whom he outranked, and resigned his command. Major General Franz Sigel thus assumed command of the corps on June 29. Many of the German soldiers could speak little English beyond "I fights mit Sigel" ("I'll fight with Sigel"), which was their proud slogan. President Lincoln chose Sigel less for his military skills than his influence on this crucial political constituency. In early August, Louis Blenker stepped down from command due to the lingering effects of an injury sustained during the spring; he died in October 1863. Sigel was in command at the Second Battle of Bull Run, where the corps was in the thick of the fighting, losing 295 killed, 1,361 wounded, and 431 missing; total, 2,087. At this time, the three divisions were commanded by Generals Robert C. Schenck, Adolph von Steinwehr, and Carl Schurz; there was also an independent brigade attached, under the command of Brig. Gen. Robert H. Milroy. During the first day of the battle, the corps performed a series of unsuccessful assaults on Stonewall Jackson's center and left flank. On the second day, it was in the middle of the desperate fighting against James Longstreet's Confederates on Chinn Ridge, where Sigel and Schneck were wounded and Col. John Koltes, one of the brigade commanders, was killed. By General Orders No. 129, September 12, 1862, the corps's designation was changed to that of the XI Army Corps, a necessary change, as McDowell's command had resumed its original title of the I Corps. The corps had suffered severely at Second Bull Run and came close to being routed from the field, so it was left behind in Washington D.C. during the Maryland Campaign to rest and refit. Robert Milroy's brigade was detached and sent off to West Virginia. Col. Nathaniel McLean was promoted to brigadier general and succeeded Robert Schneck as commander of the 1st Division. During the fall months, the XI Corps occupied various outposts along the Potomac River and Northern Virginia. In December, it marched to Fredericksburg but was not present at the battle, after which it went into winter quarters at Stafford, Virginia. Battle of Chancellorsville With the ascension of Joseph Hooker to command of the army in February 1863, Franz Sigel was the second most senior officer in the ranks. Because of this and because the XI Corps was the smallest in the Army of the Potomac, he felt that it deserved to