Charles Saalmann
Charles Daniel Saalmann | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Breckerfeld, Westphalia, Prussia |
| Died | February 21, 1909 (aged 72) |
| Occupation(s) | Union infantry captain, vintner |
| Known for | Service in the American Civil War; founder of Black Rose Vineyard |
Charles Daniel Saalmann (April 25, 1836 – February 21, 1909) served as a Union infantry captain throughout the American Civil War. He sustained injuries at the Battle of Gettysburg and later fulfilled the role of Acting Commissary of Subsistence during General William T. Sherman's March to the Sea. Following the war, Saalmann established the Black Rose Vineyard near Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, where he produced claret wines that received international recognition through various medals.
Early life
Born on April 25, 1836, in Breckerfeld, Westphalia, Prussia, Saalmann was the youngest child among nine siblings. His father, Daniel (1788–1865), practiced as a local surgeon, and his mother was Charlotte Dorfmueller (1795–1878).
Marriage and family
Saalmann married Emilie Schulte on June 29, 1860, in Wiblingwerde near Breckerfeld. By the summer of 1861, he had emigrated to the United States and settled in Philadelphia. Emilie later joined him and resided in Elizabeth, New Jersey during his military service in the Civil War. After the conflict, the couple had three children: Charles Daniel (born 1866), William Gustavus (born 1867), and Emilie Charlotte Henrietta (born 1868).
Civil War service
On August 9, 1861, Saalmann enlisted as a private in the 75th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, a regiment mainly composed of German-speaking soldiers. At that time, he was described as being 5 feet 8 inches tall with grey eyes and light-colored hair. He advanced to second lieutenant by August 21.
The regiment was organized and funded by Henry Bohlen, a Philadelphia liquor merchant who also served as its colonel. Training took place at Camp Worth in West Philadelphia before deployment to Washington D.C., where the unit encamped for winter defense after crossing the Potomac River via Long Bridge.
Operations in Shenandoah Valley and vicinity
Beginning March 10, 1862, the 75th Pennsylvania moved toward Manassas, reaching Warrenton Junction by March 26 amid severe supply shortages. On April 15, a tragic ferry accident on the Shenandoah River resulted in the drowning of 53 men. The regiment then arrived at Winchester, Virginia on April 18.
Throughout May 1862, operations continued in West Virginia, where troops endured arduous marches and near-starvation conditions. Returning to the Shenandoah Valley on June 8, the regiment participated in the Battle of Cross Keys near Harrisonburg, suffering casualties and withdrawing before being fully engaged.
Saalmann earned promotion to First Lieutenant on August 11 and was reassigned to Company D. On August 22, during a skirmish at Freeman's Ford on the Rappahannock River, former commander Henry Bohlen—then serving as a Brigadier General—was killed.
Second Bull Run
The first day of the Second Battle of Bull Run, August 29, saw intense combat for the 75th Pennsylvania near an unfinished railroad embankment. Captains Roderick Theune and Schwartz sustained serious wounds during this engagement.
On day two, the regiment captured and held a hilltop position but was ultimately forced to retreat with heavy losses. Following this Union defeat, the regiment remained stationed near Centreville, Virginia to protect Washington D.C. On September 2, Saalmann was granted a 30-day leave due to typhoid fever and subsequently assigned to Camp Banks for several months.
Chancellorsville
By February 1863, Saalmann had rejoined his regiment at Stafford Court House, Virginia. The following month, he earned a promotion to captain and took command of Company C. During the Battle of Chancellorsville, the 75th Pennsylvania was positioned within the Eleventh Corps on the Army of the Potomac's western flank. On May 2, General Stonewall Jackson's unexpected flank assault overwhelmed the regiment, resulting in numerous casualties and captures within Saalmann’s company.
Gettysburg
Federal forces advanced north on June 12, 1863, to counter the Confederate incursion into Maryland and Pennsylvania. On July 1, Saalmann’s company moved forward from Emmitsburg toward Gettysburg via Taneytown Road, establishing a defensive line near Carlisle Road. A Confederate flanking attack combined with the collapse of adjacent units exposed them to intense enfilading fire, which caused considerable losses.
Saalmann sustained a gunshot wound through his upper left arm that partially fractured the bone. Despite his injury, he stayed on the field until Confederate forces withdrew on July 3. After receiving treatment from Surgeon Beeken of the 75th Pennsylvania, Saalmann was evacuated early and reached Philadelphia by July 7. He rejoined his regiment by September 16.
Transfer to the Western Theater
In late summer 1863, approximately 18,000 soldiers from the Army of the Potomac were transported by rail to reinforce the Union Army trapped in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Saalmann’s regiment passed through several states before arriving in Bridgeport, Alabama, on October 2.
On October 29, during an uncommon night engagement near Wauhatchie, Tennessee, Saalmann was wounded once more but remained with his unit. From November 23 to 26, the 75th Pennsylvania played a supporting role in operations during the Battle of Chattanooga.
On November 28, 1863, as part of the Eleventh Corps, the regiment marched out to relieve General Burnside at Knoxville, Tennessee. After enduring a challenging winter march through towns like Cleveland and Loudon, they reached Louisville by December 5 only to discover that the siege had been lifted; they then returned near Chattanooga.
Participation in the Atlanta Campaign
On January 1, 1864, Saalmann was detached from the 75th Pennsylvania and assigned as Acting Commissary of Subsistence for the brigade, thereby joining the Third Brigade of the First Division in the Twentieth Corps. On May 2, Colonel James S. Robinson, who had previously fought alongside Saalmann at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, took command of this brigade.
Beginning May 4, the brigade advanced southward through Chattanooga Valley into Georgia, initiating General Sherman's Atlanta Campaign. They engaged heavily in the Battle of Resaca (May 13–15), holding the Union line’s left flank. By May 20, they had reached Cassville, Georgia. Twenty-five miles farther south brought them into combat at Pumpkin Vine Creek and New Hope Church near Dallas, Georgia, followed by fierce fighting at Kolb's Farm on June 22 where they successfully repelled multiple assaults with few casualties. After crossing the Chattahoochee River at Pace's Ferry on July 17, intense fighting occurred at the Battle of Peach Tree Creek on July 20. This Union triumph led to a five-week Siege of Atlanta, culminating with federal forces entering Atlanta on September 2.
Involvement in Sherman's March to the Sea
On November 15, 1864, Sherman's forces set out from Atlanta heading eastward toward Savannah and the Atlantic coast. The Third Brigade was positioned on the right flank, moving through towns such as Decatur, Sheffield, Social Circle, Rutledge, Madison, Eatonton, Dennis Station, Westover, and ultimately reaching Milledgeville, Georgia, then serving as Georgia’s capital, on November 23.
Serving as Commissary of Subsistence, Saalmann oversaw the logistics and accounting for food and supplies procured by foraging groups—usually composed of about 50 soldiers—who scouted ahead and alongside the main troops to gather provisions and wagons for delivery back to the Commissary.
Leaving Milledgeville on November 24, the brigade proceeded through Hebron, Sandersville, Tennille Station, Davisboro, Spier's Turnout, and Birdsville. According to Saalmann’s roll call from November 1864, he was located near Little Ogeechee Creek south of Louisville, Georgia. East of Birdsville, they came upon Camp Lawton, a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp that had recently been abandoned. A confrontation occurred in Monteith Swamp near Savannah where elements of the Third Brigade maneuvered around Confederate forces, compelling their withdrawal. The Confederates evacuated Savannah on December 21, 1864.
The Carolinas Campaign and Conclusion of the Conflict
Following arrival in Savannah, Saalmann took leave to visit his wife in New Jersey. During his absence on January 17, 1865, Robinson's brigade advanced northward into South Carolina, initiating the Carolinas Campaign. Saalmann rejoined his unit in North Carolina, likely near Fayetteville.
On March 16, Sherman’s right wing engaged Confederate troops at Averasboro, followed by a significant battle at Bentonville three days later. Initially forced to retreat, Robinson's brigade regrouped and successfully repelled several Confederate assaults at the Morris farm. This Union triumph represented the final major engagement of the war.
By April 13, 1865, Saalmann’s brigade had reached Raleigh, North Carolina, where news arrived of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination and the war’s conclusion. On April 30, they commenced a march toward Washington, D.C., passing through Richmond, Virginia, the former Confederate capital. Saalmann resigned his commission on May 23 in Alexandria, Virginia and took part in the Grand Review the next day.
Career After the War
Postwar, Saalmann reunited with his spouse and established residence within the German community of Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, an area noted for its modest vineyards. On July 1, 1865, they acquired property on Darmstadt Avenue in nearby Mullica Township for $2,000. Saalmann cleared this land to cultivate grapes and founded Black Rose Vineyard.
Community Involvement and Political Engagement
While living in Mullica Township, Saalmann became a member of the General Stahel Post of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) located in Egg Harbor City and attended reunions at Gettysburg. He delivered the Memorial Day speech in 1895 and served as a federal rainfall observer, submitting yearly reports to the New Jersey Board of Agriculture. Additionally, he acted as a weather correspondent for the Bridgeton Evening News. A steadfast Republican, Saalmann held various local positions including Treasurer, Committeeman, Freeholder, and served on the Mullica Township Board of Health.
The Black Rose Vineyard
During the late 1860s and throughout the 1870s, Egg Harbor City became recognized as a prominent region for cultivating wine grapes, notable for producing unique red wines rather than the semi-sweet white varieties commonly found elsewhere on the East Coast. By 1872, nearly 700 acres were dedicated to grape growing. Wine purchasers from Philadelphia and New York often traveled by train to select wines directly from the producers.
In 1877, Thomas Taylor of the United States Department of Agriculture detailed Capt. Charles Saalmann's "Black Rose Vineyard," emphasizing his careful viticultural practices such as deep subsoiling and the strategic use of manure to encourage strong root development. The vines were supported on poles and received annual stable manure fertilization, alongside diligent weed management and soil cultivation to sustain vine vitality.
Saalmann crafted multiple wine varieties, with his top-tier product being a dry, full-bodied claret named Black Rose, primarily derived from native Norton grapes. The 1877 vintage had an alcohol content of 12.31% and was lauded as a well-crafted, pleasant claret suitable even for medicinal purposes. This blend likely consisted of approximately two-thirds Norton, with one-sixth each of Ives and Clevner grapes.
By the late 19th century, Norton-based wines from southern New Jersey gained international recognition, rivaling esteemed Bordeaux and Burgundy vintages and frequently earning top rankings. Saalmann's Black Rose secured awards at regional expos, the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, and the 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris.
To support his operations, Saalmann constructed two expansive brick and stone wine cellars designed to optimize ventilation and temperature regulation, measuring 30 by 72 feet. These cellars housed roughly 15,000 gallons valued at $25,000, with annual sales approximating $5,000 from vintages aged five years or longer.
Approaching the 20th century, Saalmann retired and passed ownership of the vineyard to his sons Charles and William. However, Charles' involvement in the temperance movement prompted the brothers to cease winemaking activities and transition the estate into a vegetable farm.
Death
Following a funeral speech for a friend, Charles Saalmann contracted pneumonia and passed away on February 22, 1909, at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife and three children. His widow Emilie applied for a pension on March 19, 1909, and later died on January 2, 1915. Charles Saalmann’s final resting place is in Egg Harbor City Cemetery located in Atlantic County, New Jersey.