FRANK A. PFAFFENSCHLAEGER

Questions about the origins and the demise of Private Frank A. Pfaffenschlaeger, Company B, 38th Alabama Infantry, may never be fully answered.

Whether or not we accept the written accounts of Pfaffenschlaeger's life as accurate, we find tangible proof of his existence in the records of the companies in which he served. And evidence of his genius can be seen in the signed musical composition (see below) and art works he created during the war.

The cover of the polka which Pfaffenschlaeger composed while a member of the 38th Alabama.

Detail of the musical notation in the first bar of the polka sheet music.

Pfaffenschlaeger's signature and title - Principle Musician of the 38th. The location - Oliver Hospital, La Grange, the date - July 14, 1864.

Dedication of the polka to Dr. James Claude Henderson, Surgeon of Oliver Hospital.

Most of the information about the life of the soldier known as Frank A. Pfaffenschlaeger comes from The Daily Register, Mobile, Alabama, March 16 and 19, 1882. The basic article is titled, "Frank Pfaffenschlaeger, Forgotten CSA Soldier - An Unusual Man with an Unusual Name." This article appeared in The Civil War Courier and in "Landmark Letters" a publication of he Historical Mobile Preservation Society. It can also be found in Arthur E. Green's Southerners at War - The 38th Alabama Infantry Volunteers.

The Daily Register article and other comments about his life and death are reprinted here.