Joseph Gerhardt (general)
| Joseph P. Gerhardt | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 25, 1817 Bonn, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Died | August 19, 1881 (aged 64) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Place of burial | Prospect Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1863 |
| Rank |
 Colonel Brevet Brigadier General
|
| Commands held | 46th New York Volunteer Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Other work | Restaurant owner, Public Servant |
Joseph P. Gerhardt (May 25, 1817 – August 19, 1881) was a German American restaurant and bar owner who became a Colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was breveted a Brigadier General in 1863 for gallantry in the field.
Gerhardt was born in Bonn, Kingdom of Prussia (now Germany) in 1817, and educated at the University of Bonn. A committed socialist, he took part in the Revolutions of 1848 in the city of Rastatt, where he led a battalion of revolutionaries. After the collapse of the revolution, he was forced to leave the country for his own safety and fled to the United States via Switzerland, arriving in America in 1850.
Gerhardt took up residence in Washington, D.C., which at the time had a large immigrant German population. A prominent Forty-Eighter, he established the Capitol Garden Restaurant, a beer garden, bar, and restaurant at 2nd Street and Maryland Avenue. He was frequently arrested for selling liquor on Sundays in violation of Sunday closing laws.
Gerhardt was politically active and favored the nascent Republican movement, although he largely hid these affinities due to their controversial nature. He later co-founded the German Republican Association in the city. In June 1857, a mob assaulted Gerhardt's business. Gerhardt shot one of the attackers, Henry Schoulte, and was himself shot and severely wounded. Gerhardt was tried for murder, although the prosecution ended in a hung jury. At a second trial, Gerhardt was found not guilty. In 1860, Gerhardt was elected a delegate to the Republican National Convention as a supporter of Abraham Lincoln.
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