One of the most notable European mercenaries who came over from the Old World was Heros von Borcke, a Prussian nobleman. Von Borcke, a member of the heavy cavalry, was attracted to the spectacle of the American Civil War, and made his way over across the Atlantic to join the fighting on the side of the Confederacy. He spoke very, very limited English, but his enthusiasm spoke for itself, as he was soon assigned to the service of JEB Stuart. Stuart and Von Borcke hit it off immediately. Stuart appointed the Prussian to his staff and affectionately called him “Von”.
On the battlefield, Von Borcke was terrifying. At six-foot-four and almost 250 pounds, he certainly cut an intimidating figure, not helped by the blade he carried, which was a heavy Prussian cavalry broadsword that weighed four pounds. In his postwar memoirs, Von Borcke wrote: *The Yankees gave a most amusing description of me in their account of the fight. It was stated that the Rebels in their charge had been led on by a giant, mounted on a tremendous horse, and brandishing wildly over his head a sword as long as and as big as a fence rail.*” He was thenceforth known as “the giant in gray.”
Von Borcke would be put out of action by a gunshot wound through the throat at the battle of Middleburg. While recovering, he took a desk job in Richmond, but soon returned to Stuart’s staff. He was present during Stuart’s death at Yellow Tavern, where the general confided to him wishes that the Prussian would help to look after his family.
Von Borcke would eventually return to Prussia in the post-war period, rejoining his nation’s cavalry and participating in the Austro-Prussian War. He would die in 1897, finally succumbing to the complications of his Civil War wound. He had carried the bullet for his whole life.
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One of the most notable European mercenaries who came over from the Old World was Heros von Borcke, a Prussian nobleman. Von Borcke, a member of the heavy cavalry, was attracted to the spectacle of the American Civil War, and made his way over across the Atlantic to join the fighting on the side of the Confederacy. He spoke very, very limited English, but his enthusiasm spoke for itself, as he was soon assigned to the service of JEB Stuart. Stuart and Von Borcke hit it off immediately. Stuart appointed the Prussian to his staff and affectionately called him “Von”.
On the battlefield, Von Borcke was terrifying. At six-foot-four and almost 250 pounds, he certainly cut an intimidating figure, not helped by the blade he carried, which was a heavy Prussian cavalry broadsword that weighed four pounds. In his postwar memoirs, Von Borcke wrote: *The Yankees gave a most amusing description of me in their account of the fight. It was stated that the Rebels in their charge had been led on by a giant, mounted on a tremendous horse, and brandishing wildly over his head a sword as long as and as big as a fence rail.*” He was thenceforth known as “the giant in gray.”
Von Borcke would be put out of action by a gunshot wound through the throat at the battle of Middleburg. While recovering, he took a desk job in Richmond, but soon returned to Stuart’s staff. He was present during Stuart’s death at Yellow Tavern, where the general confided to him wishes that the Prussian would help to look after his family.
Von Borcke would eventually return to Prussia in the post-war period, rejoining his nation’s cavalry and participating in the Austro-Prussian War. He would die in 1897, finally succumbing to the complications of his Civil War wound. He had carried the bullet for his whole life.