William "Bill" Henry Christian was an American Brevet Brigadier General who served 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 ...

who commanded the 26th New York Infantry Regiment that took part in the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

. He was known for being unnerved during the battle, and for the deterioration of his mental state after the war.

Biography

Early Military Career

William was born on April 9, 1825, in

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

. He initially entered military service as a member of the 1st New York Volunteers for the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

He spent his first two months of training at

Governor's Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...

before being transferred to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

but saw no active military service during the war although seemed worthy enough to be promoted to First Sergeant by the end of the war. After the war, he stayed in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

due to the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

occurring and became a teacher before returning to New York in 1856 as he became a city surveyor for Utica. He then renewed his service in the New York Militia in the years prior to the

as a drillmaster.

American Civil War

When the American Civil War broke out, Christian traveled to Albany where he personally asked Governor

Edwin D. Morgan Edwin Denison Morgan (February 8, 1811February 14, 1883) was the 21st governor of New York from 1859 to 1862 and served in the United States Senate from 1863 to 1869. He was the first and longest-serving chairman of the Republican National Comm ...

for permission to raise a regiment of volunteers and Morgan saw Christian to be the ideal person to rally troops from Utica as he was a veteran of the Mexican–American War and granted Christian permission to do so and in a few weeks, managed to rally over 1,000 Men needed to form the 26th New York Infantry Regiment and was appointed as first commander on May 21, 1861. Christian was described as being a strict disciplinarian but proved the be beneficial as the soldiers were now well-drilled. Another differing aspect of Christian's training was the prohibition of the consumption of alcohol and insisted that his officers sign a temperance pledge. His training was described as having "military skill and energy," having "the best-drilled volunteer regiment," and "energy and firmness." After arriving on

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

on April 22, 1861, the 26th New York settled at Meridian Hill before experiencing their first battle at the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

although their only service was covering the retreating Union soldiers although was notable enough to receive direct praise from

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

himself. After the First Battle of Bull Run, Christian and the 26th New York wouldn't see any military service for 6 months before being assigned as a part of the new

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

and being a part of

Henry Warner Slocum Henry Warner Slocum, Sr. (September 24, 1827 – April 14, 1894), was a Union general during the American Civil War and later served in the United States House of Representatives from New York. During the war, he was one of the youngest major ge ...

's brigade and soon took the 26th New York to a new camp in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

. Christian finally saw his first instance of active military service when him and along with 350 men, were stationed at

Pohick Church Pohick Church, previously known as Pohick Episcopal Church, is an Episcopal church in the community of Lorton in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Often called the "Mother Church of Northern Virginia," the church is notable for its ass ...

on October 21, 1861, to capture Confederate cavalry operating there but proved to be a disaster as his targets escaped unharmed, his soldiers proceeding to pillage Alexandria along with one of his men accidentally killing another. After the disaster, Christian was supposed be faced in the Court of Inquiry but due to the case being dropped, General Slocum transferred Christian and the 26th to

Fort Lyon Fort Lyon was composed of two 19th-century military fort complexes in southeastern Colorado. The initial fort, also called Fort Wise, operated from 1860 to 1867. After a flood in 1866, a new fort was built near Las Animas, Colorado, which oper ...

. During this time, he married Mary Timmerman on November 6, 1861, and both remained on the fort until May 1862 until when new orders arrived that the 26th New York would be transferred to

Irvin McDowell Irvin McDowell (October 15, 1818 – May 4, 1885) was a career American army officer. He is best known for his defeat in the First Battle of Bull Run, the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War. In 1862, he was given command o ...

's III Corps of the new

Army of Virginia The Army of Virginia was organized as a major unit of the Union Army and operated briefly and unsuccessfully in 1862 in the American Civil War. It should not be confused with its principal opponent, the Confederate Army of ''Northern'' Virginia ...

of John Pope. The 26th New York was then sent to camps near Falmouth and then Manassas and would stay there until the end of August where they joined the rest of Pope's army which located Lee's

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

. The 26th New York would then participate at the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

as a member of the 2nd Brigade of

James B. Ricketts James Brewerton Ricketts (June 21, 1817 – September 22, 1887) was a career officer in the United States Army, serving as a Union Army general during the Civil War. At First Bull Run, he was wounded and captured, but later exchanged. He fought a ...

's 2nd Division.''Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Volume 2, pages 497-499; Official Records, Series I, Volume XII, Part 3, page
581-588
' However, when the 26th began to hold the line at Chinn Ridge, Christian was notably absent during the engagement. This was because when Longstreet's Command came to begin an assault on the line, he found Christian lying under a tree and wrapped in a blanket, being attended to by Surgeon Dr. Coventry as Christian had apparently had heatstroke and a case of poison ivy on his hands although he made a miraculous recovery and then went to take the place of Zealous Bates Tower as Brigadier as Tower was wounded and the brigade made their way back to

Centreville, Virginia Centreville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States and a suburb of Washington, D.C. The population was 73,518 as of the 2020 census. Centreville is approximately west of Washington, D.C. History Colonia ...

. His soldiers however were unimpressed by Christian's actions and held a secret meeting to whether to report Christian to his superior, Ricketts but the final result was against performing such an act.

Battle of Antietam

Christian then participated in the

Battle of South Mountain The Battle of South Mountain—known in several early Southern accounts as the Battle of Boonsboro Gap—was fought on September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for posses ...

and the

Battle of Chantilly The Battle of Chantilly (or Ox Hill, the Confederate name) took place on September 1, 1862, in Fairfax County, Virginia, as the concluding battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's corps ...

and although Christian was competent at both at those engagements, he only played a supporting role in the battles. Later on, Christian and his brigade marched across Antietam Creek and commenced a skirmish with the Confederate lines although the tension of the battle began to affect Christian's mental state due to the tension of uncertainty. During the early morning hours, Christian's brigade was to support Duryée's and Hartsuff’s brigades in the opening attack with Christian's Brigade having to deal with the direct Confederate artillery while at the North Woods but after intense artillery, Christian himself ran into the safety of the East Woods by himself and leaving the rest of his men leaderless. While the situation was going bad for Duryée and Hartsuff, Christian decided that now would be a good time to run the men through the manual of arms but as he was doing this, Confederate Artillery from Nicodemus Heights and the Dunker Church and the artillery strikes were sending sharp chunks of wood in the air as well as knocking down entire trees. As an attempt to escape the perilous situation, Christian ordered his men to retreat. While doing so, Richard Coulter reportedly told Christian: "For God’s sake, come and help us out, our ammunition is exhausted!" and Coulter ran back to the cornfields but Christian didn't follow and stood still on the spot where he encountered Coulter. Soon enough, Christian snapped and he fled from the scene with his horse as Christian abandoned his brigade and Coulter's men to their own fates as he proclaimed that the battle was lost. As he fled, his men could do nothing but watch, confused and left the brigade in a nearly complete leadership vacuum as they did nothing, wanting things to sort themselves out. Matters got so bad that Colonel Peter Lyle had to assume command of Christian's remaining men as well as the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment and the rest of the men would go on to redeem themselves for the rest of the battle. As for Christian himself, he was spotted shaking under a tree behind the lines by Brig. Gen.

Truman Seymour Truman Seymour (September 24, 1824 – October 30, 1891) was a career soldier and an accomplished painter. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, rising to the rank of major general. He was present at the Battle of Fort S ...

. That evening, Ricketts himself called Christian to his headquarters and demanded he resign or face a court-martial and Christian chose to resign claiming that “business of importance” required him to return to Utica and he did so two days later.

Post-War Life

When he got home, Christian lied about why he departed as he told everyone that he left by intrigue among some of his fellow officers but the truth eventually caught up to him in both talk and his own mind. After the disaster, Christian actively sought to regain any chance of military commands, even proposing at one point to serve without pay but to no avail. On December 8, 1868, President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

nominated Christian a posthumous promotion to brevet brigadier general. His actions during the American Civil War made Christian haunted and made him gain

Post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

, deteriorating his mental state, affecting his family and no longer allowed to work as a surveyor and civil engineer. A instance of his worsening mental health as one time, Christian was seen placing a saddle over the banister of his front porch, mounting it, and delivering orders to a nonexistent group of soldiers. Veterans of the 26th were kind enough to invite Christian to reunions but sometimes, Christian would erupt into uncontrolled fits of laughter. By early 1886, his wife had enough of Christian and sent him to the New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica where he spent his final days there as a patient before dying on May 8, 1887, and was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Utica. After the death of William, Mary applied for a pension, claiming that her husband's demise was caused by his supposed wartime heatstroke with the support from members of the 26th but the claim was denied, likely due to William's actions.

References