William Herbert Withington
SERVICE NOTES
Service/Branch: United States Army
Entered Service at: Jackson, Michigan
Entered Service on: April 29, 1861
Unit: Company B, 1st Michigan Infantry
Rank: Captain
Discharged: March 21, 1863
Service Notes:
After his capture by Confederates at Bull Run, he was exchanged January 31, 1862.
Appointed colonel of the 17th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment on August 11, 1862.
He participated in the Battle of South Mountain on September 14, 1862, and the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862.
He resigned from the volunteers on March 21, 1863.
On December 3, 1867, President Andrew Johnson nominated Withington for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, for his service at the Battle of South Mountain, and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on February 14, 1868.
After the war, Withington founded the Withington and Cooley Manufacturing Company, a maker of agricultural implements, in Jackson, Michigan.
Withington served in the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan State Senate.
William Withington's Medal of Honor at the Michigan Military Heritage Museum
Photo by ©Major Bill, 2019
Location of Action: Bull Run, Virginia
Date of Action: July 21, 1861
Date Award Issued: January 7, 1895
Citation: Remained on the field under heavy fire to succor his superior officer.
Additional Notes:
On January 7, 1895, Withington was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the First Battle of Bull Run where he remained on the field and took command from his wounded superior officer, Orlando B. Willcox. Captain Withington was able to rally troops and fight in the face of the Confederate onslaught. He too was wounded and eventually captured.
Birthdate: February 1, 1835
Birthplace: Dorchester, Massachusetts
Spouse: Julia C. Beebe, June 6, 1859
Died: June 27, 1903
Buried: Mount Evergreen Cemetery, Jackson, Michigan
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