Benjamin Wallick

The Canal Builders of Tuscarawas County

In 1841, when Benjamin Wallick Sr. — known as "Peru" Benjamin — moved to Peru, Miami County, Indiana, one of his five sons did not go with him but stayed in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. That son was George Wallick, a carpenter who built canal boats in Dover, a small town on the Ohio-Erie Canal system. Canals were the super-highways of the mid-nineteenth century, and this particular canal wound its way from the Ohio River through the eastern heartland of the Buckeye State and on to the shores of Lake Erie.

In 1828 George had a son, Benjamin, who became a carpenter like his father and specialized as a wagon maker. By the spring of 1864 Benjamin and his wife Ann had moved northeast of Dover to Magnolia, a small village on the Stark-Carroll County border. There, the thirty-five-year-old was called to active duty during the Civil War as a member of the Ohio National Guard.

Grant's Overland Campaign and the 100-Day Men

In the spring of 1864 General Grant began what we now call his Overland Campaign. He wanted to press the Confederate armies simultaneously on all fronts, which would stretch the Rebel resources to their limits and prohibit them from reinforcing one another. In order to implement this strategy Grant needed a great infusion of new troops. President Lincoln asked the state governments for 300,000 more men to serve as One-Hundred Day Volunteers to help bolster the manpower needs of the army. These soldiers were placed mostly in the rear areas to help secure railroad lines, guard prisoners, and perform duties that were very necessary but far less hazardous. This also released more experienced veterans for frontline combat.

Ohio called up 35,000 militiamen for 100 days to serve as Federal troops in May 1864. "Peru" Benjamin was one of these soldiers. David Wallick, from Van Wert County, was another guardsman who served 100 days that summer.

There is little known about Benjamin's service other than he spent all his time in Columbus, Ohio, at Tod Barracks. This was one of five army posts in the area and served as a new recruiting station, administration headquarters, and a center where soldiers were mustered out of their Federal service. It had a parade ground flanked by six barracks, a hospital, mess hall, guardhouse, officers' quarters, and could accommodate up to 5,000 troops. Benjamin could have performed any number of duties while posted there. Tod Barracks was on nine acres near today's intersection of High and Goodale Streets, where the Columbus Convention Center is now located.

Magnolia, Ohio — A Long Life

Benjamin Wallick spends the rest of his life as a carpenter in Magnolia, Ohio. He dies on June 20, 1920, at age 92 — making him the oldest Civil War veteran from the Wallick family. He is buried in the Magnolia, Ohio Cemetery.

His longevity is remarkable: he outlived the war by 55 years, witnessed the invention of the automobile, the airplane, and the telephone, and died just two years after the end of the First World War.

Comrades-in-Arms · Uncles & Cousins