He was mustered in at Camp Cairo, Illinois on September 18, 1861. He supplied his own horse, which was valued at $140.00. According to a notation in his military and pension records, "He 'lost' his horse Nov. 7, 1861, at the battle of Belmont, MO."

On a company muster roll dated October 31, 1861 to Feb. 28, 1861, he was listed "Sick in Camp." By March he was back on active duty and supplied his own horse and horse equipment.

With the promotion of James M. Baxter to sergeant, march 7, 1862, William D. was promoted to corporal of Co. C, attached to 1st Battalion, 4th Illinois Cavalry (which subsequently became Co. C, 15th Illinois Cavalry).

But by January or February 1863, he was assigned as an orderly with the rank of private to General Logan. His muster-out roll, dated August 25, 1864 at Springfield, Illinois, states:

"Clothing account - last settled, Aug. 10, 1863; amount for clothing in kind or money advanced, $44.83; Bounty due, $100; Remarks: "Furnished horse and equipments and pay due for use and risk of same for 217 days. Was private to June 1, 1862, then corporal to Feb. 10, 1863. Reduce by order of Capt. Carmichael."

He was born in 1843, son of William Davis and Nancy Swofford-Stilley. He was married 3 Jan 1865 in Franklin Co, IL to Nancy Lovina McReynolds and they had a son, William Thomas. He remarried after the death of his first wife to Mary E. Johnson on 19 Jan 1871 and had two children—Emma Alma and Lillie Belle (or Delilah). He made a claim for a disability pension stating: "He was injured by a fall from his horse and his horse stepped on his left side, breaking three ribs and contracted chronic diarrhea and flux and was treated in hospital at Corinth, Mississippi about three months for said disability under treatment of Dr. Green and that his disability has been continuous to the present time."

He was apparently treated at General Hospital No. 28 at Corinth, Mississippi from March 20 to June 20, 1862. A report from the Adjutant General's office, July 17, 1876 states: "There is no record of alleged injury. Regiment was in Tennessee during March, April, May, and June 1862, except a portion of that time when it was on a march near Corinth, Miss."

The application jacket was rubber-stamped "Abandoned." He left the area of Garrett's Prairie, Franklin Co, IL shortly afterward and was never heard from again.

Submitted by John H. Eberle