24 Ten Years of my Life. 



rian army and in Greece, he became a wine merchant. He 

 took part in the German reviDlutfon, and with a corps of his 

 own he made an attempt against the fortress of Landau, in 

 which he was wounded. When, in 1849, the Bavarian Palati- 

 nate made common cause with revolutionized Baden, he com- 

 manded, as colonel, a corps, and retired like Sigel and the rest 

 of the popular army to Switzerland, whence he emigrated to 

 America. He bought there a farm near Rockville, in the State 

 of New York, and when the American war broke out he made 

 up a regiment (the 8th of New York) and commanded it as 

 colonel. 



When I became acquainted with the General he must have 

 been near his fiftieth year. He was a fine man, about five feet 

 ten inches high, broad in the shoulders, and with an elegant 

 figure and bearing. His weather beaten face must have been 

 handsome once, and was still agreeable. 



Though a democrat, he had decidedly aristocratic inclina- 

 tions, and a foible for noble names. In his staff were many 

 noblemen of well known families, and it was noticed that he 

 treated them with more reserve than others, never using offen- 

 sive language to them. His officers, however, overlooked his 

 unpleasant peculiarities for his sterling good qualities ; he was 

 very generous and liberal, and a reliable, self-sacrificmg, disin- 

 terested friend. 



His military experience was not great ; he knew very little, 

 if anything, of higher tactics or strategy ; but he was extremely 

 brave, and nobody understood better than he how to represent 

 a military chief — surrounding himself with all the military 

 pomp of a high commanding general as he had seen it in 

 Europe, and resembling half a Prussian commanding general, 

 half a Turkish pasha. 



In this he differed much from the American generals, whose 

 free and easy manner and indifference in regard to outward 

 dignity formed a striking contrast to Blenker, whose deport- 

 ment, however, pleased the Americans, as something new. 



It is astonishing how many Garman noblemen found it 

 necessary to go out of the way of European difficulties, and 

 seek a refuge in the United States. The Prussian and Austrian 

 army furnished a considerable conUngent of shipwrecked ofii- 

 cers, who mostly had to run away before their creditors, or 

 who escaped the consequences of some duel, breach of disci- 



