Henry Bohlen

Henry Bohlen
Brig. Gen. Henry Bohlen
Born	(1810-10-22)October 22, 1810 Bremen, Germany
Died	August 22, 1862(1862-08-22) (aged 51) Rappahannock River, Virginia, during the initial stages of the Northern Virginia Campaign
Place of burial	Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Allegiance	United States of America Second French Empire
Service/branch	United States Army French Army Union Army
Years of service	1846 - 1848; 1861 - 1862 (USA) 1853 - 1856 (France)
Rank	Brigadier General
Battles/wars	Mexican-American War Crimean War American Civil War

Henry Bohlen (October 22, 1810 – August 22, 1862) was a German-American Union Brigadier General of the American Civil War. Before becoming the first foreign-born Union general in the Civil War, he fought in the Mexican-American War (on the U.S. side), and in the Crimean War (on the French side).

Bohlen was born in Bremen, Germany on October 22, 1810, while his parents were traveling in Europe for pleasure. His father, Bohl Bohlen Luehrs, was a German-born (1754 in Schiffdorf, Lower Saxony, Germany) naturalized citizen of the United States and domiciled in Philadelphia. His mother was Johanna Magdalene Oswald Hahn, a German-American born 1770 in New York. When Bohlen was very young, his father placed him in one of the first military colleges in Germany. In 1832 however, he was called to the U.S. before he had completed his studies. He did not return to Germany to complete his studies. After immigrating to the United States, Bohlen became a rich dealer of foreign wines and liquor.

When war with Mexico broke out he accepted a position on the staff of his friend and companion, General Worth, as a volunteer Aide-de-camp. During the war he participated in all the battles under Major-General Winfield Scott. When the war ended he resigned his commission and returned to selling liquor in Philadelphia.

Due to the health of his son, he traveled to Europe. When the Crimean War broke out, he entered the service of the allies, on the French staff. During the war he took part in the siege, storming and the final surrender of Sevastopol. After the war ended, he lived in the Netherlands until he heard word of the firing on and surrender of Fort Sumter.