William Williams (soldier)
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 | This article's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. The reason given is: Differing accounts of death. (April 2024) |
William Williams | |
|---|---|
 William Williams wearing a U.S. Army uniform during the War of 1812 | |
| Born | Frederick Hall c. 1793 |
| Died | March 19, 1815 (aged 21) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | slave, soldier |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |  U.S. Army 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment |
| Years of service | 1814 |
| Rank | private |
| Battles/wars | War of 1812
|
Frederick Hall, who used the alias William Williams was a runaway African American slave who enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812 and died from a mortal wound while defending Fort McHenry from the British naval bombardment in 1814.[1][additional citation(s) needed]
Early life[edit]
U.S. Army service in War of 1812[edit]
He escaped his master from Bellefields Plantation (Sim's Delight), Croom, Prince George's County, Maryland in early 1814; despite the standing British offer of freedom and land to any escaped slave who joined the British army or navy, Williams enlisted in the United States Army in mid 1814. He was assigned to the 38th U.S. Infantry in Baltimore and received an enlistment bonus of $50, and wages of $8 per month.
Death[edit]
Williams traveled with his unit to Fort McHenry on September 10, 1814, two days before the British landed near Baltimore. During the bombardment on September 13th and 14th, Williams was posted with an infantry detachment of 600 men in the dry ditch surrounding the fort to repulse any British land assault. He and his fellow soldiers endured a 25-hour bombardment wherein over 1,500 explosive shells were fired at the fort and its gun crews.[2] Williams was severely wounded, having his “leg blown off by a cannon ball”[3]
Williams served with the 38th U.S. Infantry until October 25, 1814 when he presented to the 10th District General Military Hospital in Baltimore due to tuberculosis-related symptoms. Dr. Tobias Watkins, Regimental Surgeon of the 38th U.S. Infantry, treated him, but Williams died at the hospital while still a soldier on March 19, 1815. His former enslaver Benjamin Oden petitioned Congress in 1832 for the right to be issued Williams' potential service-related land bounty, but was rejected by the House Committee on Private Land Claims in March 1836.[2]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ A Black Soldier Defends Fort McHenry, Library Field Guide No. 1, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Maryland, National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior
- ^ a b "Person: William Williams". National Park Service. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ NPS A black soldier defends Fort McHenry
External links[edit]