Edward Bancroft Williston

A Norwich graduate, he was appointed Second Lieutenant, 2nd United States Artillery on 5 August 1861, and promoted to First Lieutenant on 27 September 27, 1861.

He commanded Battery D of the 2nd US Artillery at Antietam on 17 September 1862.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor for service at Trevilian Station, 12 June 1864. He was honored by brevet four times during the War: for his actions at Salem Heights, Virginia (5/1863: Captain), Gettysburg (7/63: Major), Winchester (9/64: Lieutenant Colonel), and for War service (3/65: Colonel).

He continued in Regular Army service, appointed Captain, 8 March 1865, Major, 3rd U.S. Artillery, 22 March 1885, Lieutenant Colonel, 12 February 1895, and Colonel, 6th U.S. Artillery, 8 March 1898. He was appointed Brigadier General of Volunteers on 4 March 1898 for Spanish-American War service and discharged from the volunteers on 12 June 1899. He retired from the Army on 15 July 1900, and was advanced to Brigadier General on the retired list, by Act of Congress of 23 April 1904.

Service data from Heitman1. Additional information from the Beta Kappa chapter of Theta Chi (Hamline, MN) - the Fraternity was founded at Norwich University, and the first pledges were Edward Williston and Lorenzo Potter. The picture above is from a group photo of Officers of the US Horse Artillery Brigade, Culpeper, Va, September 1863 in the MOLLUS-Massachusetts collection2.

7/15/1837; Norwich, VT

4/24/1920; Portland, OR; burial in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia