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By Don Heinrich Tolzmann, PhD

Special to NKyTribune

After the Civil War, a German Battalion was formed, consisting of German-American Civil War veterans. According to the “Cincinnati Enquirer” (1 June 1871), it was organized at Turner Hall in Over-the-Rhine in June 1871, and Gustav Tafel (1830–1908) was elected as its commanding officer at the rank of colonel.

Tafel was past president of the Cincinnati Turnverein (Turners), and when the Civil War broke out, he helped organize the 9th Ohio Vol. Infantry Regiment, often called a Turner regiment. Subsequently, he serv

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