Person:Julius Riedel (1)

The following is from the writing of Georg Emil Kramm (1880-1937)

"When I knew him (1914-1917), he had been retired for many years. He was a very interesting and fluent speaker. In his every day appearance he never failed to be a well dressed man, which included a stove pipe hat and the sterling silver mounted cane of a gentlemen. He was then in his sixties. His actuall age, he would give to no one, for in spite of his long white beard, he always wanted to appear youthfull. Since his own father, Ferdinand Carl Riedel was over sixty year old when little Julius was born, The now over 60 year old Granduncle Julius did not find it in the least difficult, in the manner of old folks, to talk about his own boyhood days of real long ago times.

"He recalled the history making wars he had fought under Napoleon's leadership, telling us of individual exciting and hair raising incidents in such a life-like manner that it took little, if any,m imagination to live it all over again even though it happened fully two generations ago. In spirit he took us through the high mountain passes of the Vogesen Alps into France with Napoleon riding inside of a stage coach on his return from some victorious attack on another conquered country.

"Granduncle Julius belonged to the older line of the Riedel family and was in reality a cousin of our grandfather, Emi Riedel and therefore only in a some what removed sense, out grand uncle."