Mortimer Gibson McWilliams

An unmarried not-quite 17 year old merchant in Wetumpka, he enrolled there as 2nd Lieutenant, Company B, 8th Alabama Infantry on 13 May 1861. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on 20 March 1862 at Yorktown, VA.

He was with his Company in action at Sharpsburg on 17 September 1862. After several hours of fighting on the Piper Farm, the regiment was out of ammunition.

Despatching Lieutenant (M. G.) McWilliams (of Co. B.) and two men after ammunition, Major Williams (of the 9th) and Major Herbert railed about 100 men of the brigade and moved forward again.

He was promoted to Captain on 30 September 1862, to date from 8 August 1862. He was on furlough, sick, from June to at least October 1863 and he died at home in Wetumpka of disease on 10 January 1864, not yet 20 years old.

His service from his Compiled Service Record (CSR) at the US National Archives via fold3 and the State of Alabama,1 which also has him as N.C. McWilliams. The quote above is in Major (later Colonel) Herbert's History.2 Personal details from family genealogists. His gravesite is on Findagrave.

He married Ellen E. Conniff (1844-1866) in July 1863 in Wetumpka, and they had a son Mortimer, Jr. (April 1864 - September 1865).

05/22/1844; Greenville, GA

01/10/1864; Wetumpka, AL; burial in Wetumpka City Cemetery, Wetumpka, AL