Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. The son of New Jersey Congressman Isaac Wildrick, he was appointed by his father to the United States Military Academy at West Point, and graduated in 1857. Assigned to the 3rd United States Regular Artillery, he was sent to the West, and took part in Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston's Expedition against the Mormons. He was serving in California when the Civil War started, and repeatedly requested a transfer back East to assume a spot in the various regiments being raised in his home state of New Jersey. The requests were denied until 1864, due to the fact that there were many elements sympathetic to the Confederate cause in the West, and a Union military presence was needed to keep order. While out in the West serving as first on the staff of Brigadier General George Wright, then as Assistant Commissary of Musters for the Department of the Pacific, he received a promotion to Captain, 3rd United States Regular Artillery in February 1864. In October 1864 he was finally allowed to return to New Jersey, where on October 11th he was commissioned as Colonel and commander of the 39th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, which would turn out to be the next to last infantry unit raised by the state. His command was assigned to bolster the Union forces entrenched around Petersburg, Virginia, become part of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division of the IX Army Corps (the need for re-enforcements in the Army of the Potomac was such that five companies of the regiment were sent to Petersburg before the rest of the unit was completely organized). After some garrison duty at City Point, Virginia, Colonel Wildrick led his men as they were assigned to the trenches, where they served in the Winter of 1864 and Early Spring of 1865. On April 2, 1865, in the final push to oust General Robert E. Lee's depleting forces at Petersburg, his brigade took part in the assault on the Confederate position at Fort Mahone. He led the 39th New Jersey at the head of the brigade, and was reported to be the first Union soldier to enter the Fort. The Jerseymen captured the position after three assaults and two Confederate counterattacks, sustaining 17 dead and 74 wounded. Colonel Wildrick has part of his moustache shot away, and had his clothes pierced with a bullet. After the battles around Petersburg that day the Confederate forces finally were driven from the trenches. After a short pursuit, Colonel Wildrick and his men were sent to Alexandria, Virginia, with the rest of the IX Corps for provost duty, where they were when the war finally ended a few weeks later. Mustered out of the Volunteer service in June 17, 1865 he was brevetted Brigadier General, US Volunteers (back dated to April 2, 1865) for "gallant and meritorious services before Petersburg, Va." Reverting back to his Regular rank of Captain (he had received brevets of Major and Lieutenant Colonel US Regular Army on March 13, 1865), he became commander of Battery E, 3rd United States Regular Artillery. He served continuously in the Army, rising to Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st United States Regular Artillery. He retired in October 1894, and died less then a month later at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, New York. His younger brother, John Albright Wildrick, served in the Civil War as Lieutenant Colonel and commander of the 28th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry.