William McKinley's Medal of Honor at the Battle of Winchester

Nov 18 , 2025

William McKinley's Medal of Honor at the Battle of Winchester

Blood. Smoke. The sharp scream of iron and death. Amid chaos, Private William McKinley stood like a rock—unyielding, driven by something deeper than fear or duty. The roar of musket fire and the cries of fallen comrades blurred, but his purpose burned clear: hold the line. Hold it at all costs.

The Roots of a Soldier

Born in 1845, William McKinley came from the rugged hills of Ohio. A youth sharpened by hard labor and steady faith. His mother, a devout Christian, instilled in him a code of honor that would guide him through hellfire. "Be steadfast, be courageous," she told him. Words that rang loud when the first call to arms thundered through the nation.

He enlisted in the Union Army early, answering Lincoln’s call with a heart full of grit and a spirit grounded in scripture. His faith wasn’t just a shield—it was a flint that sparked courage in the darkest moments. Psalm 23:4 whispered in his mind: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”

The Battle That Defined Him

September 1864, the Battle of Opequon—better known as the Third Battle of Winchester, Virginia. A brutal, grinding fight where the Union forces clashed with the Confederates in a desperate push to sever Confederate supply lines.

McKinley fought in Company F, 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The battle was hell made flesh: charging hills under relentless artillery, wresting control of high ground soaked in blood. When a critical moment came, with the front line wavering and command faltering under heavy fire, McKinley didn’t falter.

He seized the regiment’s colors—the flag—and charged forward, a beacon in the storm. The flag meant everything; it was a rallying point, a pulse for morale. Under a hail of bullets, he planted it firm atop a battered ridge, rallying his comrades to press the attack.

That act of defiance and leadership turned the tide for his company, sparking a surge that broke enemy lines. His courage wasn’t reckless—it was deliberate and contagious. Without it, the Union hold could have crumbled. With it, the path opened to victory.

Recognition in the Wake of Fire

For his gallantry at Winchester, William McKinley was awarded the Medal of Honor. The citation reads, in cold military formality, what his fellow soldiers knew by heart:

“Voluntarily carried the colors to the breastworks in advance of the main line of the regiment, thereby inspiring the men to press forward.”

Months later, his name joined the honored few of the Civil War—men who refused to let their unit break, men who risked everything to stand fast.

General Philip Sheridan, in his post-battle reports, praised the valor of Ohio troops and singled out the color bearers as the backbone of the assault. "Where the colors go, the heart of the army beats," he said—a truth McKinley made real.

Legacy Etched in Valor and Faith

William McKinley’s story is more than a medal or a name in the history books. It’s a testament to the raw, unforgiving nature of courage—born in fear but forged in faith and relentless resolve.

He returned home, scarred but unbroken, a symbol of those who bore not just muskets but the weight of sacrifice. His life reminds us that the warrior’s true strength lies not just in weapons, but in the spirit and the redemption found beyond the battlefield.

In every scar, every wound, and every flag planted in defiance, lies a lesson:

True courage is never the absence of fear, but action despite it.

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9

To honor William McKinley is to honor all who stood firm in fire so that freedom might live. Their sacrifice whispers through history—a call for us to remember, to value peace born of hardship, and to carry forward a legacy measured not in medals, but in hearts willing to bear the cost.

Sources

1. U.S. War Department, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War 2. Ohio Historical Society, 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regimental History 3. Philip Sheridan, Official Report of the Battle of Opequon, September 19, 1864 4. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, William McKinley Citation and Records