Nelson Grosvenor Williams (May 4, 1823 – November 30, 1897) was a New York City customs agent and

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

officer during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Early life

Williams was born in New York and was appointed to West Point in 1839. He resigned a year later due to poor math grades. He worked as an importer in New York City before moving to Iowa in 1855. Finding work as a storekeeper in

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

, Williams finally settled on a farm in

Dyersville Dyersville is a city in eastern Delaware County and western Dubuque County in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,477 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 4,035 in 200 ...

Civil War

Williams was commissioned colonel of the 3rd Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment on June 26, 1861. He served under

Stephen A. Hurlbut Stephen Augustus Hurlbut (November 29, 1815 – March 27, 1882), was an attorney and politician, who commanded the U.S. Army of the Gulf in the American Civil War. Afterward, he continued to serve as a politician and also as a diplomat. Althoug ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

becoming engaged in minor skirmishes there. In December 1861 Colonel Williams received a

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

for cowardice but was acquitted. In February 1862 Hurlbut's command was added to

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

Army of West Tennessee An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

becoming the 4th Division. Williams assumed command of 1st Brigade and led it into action at the

battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...

. Early in the fighting Williams' horse was shot and fell on him forcing the colonel to relinquish command. Command of the brigade passed to Colonel

Isaac C. Pugh Isaac Campbell Pugh (November 23, 1805 – November 19, 1874) was a United States volunteer soldier who was a veteran of the Black Hawk War, the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War; rising to the rank of Brevet brigadier general ...

for the remainder of the battle. Williams spent several weeks recovering and resigned his commission on November 27, 1862. On November 29, 1862, he was appointed brigadier general however, the U.S. Senate negated the appointed because he was no longer on active duty and Williams returned to civilian life.Warner p.561

Later life

Williams returned to his farm in Iowa and remained there until 1869 when Ulysses S. Grant appointed him deputy collector of customs in New York City. Williams held this position for 25 years. He died at his home in Brooklyn in 1897.

Sources

* Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Nelson G. Union Army generals People of Iowa in the American Civil War People of New York (state) in the American Civil War 1897 deaths 1823 births People from Bainbridge, New York People from Dubuque, Iowa People from Dyersville, Iowa