William P . Sanders William Price Sanders ( August 12 , 1833 – November 19 , 1863 ) was an officer in the Union Army in the American Civil War , who died at the Siege of Knoxville . Birth and early years . William Sanders was born near Frankfort , Kentucky to wealthy attorney Lewis Sanders ( Saunders ) , Jr . , ( born circa 1797 ) and his wife Margaret H . Sanders ( born circa 1804 ) . His family moved circa 1839 to Natchez , Mississippi , where he was raised . He was a cousin of Jefferson Davis , and his sister Elizabeth Jane married attorney , mining magnet and thoroughbred horse breeder James Ben Ali Haggin ( December 9 , 1822 – September 13 , 1914 ) , a business partner of George Hearst and the owner of Elmendorf Farm in Lexington , Kentucky . The Haggin family lived next door to the Sanders family in Natchez . William Price Sanders went by the nickname " Doc " , but he did not have a medical degree . He was purportedly named in honor of his uncle , a physician . NOTE : Presumably Lewis Bennett P . Sanders , M . D . Military career . " Doc " Price attended the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1852 to 1856 , but was not an outstanding cadet , graduating 41st in his class . West Point Superintendent Robert E . Lee wrote a May 1854 letter announcing Sanders dismissal , but he managed to avoid dismissal with the help of the U . S . Secretary of War Jefferson Davis . Sanders graduated in 1856 , and served in the western territories ( including Utah ) . He was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the 1st U . S . Dragoons on July 1 , 1856 . He became second lieutenant in the 2nd U . S . Dragoons on May 27 , 1857 . Despite a pre - war reputation for being sympathetic to the South , Sanders remained loyal to the Union . He was promoted to first lieutenant on May 10 , 1861 . Four days later he was raised to the rank of captain . On August 2 , 1861 , the 2nd U . S . Dragoons was renamed the 6th U . S . Cavalry , where he participated in the Peninsula Campaign and the Battle of Antietam . After Antietam , Ambrose Burnside gave him a command in the Department of the Ohio , resulting in his transfer to Cincinnati , Ohio . Burnside then decided to have Colonel Sanders lead a raid into East Tennessee , where he was to scout out the enemy , as well as disrupt communication and transportation networks . He also pursued Morgan ' s Raiders . Sanders later returned to Kentucky , where he was promoted to brigadier general on October 18 , 1863 , although this appointment was never confirmed by the Senate . Sanders next moved with his forces to Knoxville , where he arrived September 3 , 1863 . On November 18 , Sanders was struck in the side by forces under the command of Confederate Colonel E . P . Alexander , an acquaintance of Sanders . The sharpshooter is believed to have been in the tower of Bleak House . Sanders was taken to the Lamar House , where he died the next day . Sanders was initially buried in the cemetery of Second Presbyterian Church under cover of darkness , but his remains were later moved to the Chattanooga National Cemetery . He was a bachelor at the time of his death , but was dating Sue Boyd , a Knoxville relative of Confederate spy Belle Boyd . Miss Boyd is not believed to have betrayed him , and is reported to have mourned his death . The Battle of Fort Sanders , part of the Knoxville Campaign , occurred approximately 10 days after his death . Namesakes and honors . The Union fortification " Fort Loudon " was renamed " Fort Sanders " in his memory . Knoxville ' s Fort Sanders neighborhood and Fort Sanders Presbyterian Hospital , both of which are located on the site of the fort , are also named after him . In addition , the Sons of Union Veterans has a chapter in East Tennessee named in memory of " Colonel William P . Sanders " . A historic marker on Kingston Pike denotes the location where he was mortally wounded . Ironically , the marker is on the property of Second Presbyterian Church , which relocated from downtown Knoxville to the place where William Sanders was hit .