Civil War Service:

William was drafted for service in the Civil War on Oct 6, 1862 and enlisted the following day into Company D, 54th Infantry under the command of Lt. Albert Eggleston.  Shortly afterward, he was mustered into the company at Camp Sullivan in Indianapolis.  At the camp they slept on the ground in tents with "rubber blankets" under them and little more protection from the elements.  About a week or two after entering the camp, he contracted dyspepsia, a catch-all for an assortment of upper abdominal ailments, and what he later called chronic diarrhea, a condition that afflicted many of the Civil War soldiers.  He was place in the care of the regimental physician at a place called Burnside Barracks.  On Dec 8, 1862 he was sent to the "Soldiers Home", which may have been at Lafayette, Indiana.  After a period of observation and treatment, he was found unfit for duty and received a medical discharge on December 23, 1862 without ever seeing action.

Years later, still afflicted with the chronic diarrhea he contracted in the service, he applied for a pension.  Although a physician declared that he was disabled, no pension was granted.  Additional information was requested in response to the initial application.  That application remained open for many years with William and various other people providing information as it was requested.  William never received a pension and the application was still open at the time of his death.  Within his pension application were affidavits provided by two of his daughters in support of his claim of good health at the time of his enlistment.  Emily M. Fetters provided an affidavit from Arapahoe, Nebraska and Sarah J. Garn provided one from Meauwataka, Michigan.  Both were stamped November 11, 1881.  His wife Talitha also provided an affidavit in 1889.

Neighbors also provided affidavits attesting to his health and ability to work prior to entering service and that he was fortunate to have three sons to help him complete his farm work after contracting his illness.

William was described in his application as 5 feet 7 inches tall, 130 pounds, with black hair and a "sallow complexion, pulse 80, respiration 24."