Joseph Karge

Joseph Karge (born Poznan, Poland July 4, 1823 - December 27, 1892, New York City) was a military officer and educator. He was involved in the unsuccessful 1848 revolutions in Poland and was sentenced to death. He fled to France, then England, and arrived in New York City in 1851 as a political refugee. He taught classes in classical literature and foreign languages until the Civil War. He joined the military as lieutenant colonel of the 1st New Jersey Cavalry and rose to colonel. He was wounded at the Second Battle of Bull Run, which did not heal fully and rendered him inactive for most of the War. A later Congressional Record from 1894 noted he suffered a gunshot would that effectively ended his career in the military. He returned to lead the 2nd New Jersey Cavalry in November 1863 and took part in raids of Tennessee and Alabama. His victory over General Nathan Bedford Forrest at Bolivar, Tennessee is the only cavalry loss record for Forrest, who developed a reputation as a superb cavalry leader. Lincoln awarded Karge the title of brigadier general on March 13, 1865 "for gallant and meritorious services during the war" at the recommendation of Benjamin Grierson.

In the latter part of his life, he taught literature at Princeton University for the next twenty years of his life.