Adolphus E. Whitrock

Adolphus E. Whitrock was born in 1846 in Germany. His parents were named Mark and Maria Whitrock, and he had four brothers and four sisters. After his move to the United States, he was neighbor to the carpenter and farmer Edward Smith, and his family.

When the Civil War came, he enlisted in the army for the Union. The Civil War was a harsh one. Many American lives were lost there than in any other war to this day. Adolphus was a regular infantryman, dividing the combat with boys and men from his own close-knit neighborhood and surrounding area. The horrors of war were shared, and a burden shared is a burden halved. Fighting with people he was familiar with must have been hard especially if they died, but it was a way to forget the war and reminisce with memories of home.

On May 27, 1864 he was a prisoner of war and sent to the infamous Andersonville prison camp, located in Sumter, Georgia. Adolphus was only 18 when he died. This is most likely due to dysentery or trench foot, which was common for the terrible prison conditions found there. Trench foot is a condition that is caused by cold and damp weather, and constricting footwear. It can cause gangrene, and may have required amputation. Amputation in itself was a painful experience during the Civil War. Adolphus’ mother and father shared the grief over the loss of their son with so many others across the nation that perished in that bloody war. Without the sacrifices made by these brave men, the United States may have lost even more precious lives.

Written by: Hannah Herkert
Marshfield Senior High