Civil War Volunteers from Westerville

During the Civil War men from Westerville voluntarily enlisted. One day they were students at Otterbein, and a few days later they were soldiers. Henry and William Schrock as well as their cousin George Washington Schrock were among those who answered the call to serve. Henry and William enlisted in the 95th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Other brothers Joseph and Homer would later enlist in the 133rd OVI.

It is difficult for us to wrap our minds around the conditions they faced. They marched on foot from battle to battle. Unpredictable weather, shortages of food and ammunition , disease and death and limited communication were commonplace. And finally, after fighting for days, ultimately losing the battle and being taken prisoner.

What was it like for the two Schrock brothers who were both sent to Andersonville after their battalion was defeated by the South in the battle of Brice’s Crossroads?

Blazing hot sun.

Not a tree around

Nothing to do but lie down.

The water is green. If I drink it, the sickness comes, perhaps even death.

My uniform is sagging and torn. Parts of it are missing.

So hungry.

I’ve tried to make a bowl out of my cap to catch the disgusting mushy slop they give me.

The stench is unbearable.

All around me, men are dying. Each day a hundred or more.

Someone is coming. From my vantage point on the ground I see something black and shiny. It is a pair of boots. Squinting in the sun, I look up. It's the commandant. He is wearing a gray uniform that is clean and crisp. And there is a fancy watch chain in his pocket. He takes a look around and then leaves to go back to his cabin. All around, men are moaning, asking for food, for water. He ignores them. I think of my family back home in Westerville. I miss them terribly. I wonder how my cousin is. He didn’t get captured with my brother and I.

I wonder if we will ever get home. I pray we will.

The Schrock brothers spent eight months in Andersonville, the notoriously miserable POW camp in Georgia. Twenty six acres of open ground surrounded by a tall stockade fence. There were woods surrounding it, but there were no trees in the camp itself. The sun was brutal. The food was almost inedible, and bugs and vermin were everywhere.

Andersonville truly earned its reputation as a miserable prison. It was designed to hold 10,000 when it opened in February of 1864. By June there were over 26,000 prisoners. The largest number of prisoners held at one time were 33,000 in August of 1864. Prisoners suffered immensely due to poor conditions such as inadequate housing, food and medical care. Prisoners died at a rate of about 100 per day. Andersonville ceased operation in May of 1865. By that time, over 13,000 prisoners had died.

At the end of the war most prisoners were able to return home. William and Henry survived the war, but died young because of their incarceration in Andersonville.

In December of 1890 the prison site was purchased by the Georgia Department of the Grand Army of the Republic. This was a Union veterans organization who was unable to finance improvements needed to protect the property. They sold it for one dollar to the Woman’s Relief Corps, the national auxiliary of the GAR. The Woman’s Relief Corps made many improvements with the idea of creating a memorial park. In 1910 they donated the prison site to the people of the United States. It was administered by the Department of the Army until its designation as a national historic site by Congress in October, 1970. Since july of 1971 it has been administered by the National Park Service.

After the war ended, Captain Henry Wirz, the commandant, was arrested and charged with “murder, in violation of the laws of war”. He was found guilty by a military tribunal and hanged in Washington, DC in November of 1865. His story is complex and highlights the bureaucracy of the Confederacy and establishment of command.

Henry Schrock is buried in Otterbein Cemetery. This author does not know where his brother William is buried.