A volunteer, first as a Lieutenant with the15th Regiment of the OVI beginning on May 12,1862, and then on July 10, 1862, William C. Scott joined Company A of the 99th Ohio Infantry as a Captain in "Union Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans's Army of the Cumberland, which marched from Nashville, Tennessee, on December 26, 1862, to challenge General Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee at Murfreesboro."*

"On December 31, each army commander planned to attack his opponent's right flank, but Bragg struck first. A massive assault by the corps of Maj. Gen. William J. Hardee, followed by that of Leonidas Polk, overran the wing commanded by Maj. Gen. Alexander M. McCook. A stout defense by the division of Brig. Gen. Philip Sheridan in the right center of the line prevented a total collapse and the Union assumed a tight defensive position backing up to the Nashville Turnpike. Repeated Confederate attacks were repulsed from this concentrated line, most notably in the cedar "Round Forest" salient against the brigade of Col. William B. Hazen. Bragg attempted to continue the assault with the corps of Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge, but the troops were slow in arriving and their multiple piecemeal attacks failed."*

"Fighting resumed on January 2, 1863, when Bragg ordered Breckinridge to assault the well-fortified Union position on a hill to the east of the Stones River. Faced with overwhelming artillery, the Confederates were repulsed with heavy losses. Aware that Rosecrans was receiving reinforcements, Bragg chose to withdraw his army on January 3 to Tullahoma, Tennessee."*

Capt. Scott was wounded by a musket ball that broke his thigh bone at about 4 PM, during the fighting on January 2, 1863, when his his company (Company A) was trying to stem a Rebel attack. On the verge of being overrun, his company and the rest of the 99th had to retreat leaving Scott wounded on the field. To save his sword, Scott laid his body over it so the Rebels sweeping by him could not see it. After a counter attack by Union forces drove the Rebels back across the river, Capt. Scott was removed from the battlefield at about 10 PM and taken to a field hospital.

On January 3 at about 4 AM his sword was found on the battlefield and returned to him later that morning by the Chaplain. Despite the pain he was suffering he exclaimed: "Good to see you, Chaplain; the Rebels did not get my sword." Scott died from his wound (either from loss of blood or sepsis) on January 4, 1863 at the age of 29.*

He left behind a wife, a daughter and a son in Van Wert Ohio. HIs sword was delivered to his widow by the Chaplain referenced above, who was also with him when he died. His daughter Jennie Scott,died six years later in 1869, while still a child. His son, Avery Wasson Scott, became a railroad engineer for the B&O and the father of my maternal grandmother, Gretchen H. Scott (McCullough) who had four boys and three daughters. One of her daughters was my mother Betty Jayne McCullough (McKinley).

Submited by Robert McKinley, III

June 19, 2015

*From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

** From Lima Weekly Gazette, February 4, 1863

*** From Offical Roster of The Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the Ware of the Rebellion, Vol. VII, page 383

CAPT William C Scott