Corporal George Zernhelt

Artist rendering of Salisbury Prison Hospital

George Zernhelt was born in 1839 and by 1860, he had come to live with his sister, Magdalena and brother-in-law, Francis Hillanbrand in their home, according to the 1860 census. His occupation at this time was listed of that of moulder. Of course, the Civil War was right around the corner, so George had enlisted into Company E, 55th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, which was recruited out of Schuylkill County. He had mustered into service on December 2, 1861. George was 5 foot, 6 inches tall, with blue eyes, dark complexion and dark hair. He must have demonstrated himself during the war, for he was promoted to Corporal on January 5th, 1864. The following, from Bates History of the Civil War, details what would become of George during the end of the war.

"During the night of September 28, 1864, the 55th regiment crossed the James River and marched to participate in the attack about to be made, by the Army of the James, upon Chapin's Bluff. The capture of Fort Harrison was effected on the morning of the following day, but the 55th being held in support of the attacking troops, did not become engaged. In the afternoon it was determined to carry the works beyond, and at 4 o'clock, Colonel Jourdan, in command of the brigade, ordered the 55th to charge, and take a redoubt in the enemy's second line. The 158th New York was deployed to support it, by advancing through the woods on the left, and the 148th New York, to act as skirmishers on the right. The 55th advanced over the open ground in front, a quarter of a mile, under a concentrated fire from three redoubts, supported by a heavy body of infantry. Bravely stemming a torrent of shot, and deadly minnie balls, it moved steadily on, and reached a point within 20 yards of the work, when, its ranks almost annihilated, and supports failing to come up, it was forced to fall back, leaving the dead and most of the wounded upon the field, to fall into the hands of the enemy. Of 5 officers and 150 enlisted men who marched at the word of command, 3 officers and 78 enlisted men were either killed, wounded or missing."

The following facts of memorandum was collected regarding Prisoner Of War Records: George had been captured at Laurel Hill, near Chapins Farm, Virginia on September 30, 1864. He was later confined at Richmond, Virginia, September 30, 1864, then transported to Salisbury Confederate Prison, in North Carolina on October 9th  1864. The real misery for the prisoners at the Salisbury Confederate Prison began in the fall of 1864. The Prison compound designed for 2,500 men was forced to handle four times that many. Due to the Union Naval blockade there was a shortage of medicine and medical supplies which resulted in terrible suffering of the prisoners and needless deaths. Throughout the South there was a shortage of food and the Prison was no exception. Eventually, all the buildings were taken over for hospital use, and the men were forced to seek shelter that cold, wet winter under the buildings, in overcrowded tents, and in burrows dug into the hard red soil. The death rate that had been only 2% before October 1864 skyrocketed to 28%.

Recently captured soldiers and transferred prisoners from other areas increased the number held at the Salisbury Prison to 5,000 by October 1864. Ten thousand men were crowded into the stockade by November and conditions began to change dramatically. Burials before the overcrowding had been in coffins and in separate graves. Records exist that indicate military burial services were even given. However, due to the large number of men dying daily after October 1864 a mass burial system was initiated. The bodies were collected daily and taken to the “dead house” to be counted and loaded onto a one-horse wagon. At 2:00 PM each day this wagon of the dead would be taken about ¼ mile to an abandoned cornfield where the men were buried. Eighteen trenches of approximately 240 feet each were eventually needed.

Salisbury National Cemetery

George would never again see his family. He was admitted to the prison hospital on January 10th, 1865, wherein he later died January 16th, 1865 of debility. He is among those buried in one of the sacred trenches with thousands of his brother soldiers.

Bibliography

Bates, Samuel P. (1902). History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-65.

Salisbury Confederate Prison Association (2010). Prison History. Retrieved from http://www.salisburyprison.org/PrisonHistory.htm