Skip to main content
This is the USCIS preview website. Visit uscis.gov for the official USCIS site.
USCIS Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government    Here's how you know
Español
Multilingual Resources
Official Government Website

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Website

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( A locked padlock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Seal, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
 
Sign In  
Access USCIS online services.
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
Sign In
Create Account
Horizontal Menu
  • Topics
  • Forms
  • Newsroom
  • Citizenship
  • Green Card
  • Laws
  • Tools
  • Contact us
  • Multilingual Resources
  • Ask Emma
Main navigation
Skip to main content
  • About Us
    • Mission and Core Values
      • What We Do
    • Organization
      • Leadership
      • Directorates and Program Offices
        • Administrative Appeals Office (AAO)
        • Office of Performance and Quality
        • External Affairs Directorate
        • Field Operations Directorate
        • Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate
        • Immigration Records and Identity Services Directorate
        • Management Directorate
        • Office of Equal Opportunity and Inclusion
        • Office of Investigations
        • Office of Privacy
        • Office of the Chief Counsel
        • Office of the Executive Secretariat
        • Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate
        • Service Center Operations Directorate
    • Our History
      • History Office and Library
        • About the History Office
        • Featured Stories from the USCIS History Office and Library
        • History Office Webinars
        • Historical Library
        • Research Guides
      • Commissioners and Directors
      • Overview of Agency History
    • Find a USCIS Office
      • Field Offices
      • USCIS Facilities Dedicated to the Memory of Immigrant Medal of Honor Recipients
      • USCIS Office Closings
      • If You Feel Sick, Do Not Come to Your USCIS Appointment; Please Cancel and Reschedule It
      • International Offices
        • Beijing
        • Guangzhou
        • Guatemala City
        • Mexico City
        • Nairobi
        • New Delhi
        • San Salvador
    • Budget, Planning and Performance
    • Contact Us
      • USCIS Contact Center
    • Disability Accommodations for the Public
    • Careers
      • Career Opportunities
      • How to Apply
      • Special Hiring Programs
      • Benefits
      • Training
    • New Employee Information and Forms
    • Equal Employment Opportunity
      • No FEAR Act
      • USCIS Notification of Violation
      • How Do I File An Equal Employment Opportunity Complaint?
    • USCIS Contracting
      • USCIS Contracting Opportunities
      • Vendor Engagement
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. About Us
  3. Find a USCIS Office
  4. USCIS Facilities Dedicated to the Memory of Immigrant Medal of Honor Recipients
  5. Musician J.C. Julius Langbein

Musician J.C. Julius Langbein

USCIS Buffalo Field Office

Picture of Medal of Honor Recipient Musician J.C. Julius Langbein

J.C. Julius Langbein was born in Germany on September 29, 1846, and came to America shortly before his second birthday. The passenger list of the ship Edwina shows “Jules,” his mother Louisa, brother George, and sister Lina (Carolina) all sailed from Antwerp, Belgium, to New York City, arriving on August 25, 1848. Julius’ father Leonard arrived ahead of the family and settled in New York City. When Julius’ father became a naturalized U.S. citizen in October 1856, Julius and his mother and siblings all became U.S. citizens as well.

During the Civil War, Julius joined the U.S. Army in New York City and served as a musician in Company B, Ninth New York Volunteers, known as Hawkins’ Zouaves, after the French Army’s elite Zouave battalion. He received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during a battle against Confederate forces in Camden, North Carolina, on April 19, 1862.

The citation reads:

A drummer boy, 15 years of age, he voluntarily and under a heavy fire went to the aid of a wounded officer, procured medical assistance for him, and aided in carrying him to a place of safety. Langbein left the regiment in 1863 and later became a lawyer, state representative and judge. He served the Yorkville District in the New York State Assembly from 1877 to 1879. In November 1879, he was elected civil justice of the Seventh Judicial District, where he served from 1880 to 1886.

He received the Medal of Honor on January 7, 1895. The following month, on February 12, the New York Times published an essay-length letter to the editor in which he described revisiting battlefields during a trip to the South more than 30 years after the Civil War. An endnote states:

Judge Langbein has recently been awarded a medal by the Government for saving the life of an officer, Lieut. Thomas L. Bartholomew, now Inspector General, Department of Connecticut, Grand Army of the Republic, on the field of battle. When Judge Langbein enlisted as a drummer boy he was only thirteen years of age.

Langbein died on January 28, 1910. He is entombed in a mausoleum with a statue of the Civil War drummer boy at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.

Last Reviewed/Updated:
04/28/2016
Was this page helpful?
0 / 2000
To protect your privacy, please do not include any personal information in your feedback. Review our Privacy Policy.
Return to top
  • Topics
  • Forms
  • Newsroom
  • Citizenship
  • Green Card
  • Laws
  • Tools
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Seal, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
LinkedIn
Email
Contact USCIS
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Seal

USCIS.gov

An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Important links
  • About USCIS
  • Accessibility
  • Budget and Performance
  • DHS Components
  • Freedom of Information Act
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Privacy and Legal Disclaimers
  • Site Map
  • Office of the Inspector General
  • The White House
  • USA.gov
Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov