Albert Borcherdt joined Company C, 5th Missouri Cavalry, in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 10, 1861. Borcherdt was commissioned a second lieutenant in January 1862, promoted to captain that April, and detached to serve on the staff of Brigadier General Charles S. Hamilton, commanding the Third Division of the Army of the Mississippi. While commanding the general’s personal escort at the Battle of Iuka, Mississippi, in September 1862, Borcherdt’s horse was shot from under him. The unfortunate captain was then trampled by several cavalry horses. Given a leave of absence, he died from his injuries the following month.

Carte-de-Visite by Unknown Photographer

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 11777