William H. Rexford

According the State Adjutant General's records William Rexford's place of birth was "Napoleon" In the summer 1862 he was a 26 year old lawyer practicing in Detroit. William married Caroline Ingersoll of Detroit, Michigan on June 18, 1862. The young couple barely had time to settle into married life before William left to serve his country. Isaac Ingersoll, William's father-in-law, began recruiting a company for the 24th Michigan. William assisted in recruiting the company, and he entered service in company B at organization as First Lieutenant on July 26, 1862. He was mustered into service with his company on August 13, 1862.

William was not the only member to of the extended Rexford family to serve his country. William's brother, James Preston Rexford served with the fourth Michigan Cavalry as a 1st Lieutenant. and later with the 8th Michigan Cavalry as a Captain. "James was known as a daring fighter. He is specially mentioned in official reports as having, with forty men, charged Bushrod Johnson's Brigade of mounted infantry having driven them in perfect confusion, five miles." Two other examples are: Willie Magnum Rexford who was a Lieutenant Colonel of the 131st New York Infantry. He was brevetted to full Colonel. for his gallantry at the Battle of Winchester. Corporal Henry Allyn Rexford was killed at Cold Harbor serving with Co. E, of the 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery.

In the aftermath of the battle of Fredericksburg, William was commissioned Captain on December 20, 1862, to date from December 13, 1862. Isaac Ingersoll, the original captain of Company B and William's Father-in-law, resigned on December 20 due to "old age and disability" (he was over 50). Although it is not explicitly stated, young Rexford probably led company B during the battle. William was also acting Regimental Adjutant from May 9 to July 1, 1863.

William was wounded in the hip and thigh at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. In his official report, Colonel Morrow noted that "Captain Rexford was wounded early. His conduct was gallant and conspicuous." (cited from Curtis p. 190). Unable to walk, Captain Rexford must have been helped off the field. Many of the 24th's wounded were taken to hospitals setup in the Gettysburg express office, Railroad Depot, and surrounding buildings & warehouses. For some reason, however, Rexford was taken to the home of a Gettysburg attorney, David Wills. He was in good company. Henry Morrow, Colonel of the 24th, also received care there on July 1st. Some sources also place the wounded Winfield Scott Hancock at the Wills' home on or about July 4th.

According to information in Coco, (p. 34) Rexford "...said in a letter on July 9th, that, '(the) ball had been extracted, (I) had a good nights' rest (and) got a clean shirt and felt better.' His wife also had arrived that day from Michigan."

David Wills was a prominent Gettysburg citizen, and played a critical role in the creation of the National Cemetery. In fact, when Abraham Lincoln came to Gettysburg for the cemetery's dedication he stayed in the Wills home. Some sources indicate Lincoln revised the Gettysburg address during his visit. The building still stands, and is on many tour routes.

Eventually, orders were issued for wounded to be taken from private homes to one of the major hospitals. It is possible that Rexford was taken to the Hospital at Camp Letter, located 1/2 mile north east of the town. By October 1863, William Rexford was a patient of St. Mary's hospital in Detroit. Within a short period of time, however, it became obvious that William would never return to duty in the field and he was honorably discharged for wounds on November 21, 1863.

A description of his wound and of the treatment he received was included in the 15 volume "Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion" (vol. IX p. 231)

Case 676. - Surgeon Charles S. Tipler in his monthly report from St. Mary's Hospital, Detroit, October 1863, relates the following observation: "Captain W. H. Rexford, 24th Michigan, was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg, by a conidial ball, which struck him about one inch posterior to the anterior superior spinous process of the right ilium, passed into the cavity of the pelvis, and made its exit through the ilium just above the sciatic notch and immediately anterior to the sacroiliac synchrondosis, and lodged in the gluteal muscles, from whence it was removed a few days after the battle. The patient's general health had become quite good; but the wounds showed but little disposition to heal. At length the presence of dead bone having been revealed at the posterior opening by means of the probe, it was decided to attempt its removal. The patient being placed under chloroform, the injured portion of the ilium was exposed. Necrosed bone having been removed through the opening made by the ball in its exit, the finger was readily introduced into the pelvic cavity. The operation produced no appreciable ill effect on the general condition of the patient. One week after the operation, a piece of cloth, probably from the pants, about one inch long and half an inch wide, enveloping a splinter of bone nearly an inch long, made its way out from the cavity of the pelvis. Patient is now doing exceedingly well." Examining Surgeon J. A. Brown, of Detroit, Michigan, reported February 25, 1864: "Ball entered the ilium near the anterior superior process, perforated it twice, and was extracted near the attachment of the gluteus maximus. Result: Destruction of the ilium, atrophy of the right leg; great debility and incurable deformity; wound still open; disability total, and probably incurable."

By December 15th, 1863 William's brother James was a patient in the Officer's Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee where he had been ill since the first of October. James asked to be transferred to St. Mary's Hospital in Detroit to be near his brother William. James' letter requesting the transfer states: (my brother William was) "dangerously wounded in the Battle of Gettysburg and is now lying very low in Detroit and probably cannot long survive. My brother has accidentally heard of my illness and unfortunately for him, a very exaggerated account thereof, which causes him great anxiety and injury in his precarious condition."

William Rexford participated in the battles of Fredericksburg, Fitzhugh Crossing, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. He was also on the Mud March, Port Royal, and Westmoreland Expeditions.

After the war William had a long career with the Regular Army. He became an Ordnance Storekeeper, U. S. Army on May 16, 1865. He was promoted to Captain and Military Storekeeper on July 28, 1866. He was promoted to Major on December 6, 1889 and held that rank until November 1898. During his post-war service, William was stationed in New Orleans, San Francisco, Indianapolis, and finally Springfield, Mass. William Rexford retired from the U.S. Army on November 3, 1898.

Descendants:

Christopher Reader (granddad@sover.net)

Rob Tyler (tyler@ican.net)

Much of the information on this page is courtesy of Christopher Reader