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On
February 16, 1864 William C. Woodfall enlisted as a Private in
Company K, 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery Regiment. This unit
received a great number of recruits, William Woodfall being among
them, early in 1864 and was temporarily divided into two
regiments, both attached to the Ninth Corps, which participated in
the Wilderness campaign, fighting at Spottsylvania and Cold
Harbor. The original regiment joined the Army of the Potomac
at Cold Harbor on June 4, when it was divided into three
battalions and attached to the 18th Corps. The 2nd battalion
shared in the charge at Petersburg on June 18, by which the
ground was gained that became the front line of the army. The
provisional regiment was sent to Petersburg and was active at
the explosion of the mine, where it lost heavily. Its ranks
were by this time reduced to 400 men. The regiment was reunited on
August 26, 1864. In a charge on September 20, the 1st and 2nd
battalions lost 200 men, after which they were stationed with
the remainder of the regiment near Fort Harrison until
December. In January, 1865, a large number of the men
re-enlisted and the regiment joined in last charges upon the
enemy's works, afterward entering the city with the army. For
the remainder of the year the regiment was occupied in
detachments in preserving peace and order in the southern
part of Virginia. Returning to City Point, Virginia it was
there mustered out on January 29, 1866. Private Woodfall was among
those who mustered out of Company K on January 29, 1866 at
City Point. At
some point during the 1860s, Thomas Woodfall brought his family to
New Jersey. The 1870 Census shows the Woodfall family in Newton
Township, which was annexed to Camden in 1871. Thomas Woodfall
supported his family as a painter, William Woodfall worked as a
teamster. At the time of the Census, besides William there were
four younger children, Mary, Ellen, Teresa, and Frank.
On
April 8, 1876 William Woodfall was appointed to the Camden Fire
Department to serve as an extra man with Engine Company
1, filling the position of George
S. Hunt. William Woodfall resigned from the Fire Department on
July 1, 1877. He was replaced by William Jeffreys.
When
the 1880 Census was taken William Woodfall was working as a
teamster and living with his parents at 925 South
5th Street. He lived at that address through the beginning of
1884. From 1885 to 1887 William Woodfall's address was 1001 South
5th Street. The 1888-1889 Camden City Directory shows that he
was living at 736 Ferry
Avenue, and worked in Gloucester City. The
1890 Veterans Census has William Woodfall living at 684 Ferry
Avenue. The 1900 Census lists William Woodfall, then a widower,
and his widowed mother living at 684 Ferry
Avenue. He was still working as a teamster. William Woodfall
died on February 10, 1910 and was buried at Evergreen
Cemetery. William
Woodfall's nephew, Franklin C. Woodfall Jr., was working as a
member of the New York Shipbuilding Corporation's shipyard Fire
Department in September of 1923 when he was killed while in the
line of duty on September 26th.
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