In the early months of 1862, Carl Schurz took leave of his post as ambassador to Spain to make a daring step he had been contemplating for months: he wanted a commission in the Army. In a face-to-face meeting with Abraham Lincoln in March, the 33-year-old German immigrant explained that he found the luxurious life of a diplomat “intolerable” while his adopted nation “was fighting for its life.” Lincoln acquiesced, though not without pointing out that Schurz was giving up prestige, comfort, and a “large salary” for a position that paid “little” and would bring “plenty of work,” “discomfort,” and “danger.”
Schurz’s decision may have appeared impetuous to many, but to him it represented the culmination of a lifelong struggle for justice on two continents.
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The Wars of Carl Schurz
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