Shreffler Veterans of the Civil War

By walter shreffler

Part One​ of the book contains brief biographies of 49 Shrefflers who served in the Civil War, including their post war lives and pertinent genealogical information. Part Two offers an overview and statistical analysis of the men as a group.  The work is annotated and indexed with selected sources noted. 200 pages

• Language: English
• Publisher: walter shreffler
• Release date: Jan 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524252441

Book preview

SHREFFLER VETERANS

OF

THE CIVIL WAR

By

Walter A Shreffler

Preface

These fourth and fifth generation Americans, bonded by a surname as well as blood, made a statement with their lives that is well worth remembering.  Certainly a few showed human frailties, but collectively their efforts should make us, their descendants, proud to be S©hrefflers.

They were a restless bunch, both before the war and after.  Many moved multiple times, having faith in their own energy and industry.  Yet as they struggled to find lives for themselves, the old world influence remained strong.  How could it not, they were just a few generations removed from the family patriarch who demonstrated a remarkable faith in setting a new course for himself and his family.  Undoubtedly growing up, many learned of his life’s lessons as well as the sacrifices of his sons.... their grandfathers and great-grandfathers.[1]  Five of the six brothers in the second generation served in the American Revolution with one dying during those tumultuous years.  Then, just a few generations removed from those momentous times, forces were at play threatening to destroy what their fore fathers had created.  Could the Civil War generation do no less in opposing those forces?  These men have a story to tell not just individually, but collectively as a group.

Family heritage proved to be a powerful instrument in molding the character of these early Shrefflers, and one suspects it ran much deeper and was more encompassing than the modern mind realizes.  The Shrefflers were active participates in their community.  They lived in the present, but vestiges of the old world lingered.  Religion continued to play a prominent role in their lives, as did a number of German customs such as the use of traditional naming patterns.  Perhaps most conspicuously, they continued speaking German well into the post-Civil War era, although undoubtedly the purity of the language had long sense been compromised.

In 2005, I finished a brief sixteen-page project on the Shrefflers who served in the Civil War.  My objectives were modest.  I wanted to sift through the variety of Shreffler spellings found in19th Century records and eliminate duplication.[2]  Similarly, I wanted to eliminate any Shreffler veteran who had not served in that great conflict.[3]  Along the way, I hoped to find information on each that would give the reader some indication as to their contributions if not sacrifice.

During the research, I reached out to various descendants.  More often than not, the relatives were less than helpful with some unaware of their ancestor’s service.  Of course, the more serious family historian could and did provide assistance, but only of their relative.  Thus was born the idea that the 49 Civil War Shrefflers should have their stories collectively told.  Later into the research, the information discovered in their pension files suggested that their civilian lives might hold some interest.

I would like to thank the following for the giving of their time.  Their assistance was greatly appreciated: Neil Scheidt, Lovina Messick, Matt Anderson, Sharon Harris, and Graig Englund.  In addition, a special thank you to the late Norman Shreffler whose lifetime collecting of Shreffler genealogy is sprinkled throughout and so cited.

The work is not intended to be a history, although some history is included to give texture and perspective to their experiences.  Nor is the work strictly genealogical, although again, there is that aspect.[4]  For the serious family researchers who have dug into their own past, there is probably no new ground tilled, but I hope both they and the casual genealogist will find the collective effort worth their time.  Perhaps to the chagrin of the sunshine genealogists who prefer a more sanitized history, this work may occasionally make for some uncomfortable reading, but the records speak for themselves.  The reader may disagree with my interpretation of the facts, but the facts nevertheless remain.

I apologize for any errors that might have crept into the work and only hope that my effort, however flawed, will not create any undue hardship for those doing their own research.  I also want to apologize to any family member who spells their name Schreffler.  I chose to use Shreffler when discussing the veterans collectively because two-thirds of the men used that spelling.  However, when writing specifically about a Schreffler I tried to use that spelling.  I briefly toyed with the idea of using the © symbol when discussing the veterans in general [see the opening paragraph above] but then thought that approach might become a distraction to the reader.

This effort continues to be a work in progress.  Most of the veteran’s pension records located at the National Archives were researched, but not all.  Most of the military records at the National Archives were seen, but again, not all.  The same goes for the veteran’s medical files, also found in Washington D.C.  In addition, the Internet seemingly provides fresh material on a regular basis with previously visited sites continuing to expand their collections.

The medical files deserve special attention, perhaps more than I have given them.  One of the connective themes throughout this work is the number of health issues racked up by the Shreffler veterans.  I did not have time to scrutinize these records as closely as one might.  The information is preserved in a card file system organized alphabetically and cataloged by regiment.  When one takes into account the various spellings of the Shreffler name along with the realization previous users of the files did not always replace the cards in the proper location, and one has a recipe for missed information. 

I hope this effort will prime the pump, so to speak, and encourage families who have saved a veteran’s picture, diary, or letters, to share their story with all of us interested in Shreffler history.

––––––––

Walter A Shreffler

July 4th 2015

In Memory of:

Sgt. Walter O. Shreffler

15th Infantry 3rd Division

[5]

WW2 Combat Veteran:

Anzio Beach landing- January 23rd 1944

Anzio break out- May 23rd 1944

Liberation of Rome- June 4th 1944

Invasion of Southern France- August 15th 1944

Wounded- October 2nd 1944

KIA- November 9th 1944

Age-20

––––––––

At the time, Walter O. Shreffler’s birth was a mixture of joy and sorrow.  The delivery had its complications and although his mother gave birth to a healthy baby, she passed away within hours.  His father, George W. Shreffler, gave him the middle name Olive, in honor of his mother, and then handed him over to his maternal grandparents, John and Etta Vallance, to raise.

Walter grew up in Gibsonburg Ohio and became a three-sport athlete.  He graduated from the local high school in 1943, one of 34 young men in his class.  That spring, the May issue of the school paper, the Lime Light, featured the seniors and a copy has survived, now yellowed and stained with age. On its final page, the edition included a drawing of a soldier with gun in hand hurrying off to war while simultaneously discarding his graduation cap and gown.  The cartoon like character was both a reminder of the end of innocents, and the sobering impact of war that soon awaited Walter and others of his generation.  Walter graduated on June 2nd, a Wednesday.  Nine days later he took his physical, and two weeks after that he left for basic training.  Following boot camp, he returned home for one brief week and then left, never to return.

As hasty as all this might seem, Walter was not the first in his class to enter military service.  Six of his classmates had quit school to enlist and four others, prior to graduation, had joined various reserve units.  In fact, unless you were one of the lucky few to obtain a deferment, all new graduates were destined to wear a uniform.  Gibsonburg was pretty much drained of young men during those years, and it would over the course of the conflict pay a dear price.  Sgt. Shreffler would become one of eight native sons to die during the war, roughly one for every 275 persons living in the small community.

Late in the war, while crossing an open field near the village of Defosse in eastern France, Sgt. Shreffler met his destiny, as much a casualty of military planning as he was of German thoroughness in pre-sighting their artillery to cover the area he was attempting to cross.  At the time, despite the onset of winter and with no fresh combat replacements expected, military high command wanted to maintain pressure on the enemy, rationalizing that casualty rates would be high, but not as high as they would be if the army waited for spring to renew the offensive.  Of course, continued fighting would mean an ongoing need for replacements, but where would they come from?  General Dwight D Eisenhower signed off on a plan to empty hospitals of patients and transfer rear echelon personnel [extra cooks, paper pushers, drivers, and supply staff.] to front line ranks.  The idea, born out of desperation, may have looked good on paper, but it proved to be a death sentence for the wounded who returned to the stress of combat too quickly.  Years later, Eisenhower stated it was an order that he wished he had never given.

Of course, the Shreffler and Vallance families knew nothing of all this and, at the time of his death, assumed Walter remained safe in a hospital recovering from wounds acquired a month earlier.  Thus, when the Western Union Telegram arrived with official condolences, the tragic message was met with confusion, disbelief, and dismay.

Today, Sgt. Shreffler lies in the military cemetery at Epinal France.  His father reasoned his grave would be better cared for there than if returned home.  This may be true, but perhaps his father, the caretaker of the Four Mile House Cemetery at the time, dreaded more the idea of digging his own son’s grave.  

Before his death, Walter wrote home telling of walking through a cemetery filled with familiar family names.

Perhaps in a small way, this gave him a bit of comfort.  It took near 200 years, but through him, the family returned to its old world roots.  He would have known very little of his Civil War relatives, but one would like to think he would have understood them, and perhaps found a kindred spirit or two.     

Table of Contents

Part I

The Schreffler-Shreffler Roster:

––––––––

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PART II

The Shreffler Casualty List

Sacrifice of Another Kind

It was a Brothers War

It was a Sisters War Too

Meandering Thoughts

Pedigree Chart

Index

Private Aaron Shreffler

Muster-In: August 30th 1862

Age: 27

Mustered-Out: +

Regiment:  Co. E, 100th Ill.

Occupation: Brick Maker

Home: Joliet, Illinois

Military Experience:

Enlisted August 11th 1862 for three years[6]

+ Disability Discharge, June 7th 1865 at Nashville, victim of dysentery

Aaron and his brother John enlisted together in company E of the 100th Illinois in late summer of 1862.  By November, the first of Aaron’s health issues surfaced.  A severe case of diarrhea hospitalized him at Nashville until the following February and caused him to miss one of the bloodiest battles of the war at Stone River.  During the ensuing winter months, he recovered sufficiently to rejoin his company and take part in the battle at Chickamauga.  Company E paid a heavy price in that encounter with six killed and eight wounded.[7]  Aaron escaped injury, but the physical stress of battle and the summer’s campaign had taken its toll.  Aaron once again fell ill.  His captain, Anson Patterson, wrote that he has been sick with dysentery and unable for duty since September of 1863.  [He] was taken sick immediately after the battle of Chickamauga while in line of duty.

By November of 1863, Aaron’s condition led to another hospitalization, this time at Murfreesboro.  He remained there through the winter months and well into the spring of 1864.  He then went on detached duty with orders assigning him to nearby Fortress Rosecrans, but his health remained tenuous and he soon had a relapse.  He again entered the hospital, this time at Quincy Illinois, before transferring to the facility at Murfreesboro for a second time.

Eventually the Army determined his health broken and beyond repair.  As Doctor H.L. Woodruff, the military surgeon who signed Aaron’s disability discharge papers, explained: He had chronic diarrhea-very debilitated, in my opinion not fit for muster [or] Vet Reserve Corps- Disease contracted in the service in the line of duty.

Before leaving Aaron’s military career, it might be instructive to highlight official army policy of the era and its resulting application as it applied to him.  Many of the Shrefflers who served, including wounded and those who died, would have similar experiences.  In Aaron’s case, the army placed a stoppage on his salary for transportation expenses.  At least three of the charges were recorded, the first for $3.81, the second for $9.71 and the third for $9.00.[8] A correspondence found in Aaron’s military file explained one of these charges.

"Captain,

I have this day furnished transportation to Aaron Shreffler

Private of your command, from Nashville, Tenn. To Louisville, Ky.

on furlough, distance 185 miles, at cost to government ($3.81)

Same to be stopped against pay due him.

I am, Captain, very Respectfully

Your Obedient Servant

John Crane, Capt. and AQM"[9]

––––––––

Civilian Life:

In 1860, Aaron still lived with his parents although he had reached the age of 25.  Perhaps this arrangement was one of convenience.  He worked nearby in the family brick-making business.  The business prospered, due in no small part to his father’s invention of a horse-powered machine that increased dramatically the production of bricks.[10]After the war, the family diversified their operation into advertising and selling their brick making machinery throughout the U.S. 

Aaron returned home, after being released from military service, and attempted to do his part in the family enterprise, but his health would not allow it.  Already burdened by dysentery and chronic diarrhea, Aaron fell victim to consumption, but fortunately, he enjoyed a brief period of happiness.[11]

He met a woman.  Aaron might have known her during his teenage years, but she married young and moved away.  After her husband’s death she returned, a young widow with a small boy in tow.  Her maiden name was Martha J. Flack.[12]  She and Aaron were married on April 23rd of 1866 and the birth of their only child, Celia, took place less than a year later on March 30th 1867.[13]  Sadly, Aaron died 14 days later on April 13th.  His estate included property valued at $2000.

Personal Profile:

Born: Abt 1835 in Wayne County Ohio

Died: April 12th 1867, Joliet Illinois  Buried: Zarley Cemetery [possibly near his parents][14]

Parents: Samuel, Polly Anne [Herr][15]

Wife: Martha J. [Flack] m April 23rd 1866[16]

Born: July 6th 1839, Essex Co. N.Y.  Died: May 30th 1923 at Jackson in Will County, IL[17]

Parents: John J., Elizabeth [Nelson]

Children: Celia or Cecelia A. [Roberts] b. March 30th 1867, 

John Shaw [stepson]

Occupation: brick maker

Home: Joliet

Physical Description:  Height- 5’ 9", Eyes- Blue, Hair- Light, Complexion- Light

Signature: _______

––––––––

Selected Sources

Illinois Civil War Veteran Indexes [Internet]

Federal Census Records

Individual Military Service Records-Civil War: National Archives

George Woodruff, Fifteen Years Ago, or, the Patriotism of Will Co. Joliet: 1876

Souvenir of the Settlement and Progress of Will Co. Illinois, 1884

W.W. Stevens, Past and Present of Will County, Vol. II, 1907

Individual Medical Cards [found by Regiment]:  National Archives

The Price the Civil War Exacted From the Shreffler Family [Internet, essay]

Hopkins Rowell, The Great Resources and Superior Advantages of the City of

Joliet, Illinois, 1871   

Private Andrew B. Shreffler

Mustered-In: Sept. 5th 1864

Age: 31

Mustered-Out: June 1st 1865

Regiment: Co. F, 208th PA

Occupation:  Farmer

Home: Blain, Perry Co.[18]

Military Experience:

Enlisted at Camp Curtain, Harrisburg, Sept. 3rd 1864 for one year[19]

Mustered Out at Alexandria, VA.

The 208th came into existence late in the war and began service in siege operations around the Petersburg, Richmond areas.  Later, it participated in the assault on Petersburg, the Appomattox campaign, and the subsequent pursuit of Lee.  Regimental losses for the war were light, totaling just twenty-eight men killed.

Andrew served in the Ambulance Corps beginning in December of 1864 and by this late period in the war; the men assigned to such duty no longer came from the ranks.  They received special training or in some cases chosen.  Andrew would have worn a cap with a two-inch wide green band and inverted green chevrons on each arm.  Proper dress would have also included a pistol. The unit’s distinct uniform markings made it easier for the provost marshal to separate those responsible for the recovery of the wounded from that of the regular troops who might try to give assistance in order to leave the battlefield.

To aid in the removal of a regiment’s casualties, each one had its own set of ambulances.  Of course, if needed, the army could commandeer any type of conveyance, but per army regulations, each regiment had one two-wheel cart, two two-horse ambulances and one four-horse ambulance.  Each vehicle carried two stretcher-bearers and a driver, except for the cart, which had room for only the driver.  The larger four-horse ambulance only ran from the field hospital to either a waiting steamer ship or train outfitted to receive casualties.  Often the first stop for the wounded would be the primary station, which was nothing more than a collection site where the initial triage took place.

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Civilian Life:

The Shreffler family came into the Sherman Valley region of Perry County Pennsylvania

during the 1840’s.  Andrew’s father settled near the small town of Blain and took up farming.

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The Shrefflers worshiped at the Zion Lutheran Church, an edifice constructed in 1816.  Early records are sketchy with no Shrefflers found, but the Wentz’s, the family Andrew would one day marry into, played a prominent role in the church’s early history.  His future wife, Sarah J. Wentz, was confirmed in the church on April 18th 1851.  Andrew and his two younger sisters, Emiline and Susan, gained membership in 1858, the same year that he and Sarah married.  A year later, Sarah gave birth to their first child, Mary.  Andrew’s family continued to expand in the post-war years, although at least two children died at an early age. 

Also growing was the family’s net worth.  The value of Andrew’s farm increased 277% in the decade following the war to an estimated $4300.[20]  This newfound prosperity allowed him the opportunity to indulge in local politics, and during the off year elections of 1866, he joined a Perry County grass roots organization called the Soldiers Johnson-Clymer Club.  He served as one of its vice-presidents.  The group endorsed the Democratic ticket, which included supporting President Andrew Johnson’s states’ rights platform and Heister Clymer for Governor of Pennsylvania.[21]

Andrew’s life appeared secure.  He had become a respected member of the community, with a bright future waiting, but then tragedy struck.  On a Monday, two days after Christmas in 1875, Andrew went into his stable to saddle his horse.  As he threw the saddle onto the animal’s back, the horse reacted.  Perhaps his actions frightened the steed, but whatever the reason, it became skittish and began to rear and kick.  Suddenly, both hind hooves struck Andrew in the abdomen and left him so badly injured as to cause his death in twenty-four hours....[22]

Sarah’s life changed dramatically; by 1880, Andrew’s widow lived with a brother, George Wentz, along with her daughter Mary and a son, Emmett.  In something of an oddity, Sarah’s youngest daughter Florence no longer lived with her.  Just ten years old, one would think she would have been too young to board out,[23] but whatever the reason; Florence lived with a Samuel and Sarah Ernest and their two teenage sons in Madison Township.

Sarah eventually married again, to a Thomas J. McConnell, but she also outlived him.  In her later years, she lived in the home of her daughter, Florence.[24]  In 1903, she attempted to qualify for a pension based on Andrew’s Civil War service, but the government rejected her application on the grounds she had remarried. 

––––––––

Personal Profile:

Born: July 4th 1833, Perry Co. PA

Died: December 28th 1875  Buried: Zion Lutheran Ref. Church Yard, Blain

Parents: Johannes, Marie [Beistline]

Wife: Sarah J. Wentz m August 24th 1858 by Rev. G. Roth, at Loysville

Born: June 13th 1836, Perry Co. PA  Died: July19, 1909

Home: Blain, Perry Co. PA

Children: Mary E [Woods]  b. 10-20-1859; Charles; Rebecca Alice [Gutshall]  b. 10-18-1866;  

Francis; Emmett W; Florence V [Hall]  b. 7-2-1869.[25]

Occupation: Farmer

Physical Description: Height- 5’ 6", Eyes- Brown, Hair- Black, Complexion- Dark

Enlistment Signature:

––––––––

Selected Sources

Samuel P. Bates, History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865, 1869

H.H. Hain, History of Perry County, PA: Including Descriptions of... 1922 

Rev. D.H. Focht, Churches Between the Mountains, 1862

Civil War Pension Index

1890 Veterans Schedule [part of the 1890 census]

Federal Census Records

Civil War Veterans Card File Index 1861-1865 [Pennsylvania veterans]

Individual Military Service Records-Civil War: National Archives

Individual Civil War Pension Records: National Archives

Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards 1777-1999

Juniata Sentinel and Republican, January 12th 1876      

John L. Getz, Wentz Descendants: John Philip Wentz 16 January 1732- 4 December

1815, 1923

Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1963   

1st Sgt. Andrew J. Schreffler

[26]

Mustered-In: August 23rd 1861

Age: 16[27]

Mustered-Out: January 25th 1864

Mustered-In: January 25th 1864

Mustered-Out: June 30th 1865

Regiment: Co. A, 88th PA

Occupation: Cigar Maker

Home: Reading, Berks Co.

Military Experience:

Enlisted at Philadelphia for three years

Reenlisted January 25th 1864 at Culpepper; $400.00 bounty[28]

Mustered Out- near Washington D.C. 

Highlighted by four Medal of Honor recipients, the 88th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry became one of the more decorated units to serve in the war.  The regiment’s battle resume included some of the most recognizable names of the war: Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania.[29]

Andrew served with Company A through all the regiment’s engagements until April 22nd 1864 when he received orders assigning him to the Ambulance Corps, a recent organizational innovation.[30]  Andrew remained with the Corps almost to the end of the war.  Then, with just two weeks left before his muster out, and eighteen days into his promotion to corporal, he received new orders returning him to his old company.  First Lt. D.W. Ney requested that he be relieved from duty in the 3’d Div. 5th Corp Ambulance Train and returned to Company A.  Ney explained: I not having any non-commissioned officers present for duty and the new recruits are not competent.[31]

By all official accounts, Andrew Jackson Schreffler proved an exemplary soldier in all areas save one ...personal finances.  At one point, he owed a sutler $8.00 in charges and the army $6.77 for clothing.[32]  On two other occasions, the regimental court-martial ordered him to pay $5.00 debts through salary stoppage.

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Civilian Life:

Within three weeks of returning home from the war, Andrew married.   He would hold down a number of jobs over the years, but for more than a decade after the war, he worked as a blacksmith and later at something as a helper.  Sometime in the mid 1880’s, he gained employment as a policeman on the Pennsylvania-Schuylkill Valley Railroad.  He eventually earned a promotion to special officer and continued to work for the railroad until 1896 or 1897.  William then worked briefly as a clerk, but thereafter listed himself as a laborer for the next fifteen years.[33]  He and his wife moved no fewer than six times during this period, possibly mirroring the location of his employment.

His social activities included being a trustee of the Rainbow Volunteer Fire Company #1 of Reading, an organization whose origins dated back to 1773.  In politics, he was a strong Republican.

As the years passed, Andrew’s health declined.  His issues included rheumatism, piles, kidney disease, dyspepsia, asthma, heart disease and bad eyes.  In a medical examination dated February 4th 1903, his attending physician noticed that Andrew no longer could stoop, set or walk erect.  He applied for a veteran’s pension, but could not prove his health issues were war related.  A few years later, after the government dropped the requirement that a veteran’s disability must be connected to the war, Andrew qualified.  His initial pension awarded him an income of $8.00 a month.  In his final years, his health took a noticeable turn for the worse and he became an invalid.  Perhaps his wife’s quick decline, due to heart trouble, was too much.  He survived her by only a month, dying of Bright’s disease on December 14th 1914.  He and his wife had no children.