Schubert, George
Rank:	Corporal; Acting Orderly Sergeant
Regiment:	25th Connecticut Infantry Regiment. Co I (1862-1863)
Service:	1862 November 11-1863 August

Background note:

As young men, George Schubert and his brother emigrated from their native Germany to America, leaving most of their relatives behind. Making lives for themselves, George married a resident of Connecticut, Sophia (Funck?), where he had settled, but before they had begun a family, war intervened.

In September, 1862, George Sophia at their home in Bristol, to enlist in Co. I of the 25th Connecticut Infantry, a nine months' regiment. Mustering in on November 11th, the regiment left the state in December, bound for duty in Louisiana. Stationed initially in Baton Rouge, military service was highly agreeable to Schubert, who enjoyed the climate, the easy service, and the camaraderie, even while sincerely missing his wife and home. But the comparative ease ended early in March, 1863, and from that time through the end of his service, Schubert saw some hard service in operations in and around Port Hudson, including skirmishes at Irish Bend and Bayou La Fourche, and the siege and capture of the Confederate stronghold itself. He mustered out with his regiment in August.

Scope and contents:

George Schubert's letters to his beloved wife, "Sophie'chen," cover the soldier's entire service in a nine month Civil War regiment. From his enlistment in Co. I of the 25th Connecticut Infantry to his return home in the summer of 1863, Schubert wrote faithfully, sending affectionate letters filled with news of his doings and his longing for home and wife.

The definite moments of Schubert's tour of duty was surely his protracted participation in the siege and capture of Port Hudson and some minor skirmishes in the near vicinity. Several long, well-written letters provide useful information on the siege and on the skirmishes at Irish Bend and Bayou La Fourche, and while they are written from the perspective of a lowly non-commissioned officer in a nine months' regiment, the reflect Schubert's intelligence and far-sightedness, as well as his somewhat lax ambition to rise in the ranks.

All of Schubert's letters are all in English, and while not his native language, his syntax and grammar are better than that of many of native-born soldiers, and his handwriting is thoroughly "American." However, Schubert's spelling is essentially phonetic, resulting in a frozen picture of a mid-Victorian German accent. In writing, as he must have in speech, he freely substituted "t" for "d", "j" for "y", and "b" for "p." His German background may also explain his habitual salutation of "Dear Wife!" or "Dear Sophie!" One pictures Sophie standing at attention while reading her mail.

Reference:

A memorial of Lt. Daniel Perkins Dewey... (Hartford, 1864).

M-1262
Recat. 10.97 rsc

Link to subject index to the George Schubert Papers

Alphabetic index to the Schoff Civil War Collections

Return to:

Homepage	Manuscripts	Collections	Staff	Hours and policies