William W . Henry William Wirt Henry ( November 21 , 1831 – August 31 , 1915 ) was a manufacturer and a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War . He was a recipient of the brevet grade of brigadier general of volunteers and of the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action . Early life . Henry was born in Waterbury , Vermont , the son of James Madison and Matilda ( Gale ) Henry . He taught school in his hometown for one year , then caught ' gold fever , ' and moved to California in 1851 . He served as constable in White Oak , El Dorado County , California , in 1856 . He returned to Vermont in 1857 and joined his father ' s business manufacturing pharmaceuticals . Henry married on August 5 , 1857 , Mary Jane Beebe , daughter of Lyman and Mary ( Sherman ) Beebe of Waterbury , Vermont . They had five children . Mary Jane died in 1871 , and Henry married Valeria ( Lillie ) Heaton , daughter of Timothy and Susan ( White ) Heaton of Waterbury . Civil War . He was commissioned first lieutenant of Company D , 2nd Vermont Infantry , on May 20 , 1861 , but resigned on November 5 , 1861 , for medical reasons . He rejoined his father ' s business , and returned to the Washington area , selling drugs to sutlers and military surgeons . He then accepted a position as major of the 10th Vermont Infantry on August 26 , 1862 . He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on October 17 , 1862 , and assumed command of the regiment as colonel on April 26 , 1864 , replacing Albert B . Jewett , who had resigned . He commanded his regiment at the battles of the Wilderness , Spotsylvania , North Anna , Totopotomy Creek , Cold Harbor , and Cedar Creek . He was wounded in action six times , slightly at Cold Harbor on June 3 , 1864 , and Monocacy on July 9 , 1864 , and was hit four times at Cedar Creek on October 19 , 1864 . Due to his wounds and other medical reasons , he resigned his commission on December 17 , 1864 and was mustered out of the volunteer service . His departure from the regiment , was " greatly regretted by the officers and men , and their personal regard and regret found expression in a highly complimentary parting testimonial , signed by all but two of the officers of the regiment . In this paper they also requested Colonel Henry to carry home with him and present to the Legislature of Vermont the tattered colors of the regiment , under which no less than twenty of the color guard had been killed or wounded . " After Henry was mustered out of the Union Army , on March 7 , 1865 , President Abraham Lincoln nominated Henry for appointment to the brevet grade of brigadier general , to rank from March 7 , 1865 , and the U . S . Senate confirmed the appointment on March 9 , 1865 . On December 21 , 1892 , he received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Cedar Creek , " though suffering from severe wounds , rejoined his regiment and led it in a brilliant charge , recapturing the guns of an abandoned battery . " Postwar life . After he returned from war , Henry rejoined the family business , which included , over the years , manufacturing and wholesaling of drugs , first in Waterbury , and then in Burlington , Vermont . Henry served as a state senator from Washington County from 1865 to 1868 , and from Chittenden County in 1888 - 1889 . He served two years as mayor of Burlington , from 1887 to 1889 . He was appointed United States Marshal on April 10 , 1879 , replacing George P . Foster , and served until June 24 , 1886 . In 1892 he was appointed U . S . Immigration Inspector . From 1897 until 1907 , he was the American Consul in Quebec . He became a Mason in 1858 , was a member of the I . O . O . F , the Grand Army of the Republic , the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States , the Society of the Army of the Potomac , and the Knights of Pythias . Henry died at the age of 83 , and is buried at Lake View Cemetery in Burlington , Vermont . Medal of Honor citation . Rank and organization : Colonel , 10th Vermont Infantry . Place and date : At Cedar Creek , Va . , October 19 , 1864 . Entered service at : Waterbury , Vt . Born : November 21 , 1831 , Waterbury , Vt . Date of issue : December 21 , 1892 . Citation : Though suffering from severe wounds , rejoined his regiment and let it in a brilliant charge , recapturing the guns of an abandoned battery .