Claus ("Carl") Wriborg

Quick Facts

Significance:

A deaf immigrant from Holland who fought in the Civil War.

Place of Birth:

Holland

Date of Birth:

1833

Place of Death:

Field Hospital at the Battle of Williamsburg

Date of Death:

May 7, 1862

Claus ("Carl") H. Wriborg grew up in Holland in the 1800s. His dad was a ranking officer in the Dutch Navy. Claus was almost totally deaf. Despite the prevailing societal opinions and labels of "deaf and dumb" at the time, he was well-educated and learned English. When his dad died, leaving him without any other family, he moved to America.

He earned a job as a county clerk in Mayville, New York. When the Civil War broke out, Claus wanted to fight for the Union just like many other young men around him. Unfortunately, total deafness was an exemption from military service. Partial deafness was not. The issue at hand for many medical examiners was there were no clear guidelines as to what was partial versus total deafness. Many deaf men, like Claus, just needed to convince one medical examiner that they could hear enough to participate in the war. Despite not being able to hear any officer's order, Claus passed the exam. When it was suggested he work as a military clerk, Claus responded, "I was a clerk at home; then I was a clerk at Mayville. I can always be a clerk and get a good pay, but I want to be a soldier and fight for the country of my choice. I will not be a clerk here."

At 28 years old, Claus enlisted in Company D, 72^nd New York Infantry. This group supported the Defenses of Washington D.C, Manassas, and Fredericksburg. Then, they were ordered to the Pennisula Campaign in Yorktown and Williamsburg. The Battle of Williamsburg is where Claus met his final resting place.

Claus was both an immigrant and a person with a disability. This made him a target for a lot of teasing and jokes amongst his company. Despite this he remained very patriotic and focused on the Union's goal. His tent mate, 19 year old David B. Parker, eventually befriended Claus. David later wrote about Claus, "the hero", in a New York newspaper, Fredonia Censor. 

Claus was seriously wounded in the leg and head at the Battle of Williamsburg. Despite this, David reports, Claus saved many Union soldiers after he was wounded. Claus played dead behind a log and killed five Confederate soldiers who were chasing after his regiment that day. He used his cartridges, then those of a nearby dead soldier, to shoot the men as they ran passed him. When he was carried to a field hospital, he told David, "I believe I did my duty."

At the field hospital, Claus refused treatment to his bleeding leg until all other men in worse condition were treated. Unfortunately, by the time the surgeon returned, Claus had lost too much blood and died.

References:

1. Barram, R. (2014). The 72nd New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster. McFarland & Company.
2. Lang, H. (2020). Fighting in the Shadows: Untold Stories of Deaf People in the Civil War. Gallaudet University Press. pp. 155-156. Quoted in "Carl Wribord, Hero." Fredonia Censor. Oct 9, 1912.
3. Battle Unit Details. (n.d). National Park Service: The Civil War.