William T. Holmes (June 7, 1846 – August 31, 1916) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Holmes was born in Vermilion County, Illinois on June 7, 1846, and entered service at Indianapolis, Indiana. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism shown on April 6, 1865, at the

Battle of Sailor's Creek The Battle of Sailor's Creek was fought on April 6, 1865, near Farmville, Virginia, as part of the Appomattox Campaign, near the end of the American Civil War. It was the last major engagement between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, c ...

, while serving as a

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

with Company A,

3rd Regiment Indiana Cavalry The 3rd Indiana Cavalry Regiment, also designated the 45th Indiana Infantry Regiment or the 45th Indiana Volunteers was a military unit from the U.S. state of Indiana that participated in the American Civil War. It consisted of two separate "wings ...

. He won his medal for capturing the flag of the

27th Virginia Infantry The 27th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Stonewall Brigade of the Army of Northern Virginia. The 27th Virgi ...

Regiment. His Medal of Honor was issued on May 3, 1865. Holmes died at the age of 70, on August 31, 1916, and was buried at Bean Cemetery in

Appleton City, Missouri Appleton City is a city in St. Clair County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,032 as of the 2020 census. It is the largest city in St. Clair County. History Appleton City was originally called Arlington, and under the latter name wa ...

Medal of Honor citation

References

External links

: 1846 births 1916 deaths People from Vermilion County, Illinois Burials in Missouri Union Army soldiers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Appleton City, Missouri Military personnel from Illinois {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub