William Henry French
Born: January 13, 1815
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
Father: William French 1786 – 1844
(Buried: Unknown Burial Spot probably buried in District of Columbia)
Mother: Anna Rosetta Halverson 1792 – 1828
(Buried: Unknown Burial Spot probably buried in District of Columbia)
Wife: Caroline Read 1820 – 1884
(Buried: Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C.)
Children:
Lt. Frank Sands French 1842 – 1865
(Buried: Old Swedes Churchyard, Wilmington, Delaware)
Anna R. French Clem 1852 – 1899
(Buried: Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C.)
Frederick Halverson French 1855 – 1906
(Buried: Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C.)
U.S. Navy Ensign George Ross French 1857 – 1895
(Buried: Boerne Cemetery, Boerne, Texas)
Rosalie French Conklin 1861 – 1891
(Buried: Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas)
Education:
1837: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (22nd in class)
Occupation before War:
1837 – 1838: 2nd Lt. United States Army, 1st Artillery
1838 – 1848: 1st Lt. United States Army, 1st Artillery
1847: Acting Adjutant General for General Patterson's Division
1847: Aide to Brig. General Franklin Pierce
1847: Brevetted Captain for Gallantry Battle of Cerro Gordo Mexico
1847: Brevetted Major for Gallantry for two Mexican War Battles
1848 – 1861: Captain United States Army, 1st Artillery
1860: Member of Board to revise System of Light Artillery Tactics
Civil War Career:
1861: Commander of Key West, Florida
1861 – 1862: Brigadier General Union Army Volunteers Infantry
1861 – 1864: Major United States Army, 2nd Artillery
1861 – 1862: Served in the Defenses of Washington, D.C.
1862: Brevetted Lt. Colonel for Gallantry Battle of Fair Oaks, Virginia
1862: Served in the Battle of Antietam, Maryland
1862: Brevetted Colonel for Gallantry Battle of Antietam, Maryland
1862 – 1864: Major General Union Army Volunteers Infantry
1862: Served in the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia
1863: Served in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia
1863: Union Army Commander of Harper's Ferry District
1863 – 1864: Commander of Union Army, 3rd Army Corps
1863: Served in the Battle of Manassas Gap
1863: Served in the Operations at Mine Run, Virginia
1864 – 1877: Lt. Colonel United States Army, 2nd Artillery
1864: Mustered out of the Union Army on May 6th
1864: Commander of troops at Harve de Grace siege of Washington
1864 – 1865: Garrison Duty at Fort McHenry, Maryland
1865: Chief and Inspector of Artillery Union Army Middle Department
1865: Brevetted Brigadier General for Gallantry at Chancellorsville
1865: Brevetted Major General for his service during the War
Occupation after War:
1864 – 1877: Lt. Colonel United States Army, 2nd Artillery
1865: Commander of U.S. Army, 2nd Artillery on Pacific Coast
1865 – 1867: Inspector of Artillery Defenses of San Francisco
1866 – 1867: President of Examining Board at San Francisco
1868 – 1869: Court Martial Duty in Washington, D.C.
1873 – 1880: Member Board for Establishment of Military Prisons
1877 – 1880: Colonel United States Army, 4th Artillery
1877: Helped put down riots of Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
1877 – 1878: Commander of Regiment at Presidio, California
1878 – 1880: Commander of Regiment at Angel Island, California
1880: Retired from United States Army on July 1st
Died: May 20, 1881
Place of Death: Washington, D.C.
Cause of Death: Apoplexy
Age at time of Death: 66 years old
Burial Place: Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
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