William Eliot Ware was born on September 16, 1841, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was mustered into the 27th Missouri as a second lieutenant and recruiting officer on August 27, 1862, and was commissioned a first lieutenant by Governor Hamilton Gamble on September 22, 1862. He spent the first part of 1863 in the Provost Marshal’s Office in St. Louis, then rejoined his company at the siege of Vicksburg on June 1, 1863. That fall he joined the staff of Brigadier General Charles Woods, and in the summer of 1864 transferred to the staff of Major General Francis P. Blair. Ware continued on staff duty and was promoted to captain in April 1865. He was mustered out of service on June 23, 1865.

He died in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 23, 1912.

Carte-de-Visite by Henry Ulke, Washington, D.C.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 11662