In 1851, Schoepf came to the United States from Europe after defecting from the Austrian army to the Hungarian revolutionists in 1848. In 1861, he received a commission in the Union army as a brigadier general. He was sent to Kentucky, where he commanded forces at the battles of Fishing Creek (Mill Springs), and Perryville, before being sent to command the Federal prison at Fort Delaware. He mustered out of service in 1866.
