William Wilson enlisted at Keokuk, Iowa, in Company A, 3rd Iowa Cavalry, on August 31, 1861; the regiment was organized between August 3 and September 13, 1861. The 3rd fought at Pea Ridge, the siege of Vicksburg and in several battles during General Sterling Price’s 1864 raid into Missouri. The 3rd Iowa Cavalry ended the war by taking part in General James Wilson’s cavalry raid to Macon, Georgia.

Wilson was promoted to fifth sergeant on June 30, 1862, to fourth sergeant on July 31, 1862, and to third and second sergeant on February 25, 1863. He was taken prisoner at La Grange, Arkansas, on May 1, 1863, but was exchanged on October 12, 1863, and returned to his company. Wilson re-enlisted on January 1, 1864, was promoted to second lieutenant on March 1, 1864, and to captain on September 29, 1864.

Wilson and the 3rd Iowa Cavalry were mustered out of service on August 9, 1865, at Atlanta, Georgia. He died on May 2, 1923, in Los Angeles, California.

Carte-de-Visite by Unknown Photographer

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 31531