William McKinley at Cold Harbor and the Medal of Honor

Jan 25 , 2026

William McKinley at Cold Harbor and the Medal of Honor

He stood with rifle in trembling hands as smoke choked the cold Virginia dawn. Bullets shredded the silence. The flag—bloodied, torn—wavered in his grasp. William McKinley wasn’t just fighting for ground. He was holding the last thread of hope for his brothers-in-arms. This was war’s crucible, and in fire, he became legend.

A Soldier’s Roots and Faith Forged in Iron

Born in the swirling storms of mid-19th century America, William McKinley grew up where faith and duty bled into daily life. Before the war, his world was modest, carved by honest labor and the steady hands of church pews. His belief in the Almighty wasn’t just comfort—it was a compass guiding every action amid chaos.

“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer”—a verse he reportedly relied upon¹. It wasn’t mere words. It was armor. McKinley carried a conviction that each sacrifice had purpose. Every wound etched into his flesh bore testimony to the cause bigger than himself: union, freedom, redemption.

The Battle That Defined Him: Cold Harbor, 1864

June 3, 1864. The Battle of Cold Harbor. A brutal, grinding confrontation where thousands fell before the sun sank. McKinley, then a private in Company F, 8th Ohio Infantry, faced withering Confederate artillery and relentless musket fire.

Amid the blood and thunder, he did something few dared—he seized the regimental colors after the standard-bearer fell. That flag was more than a marker. It was a beacon for battered comrades. McKinley held it high under a hailstorm of lead, rallying the line forward.

His Medal of Honor citation states, “…for gallantry in carrying the colors after the color bearer was shot down, inspiring his regiment to hold the line under extreme fire”². The colors were a target, yet he pressed on—warp and weft of courage stitched to his soul.

Recognition in the Face of Death

For his valor at Cold Harbor, McKinley received the Medal of Honor in 1894—three decades after the guns fell silent³. It's the nation’s highest tribute to the warrior spirit—a symbol given not just for fighting but for embodying utter selflessness.

General Ambrose Burnside reportedly remarked on the ferocity of that charge, his respect quiet but deep for men like McKinley who refused to crack under hellfire⁴. Fellow soldiers recalled the private as a “steady rock,” a man who carried the weight of his fellows on his shoulders, never yielding.

Legacy Written in Scar Tissue and Sacrifice

William McKinley’s story isn’t sewn into the fabric of grand strategy or the sweeping movements of generals. It’s stitched into the raw hearts of soldiers who stand unwavering when chaos tilts the world.

His journey reminds us: courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s action in spite of it. His faith, unshaken in the darkest hours, calls every veteran to remember that their battles echo beyond the field. The scars carried are as much spiritual as physical.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life… shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

McKinley’s fight was never just for a piece of earth. It was for the promise that redemption and hope rise from the ashes of sacrifice. His legacy challenges all who hear it: to stand unbroken, to carry the colors, however battered, with unwavering resolve.

Sources

1. Holy Bible, King James Version, Romans 8:38-39. 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients – Civil War. 3. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, William McKinley Citation Archive. 4. Burnside and the Battle of Cold Harbor, Civil War Trust Historical Brief.