Civil War Humor, The German Recruiter

I goes to fight mit Sigel... Franz Sigel

Here is a little Civil War type humor. This is taken from an 1864 issue of the Miners Journal.
Somewhere in lower Manheim Township, out towards the Pine Grove area.
The reader must picture a stout, big bellied, short haired recruiting officer, with a blue cap, broad stiff front piece, a short sword, a blue uniform, a size to small, and a raw customer hailing from the “Faderland”, wearing wooden shoes and a long tailed gray coat. The officer was after some recruits for a German Regiment, and thus went for his susceptible countryman:
“Ho! Dere, Hans! Be dat you?”
“Yaw”
“Come mit me to be a sojer man?”
“Nein”
“Yaw ! Come ! It be so nice”
“Nein! I gets Shoots!”
“Nix! Py tam it is better as good. It be foon all de ville. You enlist mit me you gets nein hundred tollars bountish.”
“So?”
“Yaw. And you gets such nice clothes ash never vas! Shust look at me!”
“So?”
“Yaw,” And in ter morning ven de trum peets agin and dit is de gurnel’s gompliments to come eat some sour krout un sausage mit him, by tam!”
“So, mynheer?”
“Yaw, dat ish so. Den purty soon,bime by, der trunpeets, dat is de gurnels gompliment, to ride mit him in der carriage tosee your vrow or your Katrina. And den you rides all over de city mit him and no costs you one tam cent. And bime by de trum peets, and dat is de gurnel’s gompliments to come, and schmoke a bipe mit him! And bime by, pretty soon right away, de trum peets like de tuyfel, and dat is de gurnel’s gompliments to come and get your nein hundred tollars boutnish. I thinks, but I guess not , py tam.”
“Yaw ! So goot!”
“Yaw, And den de gurnel and de Bresident shakes hands mit you, and you cat krout mit de Bresident’s vrow and shust like one fighting rooster, py tam! And den in a little vile you say der Bresident be one nice man, and you gets anoder hundred tollars bountish, and der Bresident makes un grand general mit you, purty soon, I guess, but I tinks not! You go mit me ?”
“Yaw!”


Recruiting From Harpers Weekly