Wende remained with Battery B after the War's conclusion, traveling with it to Fortress Monroe, Virginia in October 1865. Wende obtained a discharge from the Army on 1 June 1866 although his enlistment did not expire until the following February. He served a total of four years, eight months, and seven days in Battery B. Wende left the Army early, possibly with the help of Henry A. du Pont, to help his aging mother take care of family business in Germany. Henry A. du Pont lent Wende $200 to help pay for the trip.
After his return from Germany, Wende settled in Hazleton, Pennsylvania and worked as a clerk. By October 1868 he had relocated to Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, where he became a "Horse Dokter" [sic]. In 1870 he published a book titled Campaign of Light Battery "B," 5th U.S. Artillery, Commanded by Captain and Brevet Colonel H. A. du Pont (pictured). This short work details the movements of Battery B during 1864 and early 1865, provides a roster of the battery's officers and men, and includes brief narratives of the battery's major battles. Wende published an expanded version of this book in 1895.
Sometime in 1871 Wende married a woman named Eliza whom he had known in Germany. Wende wrote to Henry A. du Pont after his marriage, asking if du Pont could help him get a place in the Army taking care of horses. He also wanted du Pont to hire Eliza as a housekeeper. Despite repeated attempts, Wende was not able to secure jobs for either himself or Eliza with the Army.
Growing tired of living in the East, Richard Wende decided to move west in order to seek more opportunities. By 1880, he and his family lived in Monroe, Michigan, where he worked as a veterinary surgeon. Wende continued his work taking care of horses in Monroe until his death on 2 December 1895.
Image: Page 1 of "Campaign of Light Battery 'B,' 5th U.S. Artillery" by Richard Wende (Hagley Digital Archives)