Edward Bancroft Williston (July 15, 1837 – April 24, 1920) was a brigadier general in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He was a recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for gallantry during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Biography

Williston was born in

Norwich, Vermont Norwich is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,612 at the 2020 census. Home to some of the state of Vermont's wealthiest residents, the municipality is a commuter town for nearby Hanover, New Hampshire acros ...

, the son of Ebenezer Bancroft Williston, a Norwich Academy professor. He was the half-brother of Union Army Brevet Brigadier General

Henry Stanton Burton Henry Stanton Burton (1818–1869) was a graduate of West Point, a career American Army officer who served in the Second Seminole War, Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Early life Henry Stanton Burton was born in September 181 ...

. The younger Williston attended

Norwich University Norwich University is a private university in Northfield, Vermont, United States. The university was founded in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy". It is the oldest of six senior military college, senior militar ...

from 1851 to 1855, but left shortly before graduating to work as an assistant engineer in Pennsylvania. In 1856, he moved to

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

to manage his half-brother's ranch. In 1865, Williston was awarded a B.S. degree in the Norwich Class of 1856 based on the combination of his education and his military service. He was also initiated as an honorary member of

Theta Chi Theta Chi () is an international men's college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856, at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont. It has initiated more than 215,000 members and has over 8,900 collegiate members across North A ...

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

at the school. On August 5, 1861, Williston was commissioned in the 2nd United States Artillery as a second lieutenant in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. Later that year, on September 27, he was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

. On June 12, 1864, Williston received the

for his actions at Trevilian Station, Virginia as part of Battery D, 2nd United States Artillery, as part of the famed

U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade The Horse Artillery Brigade of the Army of the Potomac was a brigade of various artillery battery, batteries of horse artillery during the American Civil War. Made up almost entirely of individual, Company (military unit), company-strength batter ...

. The medal citation is for his "distinguished gallantry in action at Trevillian Station, Virginia, June 2, 1864." Effective March 8, 1865, Williston promoted to captain. He was

brevetted In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the of ...

captain on May 3, 1863, for "gallant and meritorious services in action at Salem Heights, Virginia" and brevetted Major for the same at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

on July 3, 1863. He was brevetted Lieutenant Colonel on September 19, 1864 in the Battle of Winchester and brevetted Colonel on March 13, 1865. However it was not until March 22, 1885, before Williston was permanently promoted to major in the 3rd U.S. Artillery, reaching lieutenant colonel ten years later on February 12, 1895. He reached full colonel in the 6th U.S. Artillery on March 8, 1898. During the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, Williston was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on March 4, 1898; he was discharged from the volunteers on June 12, 1899, and reverted to his permanent rank of colonel. He retired on July 15, 1900; by an act of Congress, he was promoted to brigadier general on the retired list on April 23, 1904. Williston was a companion of the California Commandery of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

. Married to Flora E. Chatfield Williston (1861–1944), Williston retired to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. They had a winter home in San Diego, California, where he died on April 24, 1920. He was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

, with his wife being buried next to him twenty-four years later.Burial Detail: Williston, Edward B (Section 1, Grave 422)
– ANC Explorer

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 2d U.S. Artillery. Place and date: At Trevilian Station, Va., June 12, 1864. Entered service at: San Francisco, Calif. Birth: Norwich, Vt. Date of issue: April 6, 1892. Citation:

Distinguished gallantry.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williston, Edward Bancroft 1837 births 1920 deaths People from Norwich, Vermont Norwich University alumni People of Vermont in the American Civil War Union army officers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals Military personnel from Portland, Oregon Military personnel from San Diego Burials at Arlington National Cemetery

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links