The Battle at Kalkriese Impacts America
Discovery of the historic battle site at Kalkriese by amateur archeologist British Army Major Tony Clunn, MBE , highly honored by Queen Elizabeth II for his archaeological endeavours , was nothing but sensational. Unearthing a world-changing battle site where Hermann (Arminius) defeated three Roman Legions in 9 AD refocused attention on German national origins. Two millennia after the battle at Kalkriese, the name and legend of Hermann the Cheruscan has now gained new recognition as a symbol of the German peoples’ cultural unity.
The legend turned symbol was transferred to the new world by immigrants. Within a century after the erection of a Hermann Monument in New Ulm, Minnesota, the memorial was placed on the national register of historical places in the United States. The 106th Congress of the United States broadened the impact by designating the Hermann Monument at New Ulm to be an official symbol of all citizens of German heritage. How did this happen?
THE SONS OF HERMANN
Ever since Napoleon in 1806 declared the collapse of the German Empire in Central Europe, German folk were immigrating to America in waves. The American frontier west of the Allegheny Mountains beckoned farmers and German idealists to a life of freedom unknown in their homeland. Unfortunately many experienced first-hand the resentment that local people felt toward new immigrants.
Acts of violence against the new immigrants led directly to the founding of a German national society. In 1840 George Heiner from New York City suggested starting an organization to cultivate understanding of his people. The name of Hermann was chosen as a symbol of German culture because it gave the new society identity and unity. On June 21, 1840, the first chapter of the Sons of Hermann was constituted in New York.
By 1848 the March Revolutions in Central Europe, led by patriots in search of constitutional democratic government, caused the American Sons of Hermann to celebrate with special nationalistic flair. The American society became known as the Order of the Sons of Hermann. The order grew rapidly. By its 21st national convention in 1897, representatives of the 500 chapters of the Order were able to gather west of the Mississippi River in the prairie town of New UIm, Minnesota, for the dedication of a Hermann Monument.
A MEMORIAL
A Hermann memorial on American soil was the dream of artist and architect. Julius Berndt (1832-1916). Berndt was uniquely qualified to create a smaller version of the memorial made in Detmold, Germany. An emigrant from Silesia in Germany at age 20, Berndt brought artistic skills and ideas from his homeland to the new world.
In Chicago the youth was elected secretary of the Chicago Land Association, a partnership of recent German immigrants who desired to homestead on the frontier. In 1854 the Land Association selected land along the Minnesota River, thirteen miles from hunting grounds reserved for the Dakota Indians. Two years later the Chicago Land Association united with a colonization association of the Turner Society of North American to give the settlement financial stability. The original half-dozen frame homes multiplied rapidly into a respectable village. But the outbreak of the Dakota Conflict during the nation’s Civil War upset the peace and friendship between settlers and the Dakota nation. Two attacks on New Ulm in August, 1862, destroyed the homes, but defenders saved the town.
As the town rebuilt, the talents of Julius Berndt – architect, building inspector for Brown County, and entrepreneur – were again put to use. In 1882 Berndt became the first president of the New Ulm chapter of the Order of the Sons of Hermann. He had already drawn up plans for a Hermann monument to be set on a scenic vantage point overlooking the city.
HERMANN ON THE AMERICAN PRAIRIE
Berndt first broached the prospect of a memorial in 1881 at a national convention of the Sons of Hermann in Chicago. Four years later he placed specific plans before the national convention. The New Ulm proposal was adopted. But at the next convention the national secretary announced: "Every German should be proud to erect such a memorial. But until now, unfortunately, only $10.50 has been collected for this purpose." Needed was $20,000.00. Despite seeming lack of enthusiasm for a monument on the prairie, Berndt was commissioned in 1887 to secure materials for the monument and to oversee construction.
The New Ulm chapter of the Sons of Hermann now purchased two acres west of the city. An appeal for funds went out within the national order. A contract to fashion the Hermann statue from Berndt's blueprints was let with the W.H. Mullins Company of Salem, Ohio. The company specialized in classical statuary and animal figures, but also listed among its credits the copper roofing of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Responsibility for the statue was assigned to German-born sculptor, Alphonso Pelzer. He advertised as part of the Pelzer Brothers' sculptor studio "for works of art in wood, stone, and metal, monuments, figures, and ornaments." His fame rested on the creation of a number of statues of President Lincoln.
The making of Hermann proved to be a special challenge. Twenty-tons of clay were used in making the model. It measured almost 33 feet from sword tip to toe and weighed well over two tons. On completion, Hermann was probably the largest and most striking figure of its kind made in the United States, second only in size and similar craftsmanship to the magnificent Statue of Liberty in New York harbor crafted in France.
Dedication rites for the Hermann Monument were set for the last Saturday in September, 1897. Following an address by the national president of the Sons of Hermann and the transfer of official documents by the building committee, the statue was unveiled. Hermann's home on the prairie was secured.
A NATIONAL SYMBOL
But the fortune of the Hermann Monument changed quickly in the 20th century. The Order of the Sons of Hermann declined rapidly as a result of World War I. When the local chapter disbanded after the war, the Hermann memorial entered the public domain. The city of New Ulm was given charge of the monument and the park. In 1973 the memorial was placed in the National Register of Historic places. In light of the 100th anniversary of the cornerstone-laying, the Hermann memorial received a special honor. The 106th Congress of the United States designated the Hermann Monument at New Ulm to be an official symbol of all citizens of German heritage.
Note: In recognition of Major Clunn’s discoveries and subsequent support to the archaeological works in Germany, specifically at Kalkriese and elsewhere in the Roman arena of interests in Northern Germany, in 1997 the German authorities awarded him the first recipient of the Certificate of Merit, now an annual award for Meritorious Service to the German Community, followed in 1999 by the prestigious award of the German Medal of Honour.
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Extracted from the booklet, Hermann from Legend to Symbol.
Copyright ©1988 City of New Ulm, MN, 56073.
Text revised and updated for this booklet by its author, Arnold J. Koelpin
Used with permission.
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Hermann's Monumet, New Ulm (USA)
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