What did the Dutch do in the American Civil War?

The American Civil War split the United States in two, heralding four years of vicious conflict between the Confederate and United States of America from 1861-65. This story has frequently been told in history books, in songs, and on the big screen, but an element of that story less-frequently acknowledged is the huge role played by non-Americans, immigrants and other groups that came and fought in the famous battles of Antietam, Shiloh, and Gettysburg, for both the North and the South. In this video I'll be looking at the story of Dutch soldiers in the American Civil War, particularly the Dutch communities from Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois who formed their own Dutch-speaking companies and frequently wrote home about what they were seeing on the frontline.
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[@thelovewizard8954]

My dutch ancestors came over in ~1860. They didn't fight, but a union officer acquired their horse, left for the war, somehow came back with the horse and returned it.

[@freppie_]

what a decent action of the mentioned human

[@tetaomichel]

@@freppie_ And a decent horse ;)

[@therealuncleowen2588]

No doubt, in any given battle, the Dutch fought with great technical ability, then lost on penalties.

[@TS-qg7bc]

Hahaha

[@liamonconlocha4898]

The Germans always win

[@tetaomichel]

Until the enemy had more than only two times more ships we could win and we did. But when England had ten times more warships we could not. But we took over GB in 1690 ;) Willem 3 (Dutch) ruled england, scotland and Ireland at that time after the glorious revolution.

[@JootjeJ]

Dankjewel! This is really interesting. I knew there were multiple calvinist and comparable Dutch communities in North America, but I didn't realise how many fought in the Civil War.

[@Artur_M.]

This is certainly a very interesting topic. If you want to include Polish people in this series, there's a book from 2016: _Sons of the White Eagle in the American Civil War: Divided Poles in a Divided Nation_ by Mark F. Bielski.

[@amanb8698]

The Majority of Poles served in the Union Army, many immigrating from either Prussia or the Habsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire coming over with the many German immigrants from Prussia, or Austrian, Bohemian, Hungarian immigrants from Austro-Hungary, and joining up in many of the same Union regiments out East (NYC), Philly, or in the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin).

[@theshenpartei]

Can we get a video on the European powers and their reaction to the civil war and what they do during it

[@galanopouloc]

I think that this was answered in a previous video of his. But to summarize: 1) UK: Neutral with a degree of sympathy for the Confederacy. The UK was weary of the rise of the US, even as a middle power especially since said US showed to not be welcoming to its colonies in the Americas. However, there was a disdain for the practice of slavery in a huge part of the UK government and society. 2) France: More apathetic than anything else. They were focused on using the vacuum to establish a puppet state in Mexico. While they may have had some sympathy for the south, it went only as far as it served their interests there. 3) Prussia and Austria: Their governments were neutral though a huge amount of their citizenry was sympathetic to the union. This tended to be the case with most of the small European kingdoms. 4) Ottoman Empire: Didn't really care much about the war itself because it had its own issues. However the vacuum in the cotton industry meant that a good chunk of the British demand went to them, making them money in return. 5) Russia: Fundamentally pro-Union. The Russian government saw the US as a balance against the British against whom they competed, hence why they sold Alaska to them and not the colonies that became Canada. The Russians also forbade the Confederate privateers to use their ports and even caught a few of them to hand to the union. And while the Tsar might have privately said that they would aid the North should anyone in Europe side with the Confederacy, it never became an official government policy.

[@jcksnghst]

No video for you!

[@lucasvandekerkhove3769]

Not from,this channel but History Matters did a short one on this : kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqrGgYh5Z8tprqM

[@bradley8575]

We should don one and his every European power reacted to the American Revolution excluding England and maybe France

[@arthurroberts9462]

@@galanopouloc the English donated several ironclads and ammunition as well as rifles to the confederacy. And up until the point that the topic of emancipation was brought up the Brits as well as the French were considering sending reenforcments to the South's aid

[@Qrani]

My family comes from the area in West Michigan around Holland. You would assume that after 150 years people would be mostly assimilated, but most people there still have many Dutch last names (including me). My great great grandfather moved there from Groningen in the early 20th century. There's a bunch of Dutch place names there like Holland, Zeeland, Noordeloos, Vriesland, and Overisel to name a few

[@JL-qo6lo]

I live in Groningen (City) :) what is your lastname?

[@ohhi5237]

do you even understand how last names work?????

[@roderickvannoorloos1967]

Noordeloos, really? Even today it's a rather unassuming village in the Netherlands, must have been some settlers from there as I can't think of any other reason to name a place in the US after it. And as you can gather from my last name, I can trace my ancestry to the same village. Though my variant 'noorloos' is apparently the 'less fancy' version and supposedly how local farmers still tend to pronounce Noordeloos ("Noor'loos").

[@JL-qo6lo]

@@ohhi5237 what do you mean?

[@r21167]

​​@@JL-qo6lo I'd say that last names have little to do with assimilation. I might be mistaken but like in both places it's usual for children born in marriages will get their father's last name. I don't see what that says about assimilation then. Maybe an immigrant could take on an American last name but I doubt having a last name of Dutch origin has much of any impact on a person's life.

[@rekadd]

always a rare treat to see my home area and half my lineage discussed at length

[@jeanpierreviergever1417]

In my home province of Zeeland, southwest Netherlands ‘stelletje afgescheidenen’ was used as a sort of ‘name calling’ which translates as ‘a bunch of weirdos’. My father (77) still uses it sometimes.

[@arno-luyendijk4798]

Wat dat betreft ben ik het helemaal eens met die interpretatie van die term 'stelletje afgescheidenen'. Ik heb me er altijd al over verbaasd waarom er in die kerkafscheidingen zo moeilijk kon worden gedaan over een regeltje of een andere interpretatie van een religieus detail.......alsof ze niks beters te doen hadden.

[@thijsv6770]

@@arno-luyendijk4798 Ik wil er nog een keer induiken, maar begrijp dat er groeiende onrust was over principes die overgewaaid waren uit de Franse revolutie. Ze zagen dat je daarmee op den duur de religieuze basis van gemeenschappen compleet ondermijnt, en dat is toch echt wat er in de 20e eeuw in Nederland uiteindelijk gebeurd is. De hele EU, VN etc...borduren allemaal voort op principes van die revolutie.

[@Usernumber777]

@@thijsv6770 brexit has joined the chat 💬

[@florianpollard3460]

Shouldn't that be translated as: separatist bunch?

[@thijsv6770]

I'm afraid it's too late for that. The foundation of many European countries has been taken out. It took 200 years, a slow and steady process, which was only accelerated last two decades.

[@justinlawson3493]

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series…thanks for doing this research, look forward to the highlighting of other nationalities

[@amanb8698]

I am an American of a mix of European ancestry. I had two Dutch relatives whom served in the Union (US Army) with the 15th Iowa Infantry as volunteers. They fought at the Siege of Vicksburg and both survived, but one received injuries. Father and son, they also signed up together. The father had previously served in the Dutch Army. They immigrated to the Northern USA and originated from the region of Holland, the Netherlands, and came via a ship from Hamburg, Germany, and first came to New York City, and then traveled onto Iowa to enlist with the Union Army, and go fight as mercenaries, and then settle the farmlands of Iowa. Considering how many other men did the same, the unit likely had many other Dutch, German, and Scandinavian immigrants in it. Perhaps some Dutch and Germans on the same ship they came on, that left the same port in Hamburg, Germany. Actually in addition to the Irish, another big group to fight for the Union was the Germans. The Germans in the American Civil War is also a must. German Americans played a big role in the US Civil War especially for the Union people like Carl Schulz, August Willich, Franz Sigel, Osterhaus, Custer (Küster), Max Weber, Louis Blenker, Alexander Schimmelfennig, etc. Other groups were the Scandinavians (Norwegians, Swedish, Danes), and Austrians, Poles, Bohemians (Czechs), Slovaks, Hungarians, Romanians, (Habsburg area), as well as Italians, Scottish, French, Swiss, Belgians, English, Canadians, Spanish, Portuguese etc. and many other ethnic groups. On the opposite side of the conflict the famous Confederate Longstreet (Langestraet) was himself of Dutch ancestry. Great video.

[@delanovanraalte3646]

Also without us America wouldn't win thier lil revolution

[@amanb8698]

@@delanovanraalte3646 True France, and the Netherlands, as well as help from Spain, Prussia, and Poland-Lithuania, and others, and NYC wouldn't exist (New Amsterdam).

[@janpiet4740]

Greetings. from a current Dutchman living in Rotterdam The Netherlands. The Netherlands are also called Holland but actually Holland ( both North and South ) are only 2 of the provinces of the entire Netherland.

[@amanb8698]

@@janpiet4740 Oh yeah I know, its a common mix up in English and many other languages Spanish, Japanese, etc. as people used Holland to refer to the whole country, when its just a province. But my relatives are from Holland the province. Surprising so many Americans don't know that, considering the irony that the slang Yankee or Yank originally referred to a stereotypical Dutchman in the Northern American colonies, Jan Kee. Later it applied to all Northerners and all Americans.

[@amanb8698]

@@janpiet4740 Also the nickname Dutch was often applied to German Americans, but ironically many of them came from Northern Germany where the language Low German is very similar to Dutch, and culture overlaps with the Netherlands in many aspects. So it may be a case of Anglo Americans and others mixing the two up, applying Dutch broadly, until it became only synonmous with people from the Netherlands, but survives in the nickname.

[@amanb8698]

As I've stated your video is so cool. I was marking the check boxes as you went along it applies to my relatives. My relatives spoke Dutch and Low German. They were also most likely Dutch Reformed religiously. And they fought in a Union Army Infantry Unit from Iowa.

[@ryanlynn146]

Thank you, Hilbert. I love your history discoveries.

[@david6054]

Can we just take a minute to apreciate his pronounciation of Dutch names. It's rare for a non Dutch person, or are you Dutch? Because in that case props to you for speaking English without our signature accent ;)

[@ShaneVesuvius]

I was thinking that myself. I can't tell by his accent...Ah, he is a decent from Frisians.

[@LarsoeBrasi]

I clearly hear the Dutch accent.

[@KnoopiE1988]

he is dutch :P

[@LarsoeBrasi]

@@KnoopiE1988 Dat verklaart een hoop🤣

[@SomewhatBaffled]

He's definitly dutch. He uses an english accent, and does it well, but his dutch does shimmer trough.

[@ceesvanderschoot9799]

Awesome how u spoke out the Dutch names 👍 Great job man , truely a great job

[@daanvanderrol5627]

Super interessant. Een stuk geschiedenis waar ik echt geen idee van had. Thanks!

[@WillmobilePlus]

This was a fascinating piece of local history for me living not too far from Holland, Michigan! Great video!

[@TheZestyCar]

Same here. ☺

[@rekadd]

woo more people from holland

[@GJPvanGriensven]

Very interesting. Thanks for putting this together and greetings from Noord Brabant.

[@marciadubbelaar717]

Interessant! At the start I was wondering how you could pronounce the Dutch names so well and then I got it. Very well made video with all that personal information like the letters. This Michael Douma, if he’s Dutch, will most likely say his name the English way, so does my brother 😄 and although I’m Dutch and live in NL, my first name isn’t very Dutch either 😅 keep up the good work and dankjewel.

[@derwinkuipers2005]

Finally some content about the dutch in the civil war I’ve always wanted to know about this since im dutch and a civil war fanatic

[@mjvdr]

Love hearing some good Dutch pronunciation in English videos! Great video!

[@maryrisseeuw8880]

Apparently I need to do a video about all the Dutch men from the Wisconsin Dutch communities who served in the Civil War! I've been researching them for some time.

[@salomonelvio9854]

Zeer interessant, Dankjewel. I only just discovered your videos and I'm really enjoying them. I was wondering, if you ever have time, it would be interesting to have a video on how the Dutch Antilles became dutch, in particular Sint Maarten. Thanks again for the hard work and interesting videos.

[@misterbacon4933]

Very interesting! Go on with this research!

[@teleroel]

At 3:41 Albertus van Raalte. I've lived in Raalte for 14 years. It's located in the Eastern part of the country and not to special. There's one interesting festival in August called Stöppelhane to celebrate the clearing of the fields of wheat and other agricultural produce. What's left on the fields is called 'stoppels' in Dutch.

[@one-sidedrationalization1091]

My last name is Dutch and my ancestors immigrated to Zeeland, MI from Gelderland, Holland, and Zeeland during the 19th Century. Most of that side of the family live in Kalamazoo, not too far from Holland, MI. My grandfather and his siblings were the first to marry outside of the Dutch Reformist community after WWII, but I was named after my great-great grandmother in recognition of my Dutch ancestry.

[@lily6246]

Greetings from Gelderland, maybe we have some family in common haha. We are all connected ♡

[@Coentjemons]

I have never seen or heard any of your videos. If you are not a Dutch National or have been raised by Dutch parents, I must congratulate you on your pronunciation. It is excellent!!! If you are, i must congratulate you on your English pronunciation. It is also excellent!

[@Prirrie]

Great video! The Dutch involvement in the American revolution might be a great topic too.

[@THINKincessantly]

Texas will take a good dutchman anyday, they can farm, engineer, manufacture, count, navigate, explore, imagine, create or war! Great European Stock!

[@LuvBorderCollies]

And make money.....buy low .... sell high.

[@RoadmanRob8]

Mercenaries

[@julianshepherd2038]

Top drug dealers in Europe and they own the police.

[@edwinbruckner4752]

As a Dutchman myself I can say we like Texas a lot ! Free, independent thinking people who love work, speak their mind, and don't complain, we have a lot in common. Im rather surprised why Texas is still part of the USA, you guys deserve better than the shackles of Washington. But I don't know the details about all that, im sure Texas must have it's reasons.

[@RoadmanRob8]

@@edwinbruckner4752 yeah a lot in common Whores and weed

[@somedude5951]

Just a theological note: The Dutch Bible does NOT contain the word "church"! Dutch gatherings of people for honoring the truth, found in the Bible, are named "gemeente", not "kerk". The word "kerk", "church" in English, is only used by Catholic Dutch. English language, and religion, is based on the King James translation of 1611, where the Catholic word "church" was used to translate the Greek "ecclesia", "εκκλησια", because the English king had to be head of the church. The Dutch Reformed religion is based on the State Translation of 1637, and there "εκκλησια" is translated as "gemeente". To translate "gemeente" into English, "Gathering" would be an option, because that is how the English Geneva translation translated "εκκλησια". Or "Congregation", that's how William Tyndale would translate "εκκλησια". The English Tyndale and Geneva translations, do NOT contain the word "church", neither does the Dutch Reformed religion. Not all preachers keep this kosher, but the difference between "church" and "congregation" or "gathering" is rather significant, so many Dutch Reformed preachers keep that in their preaching, even today. It is the truth anyways. The word "gemeente" of course also has another meaning, within the Dutch State construction under the Dutch Republic, which was based on the humanism of Desiderius Erasmus. The humanism of Erasmus from the 1500's was based on the teachings of the Bible, was not the atheist humanism from the 1800's. Gathering or congregation do not cover that meaning, but I wouldn't now a better translation of gemeente for now. For historians this may not be a big deal, but in theology it is very important. For example, all American Christianity actually regards the King, or Queen, of England as their spiritual leader, because they use the King James translation. Most first English immigrants to America would use the Geneva translation though, and sometimes where banned from England, because they didn't agree with state Anglicanism. Since the King James Bible is also the standard for the English language, this theological issue is very hard to solve. But if no one addresses it, it is even harder to solve. My apologies for my long comment, I hope it was of some interest to people here.

[@Markstests]

@historywithhilbert that was an interesting video. Thanks a lot for making it. There is another story to tell regarding the Dutch in the civil war. As the war was of great interest to the Dutch on our (that is the European) side of the pond as well. To name just two examples: the USS Kearsarge entered the port of Amsterdam to resuply before fighting the CSS Alabama off the coast of France. Then there where quite some prosperous Dutch farmers who invested their money in the Confederacy through a loan. Recently I found one of those bonds for a thousand dollars which was traded on the Amsterdam stock exchange during the war.

[@CrusterfunkShenanigans]

I am Dutch and I approve this message! Very nice Documentation, here have my sub!

[@alansmithee8831]

Hello Hilbert. Interesting video again. The letters home were reminiscent of how the TV series Civil War was done. I was struck with how these chaps were Americanised in the northern States, but with your "effing and jeffing" you had obviously been Geordied in a northern estate. The video that KZbin recommended after was one you did on Boers and Zulus. This was more in keeping with the attitude of the chap who went to New Orleans, it seemed, yet they were also religious like the northern soldiers.

[@player1ready664]

I’ve never thought of this but it’s very interesting

[@aliceverheij]

Have you ever heard of Mr. Henry van der Weyde, who was migrated from Zeeland to New York at the age of 12 and years later fought in the Civil War as an officer. His father was a well known inventor (invented the compressor for refrigeration). In later life, after the war Heny migrated from the US to London and became a very famous society photographer making portraits of British royals, actors and actresses and the famous Hansen who travelled to the poles. Henry died, after being ruined by A.G. Bell who stole his patented inventions of fixed studio lightning (van der Weyde lighting), as an old pensioner making blocks of ice with his fathers invention for butchers to keep meat fresh. I am in the process of writing a novel about his life and have a number of letters written by him an his family members, some letters written while being a POW of the confederates. Some of those letters are very emotional.

[@cherryfressh6188]

Ik vond het erg interessant en leuk om te zien. dus ja, abonnee erbij.

[@toprope_]

Grew up close to Holland, they say almost. nothing about their Civil War company outside of the local history museum. By and large their ancestors have invested heavily in the local tulip festival, which is all sorts of ironic.

[@PakBallandSami]

personally is my favourite topic to learn i know it is very cliche for a history nerd to say that but like i don't live in the US so iam i don't some thing which the regular american know is tough in school and aging i don't think most american just don't know the nuance of the war and this is why i thing this is just so interesting to learn about

[@yrnehbocaj2584]

As someone who lives just south-east of the dutch colony of Holland, this is really interesting!

[@ronaldmondriaan897]

Hallo Hilbert Bedankt ik had hier nog nooit van gehoord en vond het erg interessant wat je allemaal verteld hebt. Heb begrepen dat religie bij deze Amerikanen van Nederlandse afkomst een grote rol speelt. De series die je maakt zijn geweldig en kan er nog wat van leren ook. Met de vriendelijke groeten van uit Zeeland.😃 👋

[@RedcoatsReturn]

Louis Dobbelman was a Dutch soldier for the Union, there’s a book about his history written by his great, great granddaughter. After the war, he returned to The Netherlands to start a pipe and tobacco factory in Rotterdam. My channel has a video about that story in case of interest.

[@janvandenberg4286]

Dobbelman was later one of the biggest soap factory in The Netherlands

[@Markstests]

Not a very good book. But it is interesting. There's also another, more recent,Dutch book with a lot of information: "Vechten voor het beloofde land." But keep in mind most Dutch historians are quite boring.

[@debtobin9937]

I had never been taught in school that other countries' citizens fought with our armies in the civil war. We were just taught that we tried to keep other countries out of it. Thanks for this....I always find you videos enlightening.

[@michaelfritts6249]

Everyone who lived in the colonies before The Declaration of Independence in 1776 was a citizen of another nation. In the Civil War many immigrants fought.. Yes, other countries did their best to not be obvious in favorites for the most part, but that aside.. many immigrants have found that fighting for the nation they wished to be accepted as a citizen is worth it.

[@KnoopiE1988]

Well tbh i think the civil war was he first world war hahah its basicly entire europe fighting on american soil haha

[@jdkayak7868]

The Dutch Reformed community mentioned still very well exists in those states mentioned and central California. It's mostly tight knit amongst those who are theologically conservative in some parts of the CRC and all of the URC churches.

[@ericspoor8175]

Appreciation for your pronounciation of the dutch names👍

[@johnd2058]

24:00 This is a truly fascinating point, as an American "Von". Thank you so much!

[@Benzelf]

Een interessant onderwerp waar ik niets van wist. 👍

[@alexandercampbell8380]

I do know there was a pretty large German population that fought for the federal army as well! Would love to see that covered, as well as some of the more unique ethnicities that helped preserve the union

[@Dutch_Uncle]

German speaking Confederates from Texas fought German speaking Union gold miners from Colorado at Glorietta, New Mexico. The Confederates invaded from Texas and got past Santa Fe, N.M. Their goals were to grab the goldfields of Colorado, split California off from the Union and perhaps pick up a couple of Mexican provinces for the Confederacy. Major John Milton Chivington, who later went on to notoriety in connection with the Sand Creek Massacre, led a successful and decisive raid on the Confederate supply train, to include the largest killing of mules and horses in western USA history. This left the Confederates stranded in a dry land that they had pretty much striped on their way north, and now they were obliged to retreat through the same area, now full of resentful inhabitants. This victory at "the Gettysburg of the West" absolutely ended the threat to Colorado and California and allowed redeployment of troops mustered to deal with the Confederates in New Mexico. A monument put up by the grateful citizens of New Mexico in appreciation for the services of the Colorado Volunteers was left unprotected and recently pulled down on the basis that the same US Army that defeated the Confederates also defeated Indians. Not all of the soldiers were Germans, but both sides had German-speaking units. The Confederate Germans were mostly Lutheran and Catholic, and regarded with distrust by the mostly Baptist and Methodist Confederate officers. So, in a war about slavery, and hundreds of miles from the nearest slave, in territory that was not part of a US state, German Rebels and German Yankees fought each other in a desert.

[@skymagruder5270]

@@Dutch_Uncle Remember Nueces!

[@andrewclayton4181]

The Germans were often referred to as Dutch, the Americans weren't to particular about the ethnic diversity, and they called themselves Deutch. They were lumped together.

[@marcvanheugten9472]

Amongst Germans, do not mention the war (Monty P.)

[@wolteraartsma1290]

@@andrewclayton4181 That goes back to colonial Pennsylvania where the English called Netherlanders "Low Dutch" and Germans "High Dutch." Germans continued to refer to themselves as that as they moved west in the state and became the "Pennsylvania Dutch."

[@gonzalogil5604]

just clicked on your channel, and theres a vid uploaded 40 seconds ago lol

[@SIG442]

15:14 That is not just a Frisian surname, that is a Frisian first name as well. Douma is another Frisian surname btw.

[@Codmonster999]

If you aren't already planning on covering them, I'd love to see a video about the French in the American Civil War. One of my ancestors was a French immigrant who fought at the battle of Gettysburg.

[@abdoulageil3683]

Lol

[@wolteraartsma1290]

Part of Louisiana was exempted from the Emancipation Proclamation, i would guess those areas under Union control.

[@zachrose359]

My grandmother when she was alive would still refer to the area around Zeeland county as Van Raalte's land lol

[@sidneyadnopoz3427]

I'm not sure if you knew this, but the mother tongue of the first natural born president of the U.S. Martin Van Buren was dutch.

[@pietervanderzwaan4295]

what i was told and learned was that the Roosevelts were also of dutch descent.

[@hb-kw4mr]

@@pietervanderzwaan4295 makes sense, cause Roosevelt translated to dutch means a field of roses.

[@mbd501]

Both Van Buren and the Roosevelts were from upstate New York, in a region settled by many Dutch during colonial times.

[@wolteraartsma1290]

@@pietervanderzwaan4295 true

[@CaptainKiwwi]

This is a really awesome video for me to have seen, personally a portion of my family is from that sect of immigrants that settled down in northwestern Iowa. And although both my Frisian and Dutch relatives had moved there in the 1880s some time after the closure of the Civil war, this was regardless a really neat way of learning more about those communities which they were a part of. Being so far removed from where my ancestors came from, and instead being fully American in identity (thoroughly blended up into the beautiful melting pot that is my country), makes it really easy to lose touch with the family history that is often so interesting and important to learn and preserve. For instance, I had absolutely no idea that the spelling of dutch last names which start with "van" being spelled with a capital "V" was a uniquely Dutch-American (Also: South African) thing, and yet I've been doing it all my life thinking it was normal everywhere. It's the neat little things like that which make me smile. Always enjoy what you put out there, keep it up! and I hope to see more Dutch American stuff from you in the future!

[@harborseal1286]

I would love to know more about the hundreds of thousands of German immigrants in the civil war. One particularly fascinating thing are the german revolutionaries of 1848 many of whom served in the war, and many served as officers.

[@hia5235]

They were recruited straight off the boats, killed and destroyed the South: then saturated and ruined the US culture of the North. There were 200,000+ Germans fighting for the Union.

[@rvanderjagt5944]

Yes, same here, I have ancestors who were very likely "forty eighters" and fought for the Union after emigrating. One was too old to fight and so joined what was called a "greybeard" regiment for old men (by 1860s standards.)

[@rvanhees89]

0:29 plays the Wilhelmus, shows the 'Prinsenvlag'...😅😅😅😅

[@britishmexico2372]

I looked up the 9th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry and what I found pretty wild. Not only were they arguably one of, if not the most engaged Michigan regiments, but one specific sergeant (Sergeant James W. Tobin,) lived like 5 minutes from where I live now. Which is crazy to think about imo

[@peterklomp5304]

What a fascinating piece of history for me living in Tilburg (Noord-Brabant) in The Netherlands (Holland)

[@thejustifier5566]

General Sherman is one of the most interesting generals during the war. His victories in Georgia helped Lincoln win re-election.

[@burebor9940]

Would you be interested in telling us about the Norwegian Regiment or the 15th Wisconsin volunteer infantry regiment?

[@DeltaJ26]

Hey Hilbert. As a Dutchman with a particular interest in the US Civil War, I'd love to know what all of your sources were for this video. Were there any books or articles that specifically talk about this, besides the article by Michael J. Douma you discussed?

[@foodforfree7963]

I like the stories of different ethnic groups during the US Civil War. I think it’s really interesting to see other peoples views

[@WillmobilePlus]

For the curious, the channel History Matters did a video on various nations reactions to the Civil War in the video: "How did the World React to the American Civil War?".

[@gertjanbus]

Nice that Haarlem church on 2:03

[@spazzyshortgirl23]

Hello from West Michigan (abt 25 km from Holland)! Great video on the topic! I'm 100% ethnically Dutch as both my parents grew up in separate but close-knit and closely-connected Dutch communities across the US, though sadly my earliest US immigration was a Wassink in 1878. I also am descended from a Frisian Kooistra and I checked my tree for a Sake Kooistra...I haven't found him in any genealogical records though, so I'll be waiting excitedly for the video! I found the notes about the Van Raalte brother's "Americanization" particularly interesting in relation to the later divisions within the United States' Reformed Church in America (RCA/ it's the Netherlands Reformed...but *American*) and the smaller splinter group the Christian Reformed Church (Christilijke Geereformde) Protestant denomination. Though it partly grew out of the second Afscheiding in the Netherlands, the rift grew bigger as the RCA became seen as too American: holding services in English (CRC only changed to English services in the 1920s) and later sending their children to the US public school systems (to this day CRC folks typically support private religious schools). Interestingly, the Dutch Reformed reputation as Bible nerds has continued on as producers of theology and religious media! Two of the West Michigan Dutch started THREE major Christian publishers that survive to this day: Baker Books, Zondervan (one of the top religious publishers PERIOD), and Eerdmans. The archives of Hope College & Seminary (RCA) in Holland, Michigan, and Calvin University (CRC) in Grand Rapids,Michigan, are fantastic with regards to researching the Dutch immigrants.

[@bodoor8172]

Do you speak Dutch and do you have knowledge about Dutch culture? because these are the only things that are relevant here if you claim Dutch ancestry, if the answer is no you are just another American to us, kind regards from a Dutch person.

[@bararobberbaron859]

@@bodoor8172 As another Dutch person, please don't presume to speak for me about what I would or wouldn't consider Spazzy to be. You consider them an American, that's all you can realistically claim here.

[@heerkojohanneskooistra6708]

Maybe we are family ? greetings from Damwoude

[@woltervandenberg]

There is no such thing as etnically Dutch. Maybe some of your ancestors were Dutch but that doesn't make you "ethnically Dutch". Unless you have a Dutch passport you're not Dutch you're just an ordinary American.

[@cambs0181]

Your 100% Dutch. I love the way Americans believe that before anyone came to the US they had been in the nation since the beginning of time. I doubt anyone in the Netherlands is 100% ethnic Dutch.

[@necroox7479]

Never knew these videos were PowerPoint presentation all along

[@benjaminphelps561]

Is this the start (or really the vast middle) of finding dutch accounts of narrower and narrower contexts you wouldnt expect? Like The Dutch in the first opium war or the dutch during the conquests of Justianian? (if so id love to see it)

[@powerist209]

I feel that RDR 1 and 2 explored this with Dutch, whose Dutch father--hence his name--was killed in Civil War, and said war did impact his philosphy.

[@pashaofutrecht7744]

My great great great grandfather Jan Roelof Arends immigrated to the USA during the 1860s he was later drafted to the Union army after the war he returned to the Netherlands and started a family

[@cornelkittell9926]

Really very thought provoking. I have not really looked into my Dutch grandmother's family, but they may have been here (southwest Michigan) at that time. My Frisian grandfather didn't arrive until around 1900. It was interesting that a William Lewis was collecting his pension in the Netherlands. I don't think he was Dutch. What would his story be? We'll never know.

[@somedude5951]

Lewis is an English name, but sailors sometimes moved from Britain to Holland, and the other way around. If he had a Dutch pension, he most likely would have worked for a Dutch company.

[@cornelkittell9926]

@@somedude5951 Actually Lewis is usually Welsh, but that is a minor point. It caught my attention, because William Lewis was my maternal grandfather's name. Thanks for you info.

[@FilKlo]

Would be awesome to have a video about the Poles in the American Civil war. The northern 58th New York Infantry Regiment lead by Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski was almost exclusively polish. There were also some Poles from Silesia living in Texas (Panna Maria and Czestochowa) that got conscripted into the confederate army but didn't form any ethnically homogenous fighting units, although there existed a separate confederate infantry company called the Panna Maria Greys but they weren't ethnically polish. There is an interesting book in English about the Poles from Silesia in Texas called "The first polish americans - Silesian settlements in Texas" by T. Lindsay Baker

[@jasonsantos3037]

I'm really fascinated about different groups of people from Europe fighting in the American Civil War Feel like the Dutch learn new experience.

[@perrypeeters5785]

Liernur designed a few very interesting sewer systems in the Netherlands, using vacuüm.

[@joostprins3381]

Dutch people fleeing the liberal environment in the Netherlands is an example why we are liberal in the Netherlands, we don’t accept the hammer of religious zealots. It’s also the reason the Pilgrim Fathers left the Netherlands long before that.

[@joshg4770]

can we get a video on Turkey’s operation Sword Claw and the ramifications for the various groups within Syria

[@christoguichard4311]

What the British did during the American Civil War is VERY interesting. Particularly the blockade runners operating from Bermuda to the south, Liverpool's building of war ships for the south, and the "Trent Affair", where we nearly went to war with the U.S.

[@hvermout4248]

Oh! So many thing that the Brits did in history are "interesting" ... 🤔

[@DenUitvreter]

No flooding or mudding of battlefields, rerouting of rivers, windmills built to pump siege grounds dry, no skating regiments, kind of a disappointing contribution to this war.

[@WillmobilePlus]

I was kinda wishing that the Dutch in New Orleans would have put their sea-taming skills to work!

[@DenUitvreter]

@@WillmobilePlus Yeah, just evacuate an area, flood it and sail a gunship in.

[@johnkilmartin5101]

I have heard estimates as high as 60 000 Canadians fighting in the Civil War which seems kind of high to me. However, that is on both sides. The individual that comes to mind first would be Ephraim Brisebois who among other accomplishments established the NWMP fort in what is now Calgary.

[@kriss3492]

I read a book about Belgians who also fought in the Civil War... They were already in America before the started 🇧🇪

[@Sweettweety666]

We have actually quite a history together, I knew that but actually never educate myself further in it. And now this video pops up and I am triggered. Thanx for sharing!

[@berniegrysen5897]

My great, great grandfather was in the 1st Michigan Mechanics and Engineers. I have his discharge papers. West Michigan is still very much influenced by Dutch culture and Reformed theology. Interesting video. Thanks.

[@theo4281]

As a Dutch guy i must compliment you how you said #afscheiding. The church you see at 2 minutes is called, de grote kerk or in English the big church. I live about 200 meter (about 219 yards) from it. It stands in Haarlem the capital city of the North. It's not a coincidence there is a Harlem in New York but i'll take it you allready knew that.

[@wolteraartsma1290]

Harlem was one of the 4 collegiates the Reformed Church had in metro NYC. It only had 2 congregations, 1 of which moved to Manhattan but did not join the Manhattan collegiate. Harlem went from being Dutch to being German, then something else. BTW Missouri HAD a Harlem on the Missouri River, some locals think it was a Dutch settlement but I can't find any proof of that, it was a French Catholic area originally. The history department of the U. of Missouri told me they think the name was carried west from N.Y. A bad flood in the 1950s destroyed the community, the federal government refused to rebuild it, so Harlem disappeared into Kansas City and North K.C.

[@lucyfrye6723]

Dutch enclaves around the world are / were surprisingly inward looking. At least when you compare it to the general tolerant nature of the home country. Their own newspapers, architecture, food and so on. And almost without exception very religious. For centuries.

[@sentinelcolin4994]

Sorry first time i watch this channel but are you dutch cause you say those dutch words so good

[@pigeonpigeon3249]

Sorry if this is a bit late, but I’d reckon you ought to have one of these videos be about Hungarians. I believe they were used by the Union as code-talkers during the war, kind of like the Navajo during WW2.

[@rvanderjagt5944]

Re: Dutch from New Amsterdam. A lot of those names got anglicized soon after the colony changed hands in 1665. For example, Hendrick Van Doesburg became Henry Dusenberry or Dosenboro. He also married an Englishwoman named Mary Thorn which probably expedited the Anglicization process. So there's likely a lot of Dutch Americans who don't know it due to those name changes and the passage of time.

[@hvermout4248]

Many Dutch Americans are not even capable of pronouncing their own name ...

[@rvanderjagt5944]

Lol, yes I've heard my name pronounced some...interesting ways. I feel solidarity with my Polish-American friends in that regard.

[@janpiet4740]

I remember a scene from a movie where an immigrant came to Ellis Island. When asked for his name he answered I h vergessen which means I forgot . The clerk then dubbed him Ike Ferguson!

[@hvermout4248]

@@janpiet4740 That German forgot his own name??

[@janpiet4740]

@@hvermout4248 the German didn't understand the question asked by the immigration officer and said: I h vergessen:I forgot. And then the immigration officer thought that was his name and turned it into Ike Ferguson.

[@pontusrosholm]

Could you do a video about Scandinavians or more specifically Swedes in the war?

[@joostadorf9037]

I appreciate it very much that you use the correct flag of the Confederate States. So many people assume it's the 'Dukes of Hazard'-flag, when it is not! Anyway, nice educational video!

[@wolteraartsma1290]

According to historian Adrian Leiby (German ancestry but adopted into the North Jersey Dutch community of Schraalenburgh) the Civil War split the American Dutch community. Those recently arrived from Europe were anti-slavery, but the Americanized North Jersey Dutch were anti-war. Leiby wrote that many North Jerseyans thought they were in a "border South" state, slavery had become a Middle Class institution and there were slaves (1860 census) functioning as household servants.

[@HRM.H]

I'm dutch but never realized our people would've participated in these battles

[@michielderuyter6011]

1:59 Grote Markt Haarlem 😀

[@RZ350NC]

How about how different Indian tribes sided with either the Union or the Confederacy. "Between Two Fires: American Indians in the Civil War" by Laurence M. Hauptman is a good starting point. Take care.

[@arthurroberts9462]

The last confederate general to surrender was Sadie Hiatt the Cherokee principal war chief and general of the Cherokee battalion of the 76 Thompson brigade.

[@nicholasphelps3872]

Most of the Characters in Sleepy Hollow I think from the 1820s were New York Dutch

[@robertprice5039]

So it looks like the changes in spelling of surnames was very common in the 1800s. My Price surname was spelled Preis, Preiss, Prejs, and Preuss. They were ethnic East Prussians from near the current Polish/Lithuanian Border.

[@aceofheartsch7887]

Wait a goddamn second that music at the start was the Ditty of Carmeana theme

[@jarnomiedema]

Once upon a time I wrote an essay about Dutch-American relations during the American Civil War. Aparently there was some friction between the two countries because certain Confederate ships that were raiding the Caribbean were being received with military honours, salutes, etc. in Dutch colonies and were allowed to restock and refuel there as well. Interestingly, a similar occurence also sparked outrage between Britain and the Netherlands when American ships were received in a similar fashion during the American Revolution. Furthermore, there was some friction over the fact that a safe in the Dutch consulate in New Orleans was raided by Union soldiers. Other than that, not much more can be said. What I do distinctly remember is that if you look at the volume of traffic coming from the American embassy in The Hague, it is fourth or fifth, right after the major powers of Britain, France and Spain. Aparently the American ambassador in The Netherlands was rather bored at his posting, didn't really like the country he was stationed in and actually tried to push to have the embassy moved to Berlin, with The Netherlands lumped in with Prussia as far as U.S. diplomatic relations were concerned. He was very keen on being noticed in Washington.

[@gerbentvandeveen]

5 of the Presidents. Up to now! come from the Netherlands! Great, you've done some research! Greetings from Spakenburg, the Netherlands.

[@ThatSingleGame]

21:55 I bet that you stumbled on the surname Appeldoorn because you thought of the city Apeldoorn

[@qrit91]

The first American Hagelslag sandwich. Hoping for more American pioneering background stories !

[@El_Street_Gato]

Could you do one of these on scandinavian people?

[@russbear31]

You mention Iowa, but give very little info. The Dutch side of my family settled in Pella, Iowa, which full of Dutch Americans today. Yes, many from Pella Dutch fought in the Civil War for the Union. What's interesting about the Iowa Dutch is that when they first came to the US they settled in Texas (Confederate). They hated Texas and moved north into what is today Marion County, Iowa. The Pella Dutch are also still religious zealots today. In fact, the editor and creator of one of the most popular Bible translations used today (NIV, or the New International Version Bible) was from one of the Pella Dutch families. I'm related to him. About 60 years ago he was commissioned by the Zondervan Brothers (more Dutch) to make a new translation of the Bible. (He was a theology professor at Calvin Theological Seminary.)

[@filthygreasepipe]

Yoo Hilbert, nadat je afscheiding zei wist ik zeker dat je Nederlands bent lol. Je accent is super goed tho