Trooper William O. Wilson

William Othello Wilson, a native of Hagerstown, Maryland, was born on September 16, 1867. He enlisted in the United States Army on August 21, 1889. He earned the Medal of Honor on December 30, 1890 for "gallantry in action voluntarily", for successfully carrying a message to the battalion commander at the Pine Ridge Indian Agency in South Dakota. He carried the dispatch when reinforcements were needed when the wagon supply train of Captain John S. Loud came under Indian attack. His Medal of Honor was awarded on September 17, 1891. William Wilson returned to Hagerstown in 1898 and married. The marriage produced seven children.

In Hagerstown, Mr.Wilson was a "jack of all trades" and worked as a carpenter and upholsterer. He died in January 1928. The grassy triangle at the intersection of Jonathan Street, Charles Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue in Hagerstown, was dedicated to his honor in 1988. His home was located near the corner of Sumans Avenue and North Street., adjacent to the Martin Luther King Center. Although his family knew of his courageous military act, his actual burial site was unknown until Mrs. Mary Jones, Mr. Wilson's daugter-in-law began to research his endeavor. Mrs. Jones' research led her to the Washington County Free Library on February 28, 1997. Mr. Don Brown, by coincidence overheard her inquiries and joined the investigation. Don Brown discovered Mr. Wilson's gravesite in Rose Hill Cemetery on April 16, 1997. The grave marker was provided by the Veterans Administration.

Thus far, Mr. Wilson is the only Washington County, Maryland resident to receive the Medal of Honor, our nations highest military decoration. The Medal of Honor is awarded to a soldier, sailor, airman or marine who in actual combat, distinguishes himself "conspicuosly at the risk of life, by gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty." Mr. Wilson's military funeral symbolizes a sense of family and community pride and perfect conclusion to his heroic act of bravery.

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