce ...

, where he began practicing law. He was also an editor of the ''

Chicago Democrat The ''Chicago Democrat'' was the first newspaper in Chicago, Illinois. It was published from 1833 to 1861. In 2017 Atom, LLC restarteChicago Democratand has built a website aimed at statewide coverage of news, sports, weather and information in Il ...

''.

American Civil War

At the outbreak of the war, he enlisted for ninety days as a private in Company B of the 8th Illinois Infantry.Vicksburg NMP
/ref> Upon reorganization of the regiment as a three-year unit in July 1861, Lieb was elected captain and the following year was promoted to major. He fought at the battles of

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

, Shiloh and the

siege of Corinth The siege of Corinth (also known as the first Battle of Corinth) was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. A collection of Union forces under the overall command of Major General Henry ...

. On April 14, 1863 he was appointed colonel of the 9th Louisiana Regiment of African Descent. During the

Vicksburg campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Riv ...

Lieb commanded the post of Milliken's Bend along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. Here, on June 7, 1863, Lieb defeated Confederate forces under General

Henry E. McCulloch Henry Eustace McCulloch (December 6, 1816 – March 12, 1895) was a soldier in the Texas Revolution, a Texas Ranger, and a brigadier general in the army of the Confederate States during the American Civil War. Early life McCulloch was born in ...

and was wounded during the fighting. On August 7 his unit was converted into an artillery unit which eventually became the 5th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery. With his regiment he performed garrison duty in the Vicksburg area for the remainder of 1863. On May 6, 1864, he was given command of the artillery forces of the Post of Vicksburg.Eicher p.348 On March 13, 1865 Lieb was promoted to

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

brigadier general of U.S. Volunteers and was mustered out of the volunteer service on March 20, 1866.Eicher p.348

After the war

Lieb returned to Illinois where he worked as a newspaper editor, postal worker and author. He was elected Clerk of Cook County in 1873. Lieb died in Chicago on March 5, 1908.

References

*Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, .
Five Generals from Decatur

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lieb, Herman 1826 births 1908 deaths People from Kreuzlingen District People of the Revolutions of 1848 Swiss emigrants to France Swiss emigrants to the United States Union Army colonels People of Illinois in the American Civil War Illinois lawyers People from Decatur, Illinois