Colonel 1st Michigan Infantry

Medal of Honor Recipient for distinguished gallantry at the 1st Battle of Bull Run where he was wounded and captured

(1823-1907) Born in Detroit, Michigan, he graduated in the West Point class of 1847. He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Artillery, and would subsequently serve in the United States Army in various capacities over a period of forty years. Willcox fought in the Mexican War, he fought against the Indians on the frontier, and he fought in the Third Seminole Indian War in Florida. At the commencement of the Civil War in 1861, he was commissioned colonel of the 1st Michigan Infantry. At the 1st Battle of Bull Run, he was wounded and captured while in command of a brigade, remaining a prisoner for more than a year, part of the time as a hostage for Rebel privateers who the U.S. government had threatened to hang as pirates. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for distinguished gallantry at 1st Bull Run, where he voluntarily led repeated charges until he was wounded and taken prisoner. On the day of his release he was commissioned a brigadier general, and he led a division at the Battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Knoxville, and in General Grant's Overland campaign against Richmond in the summer of 1864. President Lincoln nominated Willcox for promotion to brevet major general, August 1, 1864. Following the Siege of Petersburg, Va., he led the first troops to enter Petersburg, before ending the war fighting in the North Carolina campaign. He was mustered out of the U.S. Volunteers on January 15, 1866. After the war, Willcox returned to the Regular U.S. Army serving as Colonel in the 29th U.S. Infantry Regiment, and as brevet brigadier general in the 12th U.S. Infantry, and Commander of the Department of Arizona. It was in this capacity that he put down the raids of the Apache Indians. For his service in the West, he was awarded a Vote of Thanks by the Arizona Legislature. From 1886-87, he was head of the Department of the Missouri, and he retired on April 16, 1887. After his retirement, Willcox was Governor of the Soldiers' Home in Washington, D.C., from 1889-92. He was a member of the District of Columbia Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, and the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. He died in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada, at 84 years of age, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Signature With Rank: 4 x 1 1/2, in ink, O.B. Willcox, Brig. & Bvt. Maj. Genl., U.S. Army. Very fine. Boldly written. Very desirable Civil War Medal of Honor recipient's autograph.