Otho F. Strahl

Brigadier General Otho French Strahl
Born	June 3, 1831 Morgan County, Ohio
Died	November 30, 1864 (aged 33) Franklin, Tennessee
Place of burial	Dyersburg City Cemetery, Dyersburg, Tennessee
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Service/branch	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1861–1864
Rank	Brigadier General (CSA)
Commands held	Strahl's Brigade 4th-5th Tennessee Consolidated 4th Tennessee Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of Shiloh Siege of Corinth Battle of Perryville Battle of Stones River Battle of Chickamauga Chattanooga Campaign Atlanta Campaign Battle of Franklin †

Otho French Strahl (June 3, 1831 – November 30, 1864) was a German American attorney and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was one of a small number of Southern generals who were born in the North.

Biography

Otho F. Strahl was born near Elliotts Cross Roads, Ohio, and raised in nearby Malta, both in rural Morgan County. His parents were Philip Strahl and Rhoda French. His great-great-grandfather was Casper Strahl, an immigrant from Germany to Pennsylvania circa 1755. Both of his grandmothers had been raised in the South and, through their strong influence, Strahl became an ardent supporter of states' rights. Strahl was a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University. He went south to Tennessee, reading law in Somerville and, being admitted to the bar in 1858, opening a practice in Dyersburg.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Strahl raised a local infantry company among friends and neighbors in Dyersburg. He became the captain of his company of the newly raised 4th Tennessee Infantry in May 1861. He and the regiment were transferred to Confederate service in August of that year. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on May 15, 1862. After the Battle of Shiloh on April 24 Strahl was promoted to colonel and led his unit into the Battle of Perryville. The regiment was reorganized and consolidated with the 5th Tennessee Infantry Regiment in December right before the Battle of Stones River. Strahl led this 4th-5th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry till he was assigned to command the brigade of Alexander P. Stewart in June 1863, and was promoted to Brigadier General on July 28. He commanded a brigade in the campaigns of Chickamauga, Chattanooga and Atlanta. On November 30, 1864, at the Battle of Franklin, Strahl was leading his men on foot. Getting shot in the neck, he was struck and killed by another two bullets to the head. His body was taken to the back porch of the local Carnton plantation house, where he lay until he was buried near the battlefield.

He was later reinterred in Old City Cemetery in Dyersburg, Tennessee.

See also

• List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)

References

• Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1.
• Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. ISBN 978-0-8160-1055-4.
• Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. ISBN 978-0-8071-0823-9.
• "Otho F. Strahl". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
• Historical Marker
• Strahl monument near Malta, Ohio
• Strahl at OhioHistory.org