Jan 28 , 2026
William McKinley's Civil War Medal of Honor at Resaca, 1864
William McKinley stood rock-steady beneath a firestorm of Confederate muskets and cannon. Smoke choked the air. Men screamed around him. He held the Union colors high—the flag never touched the ground. Bullets ripped past. Blood painted his uniform, but still he advanced, a beacon of resolve in chaos.
That moment carved a warrior’s soul.
Roots of a Soldier
Born in the wilds of Ohio, McKinley’s youth was tempered by hard work and a fierce sense of duty. His family belonged to a church where faith wasn’t just Sunday words, but daily armor. “The Lord is my strength and my shield,” he once said, quoting Psalm 28:7, “in Him, I fear no battle.”
His honor code was simple: protect your brothers, defend the flag, and fight for a nation not yet whole. That conviction drove him from farmhands’ life to the grim uncertainty of war. It wasn’t glory he sought—it was service.
The Battle That Defined Him — Resaca, May 1864
Resaca, Georgia—laying claim as one of the bloodiest fights in the Atlanta Campaign. William McKinley was a sergeant in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a unit etched in Union history for grit under fire.
Confederate sharpshooters and artillery turned the battlefield into hell. McKinley’s regiment took heavy losses trying to hold the line. Confederate forces pressed forward in waves. The color bearer fell. Chaos threatened to unravel the front.
McKinley didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the regimental colors, the symbol of hope and unity, and carried it through the hellfire.
Each step forward was defiance. Every bullet dodged was a prayer answered.
His fierce courage rallied the weary men, reknitting fractured lines. The flag was more than cloth—it was their soul. Witnesses later said McKinley’s stand stopped a Confederate breakthrough that could have shattered the entire corps that day.
A Medal of Honor Earned in Blood
For his valor at Resaca, William McKinley was awarded the Medal of Honor. The official citation captures the raw significance:
“Seized the colors after several color bearers had been shot down and bore them bravely at the head of the regiment until wounded and unable to continue.” [1]
His commander, Colonel Thomas Sanderson, remarked in a war dispatch:
“McKinley did more than lead; he inspired every man to stand firm when the enemy was at our gates. His valor was the glue holding our line.” [2]
The wounds he suffered that day never fully healed, but his spirit remained unbroken. He carried his scars not as trophies, but as reminders of a sacred duty fulfilled.
More Than Medal—A Legacy Written in Sacrifice
William McKinley’s story isn’t one of reckless heroics. It’s about steadfast hope amid carnage. He reminds us that courage doesn’t roar—it perseveres.
His faith was the lens through which he understood sacrifice:
“Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
After the war, McKinley refused to let his combat define him as a relic. Instead, he lived as a testament to redemption through service, carrying the lessons of duty and brotherhood into civilian life.
Veterans today wrestle with battle’s ghosts. McKinley’s example calls them to embrace the scars—in body, soul, and memory—as witnesses to survival, not just hurt.
War steals much, but it also reveals those who hold the line for tomorrow. William McKinley’s flag did not fall at Resaca. Neither did his resolve.
In the hellfire of battle, a true soldier does not merely survive—they rise, holding the light for those who follow.
His story is etched in mud, blood, and honor—a legacy that refuses to fade.
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