Civil War Union Brigadier General. Born in Albany, New York, he graduated of the US Military Academy in 1851, was commissioned an officer in the 4th US Artillery and served in the Mexican War. At the start of the Civil War, he was a Major in the 5th US Artillery, when promoted a Brigadier General in command of the brigade at Fort Hatteras, North Carolina in September 1861. In the early summer of 1862, General Williams' 3,000-man infantry brigade began work on the channels across the Mississippi River to enable Union transports to bypass the Confederate batteries at Vicksburg. In August 1862, Confederate forces attacked Union defenses at Baton Rouge in an effort to retake the state's capital. While leading the defense of the city, General Williams was killed by a shot in the chest at Battle of Baton Rouge, Louisiana on August 5, 1862. Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith - Find-A-Grave Photo by Joe Ferrell at Find-A-Grave