William McKinley's Courage at the Third Battle of Winchester

Feb 10 , 2026

William McKinley's Courage at the Third Battle of Winchester

William McKinley stood firm beneath a blistering cannonade, the roar of rifles ringing in his ears. Smoke clung like a shroud, choking the morning sun. His bayonet gleamed—a beacon in the chaos. Around him, men fell, swallowed by the earth or the grim hand of death. But he did not falter. No one who saw him that day doubted a single heartbeat; this was a soldier woven from steel and fire.

A Son of Ohio, A Man of God

Born into the rolling hills of Stark County, Ohio, McKinley’s roots were humble but resolute. Raised in a farming family, faith was as much a weapon to him as his rifle. The sanctuary of church and scripture gave him purpose long before the carnage of war carved scars across his soul.

“Blessed be the Lord, my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight,” he might have whispered in the lull before battle, gripping the cross sewn into his worn uniform.

His moral compass held firm amid the madness. To McKinley, fighting was about preserving a nation’s promise—not ambition or glory. His honor was etched from quiet conviction, faith bleeding into duty.

The Battle That Defined Him

September 19, 1864 — the Battle of Opequon, better known as the Third Battle of Winchester, Virginia. The Union Army faced a desperate Confederate defense. McKinley, then a private in the 23rd Ohio Infantry, found himself thrust into the crucible of horrific close quarters.

Amid the thunder of artillery and the cries of comrades, McKinley seized a critical Confederate flag—the heart of enemy morale. Carrying it, he charged forward under heavy fire. His bayonet stained amber with sweat and resolve, he cut a path through chaos that threatened to fracture their ranks.

The 23rd Ohio’s citations remember a soldier who exposed himself to enemy rifles repeatedly, rallying tired men to advance. His gallantry was not reckless but measured, anchored in purpose.

Medal of Honor: A Testament to Valor

On November 27, 1897, decades after that hellish day, William McKinley received the Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest tribute reserved for the extraordinary.

“For extraordinary heroism on 19 September 1864, while serving with Company B, 23rd Ohio Infantry, in action at Winchester, Virginia, Private McKinley seized the enemy’s colors, rallied his comrades, and advanced under heavy fire.”¹

His commanding officers bore witness in letters that survived the decades, their words unveiling raw respect:

“In the thick of it, Private McKinley embodied courage. He knew the cost but bore his duty without hesitation.”²

No trite medals here. This honor etched a man who stood when others fell, whose scars told a story deeper than any decoration could convey.

The Legacy of Sacrifice and Redemption

McKinley’s story is a blood-stained page in the ledger of sacrifice. A soldier who shouldered more than weighty arms—he carried the hopes of a fractured nation and the faith of a generation desperate for unity.

Death shared the hills of Winchester that day. But so did purpose.

From his example, brothers and sons learned that courage is not absence of fear; it is action despite fear. It’s the quiet promise, renewed in the darkest nights, that freedom demands a price.

His battlefield wounds closed, but the lessons etched in that soil of Virginia endure:

The price of peace is eternal vigilance. The price of honor is unyielding resolve.

For veterans weighed down by memories, and civilians who want to understand, remember this truth:

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7

William McKinley didn’t fight for medals or fame. He fought for a nation’s soul—and in doing so, he became a beacon. A handful of men like him remind us that true courage is tethered to sacrifice, and legacy is forged in the crucible of pain, faith, and unbreakable will.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War 2. Ohio Historical Society, Letters and Dispatches of the 23rd Ohio Infantry