Union Troops at
the Willcoxen Tavern
Circa 1861
| These troops are probably the 8th New York Volunteer Infantry (1st German Rifles), the first German-American regiment in the Union army. They are under the command of Colonel Louis Blenker (in front of door, hand on belt), a German. His second-in-command, a Hungarian, is Lieutenant Colonel Julius Stahel (the short officer to the left of Blenker, touching elbows). In the First Battle of Manassas, the 8th New York was assigned to the First Brigade of the Fifth Division. Blenker commanded the brigade and Stahel commanded the regiment in that fight. |