First Lieutenant William Thomas Simmons, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on December 16, 1864 in Nashville, Tennessee during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company C, 11th Missouri Infantry. Simmons was 21 years old.
15 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on February 25, 1865.
Simmons was born on January 29, 1843 in Greene County, Illinois. His Medal of Honor is credited to Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois. Simmons died on December 27, 1908 in Caliatoga, California, at the age of 65. He is buried at St. Helena Public Cemetery in St. Helena, California.
Simmons is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 210 credited to Illinois.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Capture of flag of 34th Alabama Infantry (C.S.A.). Being the first to enter the works, he shot and wounded the enemy color bearer.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Wounds and injuries
What the citation records about his wounds:
Being the first to enter the works, he shot and wounded the enemy color bearer.
- Age at death: 65
- Resting place: St. Helena Public Cemetery
Places
- Buried: St. Helena Cemetery — map
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Illinois →
Timeline
- January 29, 1843Born in Greene County, Illinois
- December 16, 1864Act of valor — Nashville, TennesseeAge 21. Company C, 11th Missouri Infantry
- February 25, 1865Medal of Honor presented
- December 27, 1908Died in Caliatoga, CaliforniaAge 65.
- Resting placeSt. Helena Public CemeterySt. Helena, California
Biography
William Thomas Simmons (29 January 1843 - 27 December 1908) was a first lieutenant in the United States Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry at the Battle of Nashville in Tennessee during the American Civil War.
From the Wikipedia article “William T. Simmons”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
