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William B. McCreery

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William B. McCreery
William B. McCreery
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Subjects: Civil War
Description: William B. McCreery

Enlisted in company F, 21st Infantry, as sergeant, April 23, 1861, at Flint, for 3 years at age 24. mustered, May 25, 1861. Appointed second lieutenant to date, July 10, 1861. Appointed quartermaster, July 25, 1861. Commissioned captain, company G, Sept. 10, 1861. Wounded in action at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1862. Honorably discharged to accept promotion, Dec. 1, 1862. Commissioned lieutenant colonel, 21st Infantry, Feb. 3, 1862. Mustered, March 18, 1863. Taken prisoner at Chickamauga, Ga., Sept. 20, 1862. Escaped from Libby Prison Feb. 9, 1864. Resigned on account of disability, Sept. 14, 1864. Died December 9, 1896. Buried in Flint, Mich.

In Gen. Thomas' order is the following: "On account of wounds (six in number) received at various times in action, while in discharge of duty, the honorable scars of which he now wears. In accepting the resignation of Col. William B. McCreery, the major general commanding takes occasion to express his high appreciation of the soldierly qualities and faithful discharge of duty which have ever characterized Col. McCreery's actions at the same time regretting the existence of the disability which compels the withdrawal of so valuable an officer from the service.

William Barber McCreery was born on August 27, 1836 at Mount Morris, New York. He was the son of Reuben McCreery, who lived near Rochester, NY and Susan Barker McCreery of South Wales, NY.
Ada Birdsall was his first wife whom he married on December 14, 1864 in Flint, MI. She was born June 5, 1838, at Fenton, MI and died in 1884. After his first wife passed away, he married Genevieve Decker in Flint, MI. She died in 1899.
Mr. McCreery moved to Genessee county, MI with his parents in 1838. He was educated in the common school and at Nutting's Academy, Lodi, MI. He was admitted to the Bar in 1860. He was a vestryman in St. Paul's Protestant episcopal Church at Flint. He was a Republican and was a delegate to the National Convention in 1884.

After the war he was one of the firm Judd, McCreery, and Avery, owning a planing mill at Flint. He a founder of Citizens National Band and one of the builders and a director of the Chicago and North eastern Railway. He was one of the original directors of Flint waterworks and served as mayor of Flint from 1865-66. He was the US Collector of Internal Revenue for the Eastern district of Michigan from 1871-74, served as the state treasurer from 1874-78, was a member of the State Board of Agriculture from 1882-1890. He was also a US Consul to Valparaiso, Chili, 1890-93.
Format: Image/jpg
Original Format: Black and white photograph
Resource Identifier: People 1911
Language: English
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Contributing Institution: University Archives & Historical Collections
Relation: MSU Photograph Collection
Contributor: MSU Archives and Historical Collections
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