Przyczynek do dziejów 58. Pułku Ochotników Nowojorskich – Legionu Polskiego
Contribution to the history of the 58th New York Volunteers Regiment – Polish Legion

Summary/Abstract: Recently we may witness, both in Poland and in other countries of Central Europe, a growing interest in the American military history, especially in the American Civil War. A lot of people start asking questions about Polish participation in this bloody confl ict that torn the American nation apart. Nations such as the Poles or the Irish, who in the 19th century were deprived of their own countries, were also a reservoir of conscripts for nearly every army of that period. Although the fates of the Irish Civil War veterans have extensive literature, the stories of the Polish veterans are still waiting to betold. This article focuses on three letters written by general Wladimir Krzyzanowski, c.o. of the 58th New York Volunteers Regiment (a.k.a. Polish Legion) found in the archives of the Polish Mission at the Orchard Lake Schools, Michigan. The letters (previously not recognized by Polish historians) are valuable documents showing the mechanism of promotions in the Union Army during the Civil War. They are also a primary source for the prosopography of the Polish ACW veterans. Thanks to the New York State Regiments rosters for the period of the Civil War as well as other sources we may trace the course of duty of these soldiers, try to determine their predecessors and successors. These letters are a glimpse into the ordinary life of the soldiers of that period.

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