Bohlen, Heinrich; b. 1810
in Bremen. He was a rich merchant in Philadelphia and had a curious liking
for the military. He participated in the siege of Antwerp in 1832, was
a spectator in the Crimean War and an officer in the Mexican War. In 1861
he organized the 75th Pennsylvania Regiment at his own expense, became
its colonel and leader of the brigade under Blenker in 1861, He fought
honorably at Cross Keys where he launched a second attack [after the brigade
of Stahel had been forced back as a result of von Wutschel's premature
attack] which failed because of the inactivity of the artillery. General
Bohlen was shot at Freeman's Ford on the Rappahannock on August 22, 1862.
As he was hit by the bullet, he was bravely leading his troops against
the numerically superior enemy, Since Bohlen was hit in the back, the myth
became popular that he was the victim of his own men, but this assumption
is probably false, and it is actively denied by General Stahel and especially
by the men of the 75th. Bohlen was one of the best-liked officers of the
entire corps. One of his grandchildren is Krupp von Bohlen, like current
chef of Friedrich Krupp in Essen.
Boat accident of the
75th Pennsylvania Regiment: Herm, Nachtigall of the 75th Pennsylvania Regiment
wrote the author about this accident. "On April 15 the 75th Regiment under
Colonel Bohlen was supposed to cross the Shenandoah, swollen with water,
at Castleman's Ferry near Paris, Va. Some of the men had already crossed
in rafts. A barge partly burned by the rebels was obtained and loaded with
58 men, including Captain Wyck and Lieutenant Winter. When the barge was
in the middle of the tearing stream, the men couldn't hold the rope suspended
across the river. The barge capsized, and with a terrible scream, all occupants
were thrown into the raging water. All drowned." Nachtigall doesn't mention
that Colonel Bohlen forced the men to occupy tire pitiful boat against
their protest. This assertion is made by Heusinger, who was another eyewitness
of the accident.
History of the 75th Regiment Pa. Vols. by Herrmann Nachtigall 7/1886 C. B. Kretschman (Translated by North Riverside, Ill. 1987)