Julius Raith (March 29, 1819 – April 11, 1862) was a German-American military officer who served in 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 ...

and 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 ...

. He was mortally wounded at the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...

. Raith came in the United States in 1836 with his family, settling in St. Clair County, Illinois. During the Mexican–American War, he led a company of 2nd Illinois Volunteers. When the Civil War broke out, he helped

Gustave Koerner Gustav Philipp Koerner, also spelled Gustave or Gustavus Koerner (20 November 1809 – 9 April 1896), was a German-American revolutionary, journalist, lawyer, politician, judge and statesman in Illinois and Germany, and a Colonel of the U.S. Arm ...

organize a German regiment. During the Battle of Shiloh, he led a brigade in General McClernand's division composed of his own regiment, the 43rd Illinois along with the 17th Illinois, the 29th Illinois, and the 49th Illinois. The actual commanding officer was Colonel

Leonard Fulton Ross Leonard Fulton Ross (July 18, 1823 – January 17, 1901) was an American lawyer, probate judge, and stock raiser who served as a first lieutenant in the Mexican-American War and as a brigadier general during the American Civil War. Early lif ...

, who was absent, leaving Colonel James S. Reardon in charge; however, Reardon was ill. Raith was wounded by a minie ball in the leg above the knee and laid on the battlefield for 24 hours. He died of tetanus from his injuries.

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