Thomas Williams (general)
| Thomas R. Williams | |
|---|---|
Civil War General Thomas Williams (1815-1862)
who died in the Battle of Baton Rouge |
|
| Born |
January 16, 1815 Albany, New York |
| Died | August 5, 1862 (aged 47) Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Place of burial | Elmwood Cemetery Detroit, Michigan |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1832, 1837 - 1862 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Unit | Department of the Gulf |
| Commands held | Williams' Brigade |
| Battles/wars |
Black Hawk War Second Seminole War Mexican War American Civil War *Occupation of New Orleans *Battle of Baton Rouge † |
| Other work | career soldier |
Thomas R. Williams (January 16, 1815 – August 5, 1862) was an antebellum United States Army officer and a brigadier general in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was killed as he commanded the Union troops at the Battle of Baton Rouge.
Williams was born in 1815 in Albany, New York. His father was General John R. Williams, the first Mayor of Detroit and prominent military figure in Michigan. His father married his cousin, Mary Mott, of one of Albany's leading families. Williams was the fifth of nine surviving children.
Williams' grandfather, Thomas Williams, settled in Detroit in 1765 and the Williams family remained there from that time. Prior to Detroit, the Williams family had settled in Albany, New York in 1690.
He began his military service in 1832 as a private in an infantry company during the Black Hawk War, serving as a trumpeter under his father's command.
The following year, Williams received an appointment to attend the United States Military Academy, then graduated in the Class of 1837 and he also taught mathematics at West Point in 1844. He was breveted as a second lieutenant of the 4th U. S. Artillery. He later served in the Seminole Wars as a first Lieutenant and Assistant Commissary of Substance. Williams served in the Mexican War and was brevetted as a captain on August 20, 1847. He was brevetted as a major on September 13, 1847, for "meritorious service" in the war.
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Wikipedia