William Wilkerson Morris (born about 1843) was an American soldier who was awarded the

Congressional 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. Th ...

for his actions from September 9 to 11, 1874, during the Battle of the Upper Washita River in the

Red River War The Red River War was a military campaign launched by the United States Army in 1874 to displace the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Native American tribes from the Southern Plains, and forcibly relocate the tribes to reservatio ...

, a part of the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

Early life

William Wilkerson Morris was born in about 1843 in

Stewart County, Tennessee Stewart County is a county located on the northwestern corner of Middle Tennessee, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,324. Its county seat is Dover. Stewart County is part of the Clarksville Metropolita ...

, the youngest child of Nathan Gilbert Morris and Charlotte (Wallace) Morris of Stewart County. In the 1860 U. S. Census., at age 17, he was living with his parents in Stewart County, working as a dry goods salesman.

Military service

At age 29, on June 1, 1872, at Louisville, Kentucky, he enlisted in Company H, 6th U. S. Cavalry.National Archives Microfilm Publication M233: Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780s-1917, Record Group 94; National Archives, Washington, D.C. His occupation was then noted as a bookkeeper. He was 5 feet, 8 1/2 inches tall, with hazel eyes, black hair and dark complexion. From September 9–11, 1874, his Cavalry unit was engaged in battle with Native Americans at the Battle of the Upper Washita River in Texas, for which engagement he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor In May 1876, the 6th Cavalry was ordered to Arizona Territory to relieve the 5th Cavalry. H Company took station at Fort Bowie, in Apache Pass south of Apache Spring. The ''

Arizona Weekly Citizen The ''Tucson Citizen'' was a daily newspaper in Tucson, Arizona. It was founded by Richard C. McCormick with John Wasson as publisher and editor on October 15, 1870, as the ''Arizona Citizen''. When it ceased printing on May 16, 2009, the daily ...

'' of August 12, 1876, reported the arrival in Tucson of Sgt. W. W. Morris on August 7. The October 1876 post report for Camp Lowell, Tucson, states that W. W. Morris, Q. M. Sgt., 6th Cavalry, had arrived at the post on August 8. While at Camp Lowell, he was again nominated for a Medal of Honor for an April 1875 engagement with the Cheyenne at Sappa Creek, Kansas. However, that nomination was withdrawn because he had so recently received the Medal. Morris transferred to Camp Grant, Arizona Territory on November 1, 1876. On June 1, 1877, he was discharged at Camp Grant due to the expiration of his five-year service.

Post-military life

William Wilkerson Morris was living at McMillanville,

Maricopa County Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about 6 ...

, Arizona Territory, on May 22, 1878, when he registered to vote. By October 14, 1878, he had moved to Picket Post, Pinal County, where he again registered to vote.Great Registers (of Voters). Arizona History and Archives Division, Phoenix, Arizona On July 9, 1880, William W. Morris and Jotham B. Hunt purchased the "Indianna" mine from the estate of Robert Gordan.Charles F. Palmer to W. W. Morris & J. B. Hunt, Pinal County, Arizona, Deed Book 5, pages 465-467 (accessed on FamilySearch.org) The mine was located about 4–5 miles north of Picket Post. By October 1882, Morris, age 40, had moved to

Benson Benson may refer to: Animals *Benson (fish), largest common carp caught in Britain Places Geography Canada *Rural Municipality of Benson No. 35, Saskatchewan; rural municipality *Benson, Saskatchewan; hamlet United Kingdom * Benson, Oxfordshire ...

Cochise County Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,447 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Bisbee and the most populous city is ...

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...

, registering to vote there on October 7. On August 13, 1884, age 43, he again signed the voter registration rolls in Benson, with his occupation being noted as notary public. Morris' residence after 1884 and date/place of death are yet unknown.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, William Wilkerson 1840s births American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor Military personnel from Tennessee People from Stewart County, Tennessee Date of death unknown United States Army Medal of Honor recipients