William Henry Palmer

Home State: Virginia
Command Billet: Regiment Major
Branch of Service: Infantry
Unit: 1st Virginia Infantry

Before the Antietam Campaign:
Also listed as 'WH'. Palmer enlisted in Company F, First Virginia as a private and eventually rose to command it as colonel. He took command of the Regiment during the battle of Williamsburg (5/5/62) where Colonel Williams was shot. He was a Major at Antietam.

The remainder of the War:
He was only 27 when he joined A.P. Hill's staff (as Chief of Staff) around the time of Fredericksburg in late 1862. Robertson calls him 'polished, highly organized, and indefatigable' as well as 'Hill's most truested aide.' He suffered a dislocated shoulder at Chancellorsville.

After the War:
After the War he was (probably) in business in Richmond, VA. He is associated with the warehouse which had been Libby Prison during the war, perhaps owning it at least briefly.
He is reported to have had a fine 'Summer Home' on Main Street in Blacksburg, VA

References, Sources, and other notes:
Summary of letter at the Virginia Historical Society, and references at the AP Hill site.
See a Timeline of Libby Prison's History, and a Blacksburg newpaper article for mentions of Colonel Palmer after the War.

Birth Date: 1835
Death Date: 7/14/1926 Death Place: Richmond, VA Burial Place: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA

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