WILLIAM L. POWELL, COL, CSA
William Powell '47
Loss
Unable to find any details about William's loss, except that he died September 25, 1863 while commanding officer of the Third Brigade at Fort Morgan, Alabama.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
In 1849 William served on the Cumberland and then in 1851 on the St. Lawrence. On the Water Witch for an expedition of the La Plata in 1853, he requested the equal acting master rank as those in the expedition to the China seas. The letter was also signed by classmates William Murdaugh and Edmund Henry. William remained on the Water Witch until May 1857 when he was assigned to special duty in Washington. In 1859, he was on the steam frigate Roanoke, and then he then went to the Naval Observatory. However, he was dismissed on April 20, 1861, due to the war.
At first, William was in the Confederate Navy, but he later asked to be transferred to the artillery of the regular Army. To do this, he first resigned his naval position to accept his captain position. He was then stationed at Fort Morgan in Alabama. The fort was the first line of defense for the City of Mobile. On April 10, 1863, four officers wrote a letter to Army Headquarters in Richmond requesting William be promoted to Brigadier General. He has “distinguished himself in his fidelity to his command, his constant presence at his post, his discipline of his troops and the high respect and esteem in which he is held by both his officers and men. In one word we will say that no officer could have performed the duties of his post with more fidelity or more satisfactorily than Col. Powell has.”
William died mid-day on September 25 in Mobile. Major General Dabney Maury wrote General Order No. 241 which announced his death to his troops. In part, it said: “No eulogy I can express will meet your estimate of his great worth. His unostentatious and intelligent devotion to duty, and the kindliness and purity of his character, have made him loved wherever he is known. He lived without fear and without reproach, and died in the confident hope of a true Christian.” Maury also issued General Order No. 251 naming the defenses at Grants Pass to be Fort Powell.
A Plan to take the Capital of Paraguay. In 1858 William resided in Virginia for a while and then was ordered to the Colorado. On August 15, he requested leave to take care of a personal matter in Alexandria, Virginia. Five days later, he wrote an eight-page letter about the upcoming River Paraguay expedition and the probable attack on the Battery of Humaitá. From information he gathered from those who had seen it, the battery had two walls of timbers 15 feet apart filled with earth and stone. It had 100 guns of different calibers with many 24 pounders. The narrow width of the river and the course of channel would make an attack difficult, so he deemed it best to attack by land. Just below the lower end of the battery was a projecting point to land men and a firm grass plain beyond to place field howitzers. He then described what could happen during the battle with their force rousting the enemy and “the Government of Paraguay can never again bring 1000 men to face that little force advancing to take possession of its capital.” He then continued that if defeated, their land force could retreat, and the steamers could forge up the river to the capital past the surprised battery. This attack never happened, but in February 1868, six Brazilian vessels dashed past Humaitá and did capture the capital.
He was born in Virginia and appointed to the Naval Academy from Washington, D.C.
He is not on the killed in action panel in Memorial Hall.
He is buried in Alabama.
Career
From the Naval History and Heritage Command:
Midshipman, 20 September, 1841. Passed Midshipman, 10 August, 1847. Master, 10 July, 1855. Lieutenant, 14 September, 1855. Dismissed 20 April, 1861.
Confederates in Memorial Hall
This alumni is included on this site because he is listed in Memorial Hall. Pursuant to Section 377 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, the Naming Commission found, per Part II of their final report to Congress, that "Due to the limited factual nature of [Memorial Hall], the Commission believes it may remain as structured."
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