John Albert Koltes was an American colonel of German origin who commanded the

73rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment The 73rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 73rd Pennsylvania Infantry was organized at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania beginning in June 1861 and muster ...

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 ...

before being killed at the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

Biography

Early years

John was born at

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

in 1827 before emigrating to the United States at the age of 17 to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

as a temporary teacher at a Catholic school before enlisting in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

until he was discharged at

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He then served as a member of the U.S. Marines at the U.S. Mint in

American Civil War

When the

broke out, Koltes mobilized the Maennerchor Rifle Guards around April 1861 before helping to muster the

and the regiment began training at

Lemon Hill Lemon Hill is a Federal-style mansion in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, built from 1799 to 1800 by Philadelphia merchant Henry Pratt. The house is named after the citrus fruits that Pratt cultivated on the property in the early 19th century. ...

at the Eagle and Wolf hills where the 73rd Pennsylvania would often enjoy picnics. The 73rd Pennsylvania was then assigned to General

Ludwig Blenker Louis Blenker (July 31, 1812 – October 31, 1863) was a German revolutionary and American soldier. Life in Germany He was born at Worms, Germany. After being trained as a goldsmith by an uncle in Kreuznach, he was sent to a polytechnical ...

's division of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

and would then serve at the Northern Virginia Campaign.

Second Battle of Bull Run

Koltes was ordered to assume command of the 41st New York Infantry Regiment after

Julius Stahel Julius H. Stahel-Számwald (born Gyula Számwald; November 5, 1825 – December 4, 1912) was a Hungarian soldier who emigrated to the United States and became a Union general in the American Civil War. After the war, he served as a U.S. diplomat, ...

was too far to effectively command it as well as the 41st New York being stationed all the way at Chinn Ridge. When Koltes came up to the ridge, he noticed remnants of

Nathan G. Evans Nathan George "Shanks" Evans (February 3, 1824 – November 23, 1868) was a United States Army officer who later served as a General officers in the Confederate States Army#Brigadier general, general in the Confederate States Army during the ...

's South Carolina brigade, the

11th Mississippi Infantry Regiment The 11th Mississippi Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

and some of

James L. Kemper James Lawson Kemper (June 11, 1823 – April 7, 1895) was a lawyer, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, and the 37th Governor of Virginia. He was the youngest brigade commander and only non-professional military officer in the div ...

's men and were threatening his right flank. Koltes then retreated the 73rd Pennsylvania and the 41st New York. However, after Captain J. B. Richardson's artillery began showering the Union Army with projecticles, Kotles dashed out, feeling compelled to take action and was described as "waving his sword high in the air" and ordered a charge on the Confederate artillery due to the surrounding infantry being confused but when a cannon launched a shell, it stuck some of his men along with Koltes himself, mortally wounding him before the charge could gain any momentum. At this point, Koltes had been acting brigadier general in General

Adolph Von Steinwehr Baron Adolph Wilhelm August Friedrich von Steinwehr (September 25, 1822 – February 25, 1877) was a German-Brunswick army officer who emigrated to the United States, became a geographer, cartographer, and author, and served as a Union general in ...

's division for four months, and his friends who had secured his promotion to Colonel managed to carry his body away and bury him at

Glenwood Memorial Gardens Glenwood Memorial Gardens is a 70-acre lawn cemetery in Broomall, Pennsylvania. It was originally established in 1849 as a rural cemetery on 20 acres in North Philadelphia as Glenwood Cemetery. Over 700 Union and Confederate soldiers who died i ...

, leaving his wife and four children. Koltes was posthumously praised by

Carl Schurz Carl Schurz (; March 2, 1829 – May 14, 1906) was a German revolutionary and an American statesman, journalist, and reformer. He immigrated to the United States after the German revolutions of 1848–1849 and became a prominent member of the new ...

and

Franz Sigel Franz Sigel (November 18, 1824 – August 21, 1902) was a German American military officer, revolutionary and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union major general in the American Civil W ...

for his service during the battle.

Biography

Early years

American Civil War

Second Battle of Bull Run

References

Further reading