On both sides of the warSourced
He opposed slavery and secession.
Then was drafted by the Confederacy.
German-born Dethloff Willrodt moved to Texas and opposed slavery and secession, yet was conscripted into the Confederate army. After being captured, he joined the Union army and fought on the first day at Gettysburg in 1863.
One life shows
how tangled the war could be.
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Dethloff Willrodt · Wikimedia contributors
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Reviewed: 2026-10-01