Julius Raith

Julius Raith
Raith c. 1861
Born(1819-03-29)March 29, 1819
Göttingen, Kingdom of Hanover, German Confederation
DiedApril 11, 1862(1862-04-11) (aged 43)
Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, U.S.
Cause of death
Tetanus from minié ball wound
Burial place
Shiloh National Cemetery,
Shiloh, Tennessee, U.S.
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Branch
United States Volunteers (1846–1847)
Union Army (1861–1862)
Service years
  • 1846–1847
  • 1861–1862
Rank
Colonel
Unit2nd Illinois Volunteers
Commands43rd Illinois Infantry Regiment
Conflicts

Julius Raith (March 29, 1819 – April 11, 1862) was a German-American military officer who served in the American Civil War and the Mexican–American War. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of Shiloh.

Early life

Raith was born on March 29, 1819 in Göttingen, then part of the Kingdom of Hanover in the German Confederation. Raith came to the United States in 1836 with his family, ultimately settling in St. Clair County, Illinois.

While in St. Clair County, Raith worked as a wheelwright in Belleville, Illinois.

Military service

Mexican-American War

During the Mexican–American War, Raith served as the Captain of Company H of 2nd Illinois Volunteers. The 2nd Illinois Volunteers were organized in Belleville in May 1846 and mustered into service in Alton, Illinois on June 16, 1846 under the command of Colonel William Henry Bissell. During the war the 2nd Illinois Volunteers fought at the Battle of Buena Vista. Raith mustered out of service on June 16, 1847.

American Civil War

At the outbreak of the American Civil War Raith helped Gustave Koerner organize the 43rd Illinois Infantry Regiment, also known as the "Koerner Regiment", an ethnic German regiment. The 43rd Illinois was organized into service in September 1861 at Camp Butler before being sent to Benton Barracks.

During the Battle of Shiloh, Raith 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, who was absent, leaving Colonel James S. Reardon in charge; however, Reardon was ill. On April 6, 1861 Raith was wounded by a minie ball in the leg above the knee and laid on the battlefield for 24 hours. Raith died of tetanus from his injuries on April 11, 1862 aboard the steamship Hannibal. Raith is buried in Shiloh National Cemetery.

References

  1. ↑ History of St. Clair County, Illinois. With Illustrations Descriptive of its Scenery and Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia: Brink, McDonough & Co. p. 295.
  2. 1 2 Robarts, William Hugh (1887). Mexican War Veterans: A Complete Roster of the Regular and Volunteer Troops in the War Between the United States and Mexico, from 1846 to 1848, the Volunteers are Arranged by States, Alphabetically. Washington, D.C.: A.S. Witherbee & Co. p. 44.
  3. ↑ Elliott, Isaac H. (1882). Record of the services of Illinois soldiers in the Black Hawk war, 1831-32, and in the Mexican war, 1846-8, containing a complete roster of commissioned officers and enlisted men of both wars, taken from the official rolls on file in the War department, Washington, D. C. With an appendix, giving a record of the services of the Illinois militia, rangers and riflemen, in protecting the frontier from the ravages of the Indians from 1810 to 1813. Springfield, Illinois: H. W. Rokker. p. 239.
  4. 1 2 History of St, Clair County, Illinois, pp. 129.
  5. ↑ O. Edward Cunningham. Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862. New York: Savas Beatie, LLC.
  6. 1 2 History of St, Clair County, Illinois, pp. 139.
  7. 1 2 3 James Grant Wilson (1862). Biographical Sketches of Illinois Officers Engaged in the War Against the... Chicago.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ↑ "Shiloh National Military Park Raith Monument". Archived from the original on 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  9. ↑ Kurtz, Nick (October 22, 2008). "Colonel Julius Raith Historical Marker". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved August 6, 2026.

See also