William Findlay Drum

He was admitted to the US Military Academy at West Point in 1850 but left in May 1852 without graduating. He was the District Court Clerk in Owatonna, Minnesota in 1860, but at the outbreak of war he enlisted, on 17 April 1861, as a Private in Company F, 3rd Ohio Infantry. He mustered out on 31 July to accept a commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd United States Infantry (dated 5 August 1861) and was promoted to First Lieutenant on 9 October 1861.

He commanded Company B of the 2nd US Infantry at Antietam.

He was promoted to Captain on 1 May 1863, then accepted a Volunteer commission as Lieutenant Colonel of the 5th New York Infantry on 1 April 1865. He was made Colonel on 29 May but mustered out of the Volunteers on 21 August 1865. He was honored by brevets to Major for action near Richmond in 1864 and Lieutenant Colonel for Five Forks.

He continued in Regular Army service and was promoted to Major, 14th Infantry on 22 June 1882 and Lieutenant Colonel of the 12th Infantry on 8 December 1886. He died on active service on 4 July 1892 while commanding Fort Yates, ND.

Service information from Heitman1 and the Roster.2 Personal details from the US Census for 1860 and family genealogists. His gravesite is on Findagrave, source also of his photograph from one contributed by Darryl Smith.

He married Roxy Henshaw (1835-1916) in September 1857 and they had three children.

His father Captain Simon Henry Drum (USMA 1830) was killed in action at Mexico City in 1847 when William was not quite 14.

Additional pictures, of William and his father, are posted on the blog.

11/16/1833; Columbus, NY

07/04/1892; Fort Mojave, AZ; burial in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA