William Montrose Graham, Jr.

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Captain William Montrose Graham, Jr., September 1863. Library of Congress

William Montrose Graham, Jr. (September 28, 1834 – January 16, 1916), was a career soldier in the United States Army, reaching the rank of major general. He was a veteran of both the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War.

Graham was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Colonel James Duncan Graham (1799–1865). His uncle and namesake, William Montrose Graham, was killed during the Mexican-American War while commanding the 11th U.S. Infantry at Molino del Rey. The junior Graham was commissioned into the 1st U.S. Artillery in 1855, and earned two rapid promotions to captain with the outbreak of the Civil War.

During the war, he was cited for gallantry during the Peninsula Campaign, for actions at Antietam, and for his actions at Gettysburg. Graham earned multiple brevet (honorary) promotions for these actions, including major (July 1, 1862, Malvern Hill), lieutenant colonel (September 17, 1862, Antietam), and colonel (July 3, 1863, Gettysburg). His Battery K, 1st U.S. Artillery, was, from 1863, part of the famed U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade.

Graham served with the Regular Army until 1865, when he accepted a commission as colonel of a U.S. Volunteers infantry regiment from the District of Columbia. Awarded his final brevet of the war, to brigadier general in the regular army, he mustered out of the volunteers in September and returned to the regular service.

He remained in the army after the war, serving with the 4th and 5th U.S. Artilleries, and rose to the rank of brigadier general in the regular army, May 26, 1897. He retired from the service on his 64th birthday in 1898. During the Spanish-American War, however, he ranked as a major general of U.S. Volunteers. After brief service in command of the 2nd Corps, he was honorably mustered out of the volunteers on November 30, 1898.

He died in Wardour, Maryland, January 16, 1916, and was buried in the Congressional Cemetery, in Washington, D.C.

[edit] References

Heitman, Francis B., Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From its Organization, September 29, 1789 to March 2, 1903. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1903.
U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1894.