Peter Joseph Osterhaus is an immigrant from Germany, more precisely from Prussia. He served one year in the Prussian Army and he knows what military drill is. He has done everything to prepare his men for the battle.

Peter Osterhaus had to leave the Old World. He believed in the ideals of the revolution, he fought against the monarchy, and he saw the defeat of freedom.

Now he is in the New World, in the land of the free. Once more he is willing to fight for freedom, just like many thousand other German immigrants, which had to leave their country to live in freedom. Now they are willing to pay for this freedom, pay with their blood. If it is up to them, there will be no step back.

He stands among his regiment, 2nd Missouri Infantry and listens to the speech of the General. The words of the commander are inspiring. He hears cheers from the other regiments, but his men stay quiet and look helpless. Osterhaus knows that most of his men cannot follow the English speech.

Osterhaus jumps on the barricades:

“Männer des 2. Missouri Regiments, Männer aus Deutschland. Seht dort hinüber, auf die andere Seite des Baches. Dort seht ihr die Sklavenhalter! Sie versammeln sich, um die Sklaverei auch in diesen wunderbaren Staat zu tragen. Hier stehen wir, die wir unser schönes Deutschland verlassen mussten, um in Freiheit zu leben. Wir werden nicht zulassen, dass die Sklaventreiber diese Freiheit zerstören. Wenn sie die Sklaverei nach Missouri bringen wollen, müssen sie an uns vorbei. Männer! Lasst es nicht zu! Kämpft für die Freiheit! Schlagt sie in Fetzen!“

Now his men are applauding. Their Yankee comrades did not understand a word, but soon they all know the new nickname of Osterhaus – ‘Fetzenpeter’!