George Dietzler

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George Washington Dietzler (November 30, 1826 – April 11, 1884) was a Union Army general during the American Civil War.

Dietzler was born in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania. He was a farmer and realtor before being elected mayor of Lawrence, Kansas.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Dietzler raised the 1st Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was appointed its colonel. He led his regiment in Missouri and commanded the 3rd Brigade at the Battle of Wilson's Creek, where he was wounded. In November 1862, he was appointed brigadier general of volunteers and commanded the 1st Brigade, 6th Division, XVII Corps, during the Vicksburg campaign. After the fall of Vicksburg, he resigned due to ill health and returned to Kansas. There, he received a commission as major general of Kansas militia. During Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition in 1864, Dietzler commanded 10,000 Kansas State Militia units in the Army of the Border. Dietzler's units were reluctant to fight in Missouri, therefore it was not until the Confederates reached the town of Westport, near the Kansas/Missouri state line, that Dietzler brought his troops into action. It proved decisive as the Confederates were defeated at the Battle of Westport.