Peter Osterhaus
| Peter Joseph Osterhaus | |
|---|---|
Peter J. Osterhaus
|
|
| Born | January 4, 1823 Koblenz, Rhenish Prussia |
| Died | January 2, 1917 (aged 93) Duisburg, Germany |
| Place of burial | Koblenz Jewish Cemetery, Koblenz, Germany |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1866 |
| Rank |
 Major General
|
| Commands held |
12th Missouri Volunteer Infantry XV Corps |
| Battles/wars | |
Peter Joseph Osterhaus (January 4, 1823 – January 2, 1917) was Union Army general in the American Civil War and later served as a diplomat.
Osterhaus was born in Koblenz, Rhenish Prussia. He attended the Berlin Military Academy and after serving for some time as a Prussian Army officer and finding himself on the losing side in the Revolutions of 1848, he immigrated to the United States in 1858 and settled in St. Louis, Missouri.
At the outbreak of the Civil War Osterhaus was appointed a major of the 2nd Missouri Volunteer Infantry and during the first year of the war was employed in Missouri and Arkansas, where he took a conspicuous part in the Battle of Wilson's Creek and Battle of Pea Ridge. At Pea Ridge he commanded the troops that first made contact with Confederate forces advancing on the Union left. He was promoted to brigadier general on June 9, 1862. In 1863 he commanded a division in the Battle of Port Gibson, where he displayed tactical ability in prying Confederate defenders out of a favorable position.
Osterhaus continued in division command during the Vicksburg Campaign, fighting in the Battle of Champion Hill and at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge, where he was slightly wounded. Osterhaus's division made an unsuccessful first attack on the defenses of Vicksburg, the first act of the Siege of Vicksburg. His division helped cover the siege against intervention by the Confederate forces of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, and he took part in Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's advance on Jackson, Mississippi, that was designed to protect the rear of the Army of the Tennessee in its siege operations.
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Wikipedia