William W. Noyes (April 23, 1846—July 1, 1910) was an

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 ...

veteran who received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

Biography

Noyes was actually named Wallace William Noyes; his name was transposed in his military records. He was born in

Montpelier, Vermont Montpelier () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Washington County. The site of Vermont's state government, it is the least populous state capital in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population w ...

on April 23, 1846, and he was educated in the local schools. Noyes served as a Private in Company F,

2nd Vermont Infantry The 2nd Vermont Infantry Regiment was a three years' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the eastern theater, predominantly in the VI Corps, Army of the Potomac, from June 1861 to July 1865. It was a mem ...

; He enlisted on July 21, 1863, and was mustered in on the same day. Noyes joined as a substitute for Joseph Sterling of

, who had been drafted and hired Noyes to serve for him. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1892 for action on May 12, 1864 at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Incensed at the death of his friend at the hands of

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

soldiers who were waving white flags of truce to induce Union Army soldiers to lower their weapons, and then raising their own rifles to shoot the Union Army soldiers who had dropped their guard, Noyes climbed to the top of his regiment's defensive breastworks and called for his fellow soldiers to pass their rifles to him so he could engage the Confederates with rapid fire. The Confederate soldiers near his position were as close as 30 feet; he killed the nearest one immediately, and continued to fire as fast as his fellow soldiers could reload and hand him their rifles. His action temporarily stunned the Confederates into inaction. When they did return fire, the Confederates missed Noyes completely except for one round that knocked off his hat. After having his hat knocked off, Noyes ceased firing and returned to his unit's defenses; another 2nd Vermont Infantry soldier who attempted to repeat Noyes' act was immediately shot and killed by Confederates. Noyes received the Medal of Honor for his efforts to restore the morale of his comrades and induce the Confederates to stop pretending to surrender. His citation reads "Standing upon the top of the breastworks, deliberately took aim and fired no less than 15 shots into the enemy's lines, but a few yards away." He was wounded on April 2, 1865, during the Petersburg Breakthrough; he was struck in the right leg just above his ankle, and the bullet tore away a large portion of his calf muscle. He was still hospitalized when his regiment was discharged at the end of the war, and he did not receive his own discharge until October 1865. After the war Noyes worked as a carpenter in

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

and Montpelier. Emily M Vinson (unknown–1898) and had three children: George Wallace Noyes (1867–1930), Minnie A Noyes Campbell (1872–1946), and Harry Arthur Noyes (1879–1947). On July 1, 1910, he was working on the roof of the Blanchard Block commercial building in Montpelier when he fell off; he dropped about 40 feet to the roof of the hardware store next door and fractured his skull. He died at the scene, and was buried at Cutler Cemetery in

East Montpelier, Vermont East Montpelier () is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,598 at the 2020 census. History East Montpelier became a town in 1859. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total ...

Notes

References

* * * * * * * *

External links

*
Noyes, Wallace William
at ''Vermont in the Civil War'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Noyes, William W. 1846 births 1910 deaths Union Army soldiers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor People of Vermont in the American Civil War People from Montpelier, Vermont Burials in Vermont