William Ward Duffield was born at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, November 19, 1824, the son of Reverend George Duffield & Isabella Bethubne Duffield. He married Annie Louise Ladue in 1854 and their children were Will Ward Duffield, 1858-1939, and Louise Angel Duffield, 1855-1941. William was educated at Columbia University, where he graduated in 1843 with a degree in Engineering.
Duffield fought in the Mexican War with a Tennessee regiment. He went to California as a paymaster after the war and qualified as a founding member in the Society of California Pioneers.
When the Civil War broke out, he recruited a unit and commanded the 3rd Michigan Infantry Regiment. He resigned before they left the state and then commanded the 9th Michigan Infantry Regiment in October 1861 as a Colonel.
Colonel Duffield was recognized as a just man and was appointed to the Military Board of Review in January 1862. He wrote “School of the Brigade and the Evolution of the Line” in 1862. He was Military Commander of the State of Kentucky in May & June 1862 and promoted to Brigadier General. He was wounded and captured at the battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in June 1862. General Duffield was discharged after a lengthy recovery.
Following the Civil War, William managed coal mines in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Kentucky for several years and also surveyed for railroads. In 1894, he was appointed as head of the Coastal & Geodetic Survey in Washington, D.C. He left office when William McKinley was elected President and lived in Washington, D. C. until his death.
Duffield died in June 1907 and was buried in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery.
DUFFIELD, WM W
- COL 9 MICH INF CIV WAR
- DATE OF DEATH: 06/22/1907
- BURIED AT: SECTION OFF S SITE 1813
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETER
DUFFIELD, LOUISE W/O WILLIAM W
- DATE OF DEATH: 04/17/1916
- BURIED AT: SECTION SD/WS SITE LOT 1813
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard