George Pomutz

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George Pomutz
George Pomutz

George Pomutz (English version of Gheorghe Pomuţ; May 31, 1818—October 12, 1882) was an ethnic Romanian United States general in the Civil War, and a diplomat.

Contents

[edit] Life

Pomutz was born in Gyula, Békés county, Hungary. In the 1848 revolution, Pomutz fought in the Hungarian revolutionary army. After the crushing of the revolution, Pomutz along with 30 comrades emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City on February 24, 1850. After a few months, they headed to Keokuk, Iowa, where they founded the New Buda colony, just south of Burlington. He gained US citizenship on March 15, 1855.

At the debut of the American Civil War, Pomutz enrolled in the Union Army as lieutenant of the 15th Infantry regiment of Iowa, on December 23, 1861. He was wounded slightly in the shoulder on April 6, 1862 at the Battle of Shiloh. He steadily rose through the ranks, and in May 1864 was appointed Provost Marshal of the 17th regiment. In August 1864, he returned to the 15th regiment, which he commanded in the Battle of Atlanta. He was promoted to Major General on March 13, 1865.

After the end of the Civil War, Pomutz returned to Keokuk. On February 16, 1866, he was appointed Consul of the United States in Saint Petersburg, Imperial Russia, serving in that capacity till September 30, 1870. During that period, he was involved in the negotiations for the Alaska Purchase. Later he became the American Consul general in Saint Petersburg, serving from June 17, 1874 until his death there, in 1882. He was buried in Smolensk.

[edit] Tributes

The Liberty ship SS George Pomutz was named after him. Launched August 3, 1944, the ship served till 1970.

On August 14, 2004, a statue of Pomutz was unveiled at the Falling Asleep of the Ever-Virgin Mary Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio.

[edit] Quotation

From the address by Emil Constantinescu, President of Romania, at a Joint Meeting of the United States Congress, July 15, 1998:

I would like to close with a true story. One hundred and fifty years ago, a young Romanian who had fought for freedom in the 1848 revolution, emigrated to America. His name was George Pomutz, which in Romanian means ‘little tree.’ Once on American soil, he volunteered for Lincoln’s Army and fought in some of the key battles of the Civil War including Vicksburg and Atlanta. Our ‘little tree’ went on to become a general in your army and later an American diplomat, serving in Russia where he helped negotiate the American purchase of Alaska. In 1944, long after his death, the Romanian community in the United States donated money to build a battleship, named for Romanian-American General George Pomutz. The ship named for the ‘little tree’ served in peace and war, always a symbol of strength and vigilance.

[edit] External links

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