Edward Bancroft Williston (July 15, 1837 – April 24, 1920) was a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. He was a recipient of 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. ...

for gallantry 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 ...

Biography

Williston was born in

Norwich, Vermont Norwich is a town in Windsor County, in the U.S. state of Vermont. The population was 3,612 at the 2020 census. Home to some of the state of Vermont's wealthiest residents, the municipality is a commuter town for nearby Hanover, New Hampshir ...

, and graduated from

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...

in 1856. Earlier that year, he was one of the first initiated members of

Theta Chi Theta Chi () is an international college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont, and has initiated more than 200,000 members and currently has over 8,700 collegiate members across Nort ...

fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...

at the school. On August 5, 1861, Williston was commissioned in the 2nd United States Artillery as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " 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 fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. Later that year, on September 27, he was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

. On June 12, 1864, Williston received the

for his actions at Trevilian Station, Virginia as part of Battery D, 2nd United States Artillery, as part of the famed

U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade The Horse Artillery Brigade of the Army of the Potomac was a brigade of various batteries of horse artillery during the American Civil War. Made up almost entirely of individual, company-strength batteries from the Regular Army's five artillery ...

. The medal citation is for his "distinguished gallantry in action at Trevillian Station, Virginia, June 2, 1864." Effective March 8, 1865, Williston promoted to captain. He was

brevetted In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet ( or ) was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank. ...

captain on May 3, 1863, for "gallant and meritorious services in action at Salem Heights, Virginia" and brevetted Major for the same at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

on July 3, 1863. He was brevetted Lieutenant Colonel on September 19, 1864 in the Battle of Winchester and brevetted Colonel on March 13, 1865. Williston BVT-BG Edward

However it was not until March 22, 1885, before Williston was permanently promoted to major in the 3rd U.S. Artillery, reaching

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

ten years later on February 12, 1895. He reached full colonel in the 6th U.S. Artillery on March 8, 1898. During the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, Williston was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on March 4, 1898; he was discharged from the volunteers on June 12, 1899, and reverted to his permanent rank of colonel. He retired on July 15, 1900; by an act of Congress, he was promoted to brigadier general on the retired list on April 23, 1904. Married to Flora E. Chatfield Williston (1861–1944), Williston retired to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, and died there on April 24, 1920. He was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

, with his wife being buried next to him twenty four years later.Burial Detail: Williston, Edward B (Section 1, Grave 422)
– ANC Explorer

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 2d U.S. Artillery. Place and date: At Trevilian Station, Va., June 12, 1864. Entered service at: San Francisco, Calif. Birth: Norwich, Vt. Date of issue: April 6, 1892. Citation:

Distinguished gallantry.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Williston, Edward Bancroft 1837 births 1920 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Norwich University alumni People of Vermont in the American Civil War Union Army officers United States Army generals Military personnel from Portland, Oregon American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links