William Palmer, an extraordinary American, earned the Medal of Honor on this date during the Civil War, when, with fewer than 200 men, he attacked and defeated a superior Confederate force, capturing a cannon and 100 prisoners. Palmer ought to be know by every American!

Born in Pennsylvania in 1836 to a Quaker family, Palmer was working by age 15 as a clerk for a railroad, and he quickly proved smart and capable, rising through hard work and family connections in the industry, even going to England to study coal mining, meeting legendary engineers Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Robert Stephenson in the process. By 1856 he was the secretary and treasurer to the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Though he was a Quaker, Palmer’s hatred for slavery drove him to volunteer for the Union Army, raising an independent cavalry company, which then grew into an entire regiment, the 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry, serving at Antietam. Palmer also conducted intensive reconnaissance operations for the Union Army, and he was captured and imprisoned for four months in 1862, though he managed to keep his identity secret, until he was exchanged. He then reorganized his old regiment and led them at the Battle of Chickamagua, for which he was promoted to Brigadier General at only 28 years of age.

General George Henry Thomas wrote of Palmer, “There is no officer in the regular or volunteer service who has performed the duties which have devolved upon him with more intelligence, zeal, or energy than General Palmer, whose uniform distinguished success throughout the war places his reputation beyond controversy.”

After the War, Palmer went on to a long career as an industrialist and railroad builder, settling in Colorado, but traveling all over the world, including building railroads in Mexico. He raised three girls, died in 1909 at the age of 1909 and is buried in Colorado Springs. Honor and remember William Palmer, a great American!