Joseph George Rosengarten (July 14, 1835 – January 14, 1921) was a Philadelphia lawyer, historian, and Civil War veteran. He served on the staff of General John F. Reynolds.
Early life and education
Joseph George Rosengarten was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the child of German immigrants George D. and Elizabeth (Bennett) Rosengarten. His father, one of Philadelphia's wealthiest men by the 1890s, was a chemist and manufacturer, who created a large chemical establishment and had an interest in numerous other profitable business ventures, including the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Rosengarten received his early education in private schools in Philadelphia, and for a time came under the influence of a scholarly man in York, Pennsylvania, the Rev. Charles West Thomson, who aroused in him a liking for literature that became "an abiding habit." He completed his secondary education at an academy then affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, studying under Dr. Samuel Crawford.
In 1849, at just fourteen years of age, Rosengarten was admitted to the University of Pennsylvania, graduating three years later with the degree of A.B. in the Class of 1852. In 1855, Rosengarten received the degree of M.A. from the same university. After graduation he studied law in the offices of Henry M. Phillips, a prominent member of the Philadelphia Bar, and in 1856, Rosengarten was admitted to practice.
Rosengarten's father then arranged for him to travel abroad to further his studies:
The elder Rosengarten, realizing the extraordinary value of foreign study and travel, sent four of his sons abroad to prepare themselves for their future careers. In pursuance of this plan Joseph Rosengarten went...to study history and Roman Law at the University of Heidelberg and to engage in travel.
While abroad he was "thrown into contact with men of distinction," including Ludwig Häusser and :de:Adolph von Vangerow, who served respectively as professors of history and law at the University of Heidelberg. During this period, Rosengarten also met the eminent British jurist James Fitzjames Stephen, and his brother, author and critic Leslie Stephen.
In 1857, Rosengarten returned to the United States and began practicing law in Philadelphia. His law partners were Henry Schell Hagert and George Junkin.
Witnesses John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
In 1859, Rosengarten witnessed abolitionist John Brown's famous raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Rosengarten had been traveling at the time as a guest with the Directors of the Pennsylvania Railroad, his father being one of the directors. His train stopped short of Harpers Ferry, he walked into town, and witnessed the attack made by Lee's men on the engine house where John Brown had sought refuge. He later saw John Brown lying wounded. Rosengarten wrote a vivid account of what he had witnessed, that was published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1865.
Civil war service
On September 2, 1862, a year after the outbreak of the Civil War, Rosengarten was commissioned a first lieutenant in Company D of the 121st Pennsylvania Infantry. The regiment was soon ordered to Washington, D.C., and upon its arrival, went into camp at Arlington Heights. Arms and equipments were not delivered until some weeks after its arrival, but drill and instruction were immediately commenced, and prosecuted with vigor, the regiment becoming noted for good discipline at the drills and reviews of General Casey's Provisional Brigade, to which it was then attached.
Rosengarten fought with distinction at the Battle of Fredericksburg, "distinguishing himself for bravery, picking up the colors after four sergeants had been disabled and carrying them successfully through the engagement." As a result, he gained the notice of Major General John F. Reynolds, and was offered the post of Ordnance Officer and a position on General Reynolds' staff.
Rosengarten remained on Reynolds' staff, fighting under him at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, until Reynolds was killed in action during the latter battle. (In one eyewitness's later account of Reynolds' death, Rosengarten is referred to as "Major Adolph Rosengarten.") Rosengarten was assigned the honor of escorting Reynolds' body to his final resting place in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Due to his intimate association with Reynolds, Rosengarten was also chosen to deliver the address at the dedication of Reynolds' monument at Gettysburg in 1889.
Later life
On September 6, 1863, Rosengarten received an honorable discharge from the military. In March 1865, he received the rank of Brevet Captain.