The Civil War had only days remaining. On March 31, 1865, the battle-weary troops of both sides gathered along the banks of a small non-descript creek in Virginia named Gravelly Run. The battle that would follow would have several names: Gravelly Run, White Oak Road, Hatcher’s Run, Boydton Plank Road, and White Oak Ridge, all for nearby landmarks. To add to the confusion, another battle at nearby Dinwiddie Courthouse also took place the same day.

This day would mark the last of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s offensive actions, launched in hopes of stopping Union General Ulysses Grant’s Union army as they moved to cut the few remaining supply lines available to the Confederacy. Grant’s troops were in the process of doing just that, knowing that Lee would be forced to extend his lines to a point where he could no longer fight. That day would not be far off.

Two days earlier Union Major General Gouverneur Warren had gained control of the Boydton Plank Road, a key transportation and communication route. Fearing Union forces would turn his right flank, Lee moved General George Pickett’s troops to a strategic location where he hoped they would be able to keep Major General Philip Sheridan from cutting the South Side Railroad and preventing an avenue of escape from Grant’s siege of Petersburg for the Confederates. Confederate Major General Bushrod Johnson awaited Sheridan’s men. 

The next day saw heavy rains that prevented either side from accomplishing much, but March 31 saw relief from the downpours, allowing Warren to advance. As his men approached White Oak Road at about 10:30 am, Lee ordered an assault by four Confederate brigades.  His move caught Warren by surprise, forcing the Federals into a chaotic retreat. Reorganizing his men, Warren mounted a counterattack that afternoon, isolating Pickett’s division. A costly defeat the next day at Five Forks would set the stage for Lee’s surrender on April 9.

Sergeant William Hogoge Sickles

By James Gindlesperger, historical author

William Hogoge Sickles was born October 27, 1844, in Danube, Herkimer County, New York, to George and Eliza (Waldon) Sickles, one of two sons born to the couple. At some point in his early life the family moved to Fall River, Wisconsin, where he enlisted into the 7^th Wisconsin Infantry’s Company B with the rank of corporal on May 11, 1861. He would have been 16 years old at his time of enlistment, so it is likely that he lied about his age.

Sickles and the 7^th Wisconsin, part of the famed Iron Brigade and proud to bear the nickname the Huckleberries, would experience more than enough heavy fighting, participating in such battles as Cedar Mountain, Catlett’s Station, Rappahannock Station, Gainesville, 2nd Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Fitzhugh’s Crossing, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Haymarket, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna, Totopotomoy Creek, Bethesda Church, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, and Weldon Railroad. Sickles had suffered two wounds along the way, both at Gettysburg.

Now it was March 31, 1865, and Sickles, who had reenlisted in December 1863, had advanced to the rank of sergeant. On this day he was with the rest of the 7^th Wisconsin in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Gossip among the men was hopeful, with the general tone being that the Confederates could not last much longer. Maybe the Huckleberries would be going home soon.

The regiment had been placed along the Boydton Plank Road a day earlier, nearly a quarter-mile in front of the main body of the brigade. At daybreak on March 31 the regiment advanced up the road, setting up breastworks near the intersection with Quaker Road. Around mid-morning they received orders to advance in a northwesterly direction across Gravelly Run, where they were directed to form a line of battle with the 6^th Wisconsin. As they were doing this, they were met by rapidly retreating Union troops. With the fleeing Federals bursting through their line, the 6^th and 7^th Wisconsin tried to close their ranks and fire on the approaching Confederates, but quickly realized they were being flanked.

Turning their front, the Wisconsin troops began a fighting retreat until they had returned to Gravelly Run, where they set up near a bridge in a ragged line of battle. Later that afternoon they were ordered to advance slowly, in an effort to push their opponents back.

At some point in the advance, Sickles and Sergeant Albert O’Connor of Company A had moved slightly ahead of their line when they spied a group of gray-clad troops who appeared to be taking up a defensive position. Sickles and O’Connor, who had become friends since mustering in, realized the rebels had not seen them yet. Concealing themselves behind a small rise, they decided that the element of surprise would enable the two of them to capture the entire group. When they counted their quarry, they determined that there were 10 men clustered together, but one of those was wearing a blue uniform, obviously a prisoner.

Sickles and O’Connor decided the best way to achieve their objective would be to rush in shouting, in an effort to confuse the rebel soldiers. Doing so, their plan had the desired effect, although six of the Confederates ran and quickly disappeared in the underbrush. The remaining three threw down their weapons and surrendered, with the Union prisoner quickly picking up one of the weapons to assist his rescuers. The three marched their captives to the rear and turned them over to Warren’s staff.

Sickles would serve through the remaining days of the war. As one of his last official duties as a soldier, Sickles served as the personal escort of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to and from Union General Ulysses S. Grants’ headquarters at Appomattox, Virginia, during surrender talks in April 1865. Along with the rest of the 7^th Wisconsin, he took part in the Grand Review of the Armies in Washington in May prior to mustering out on July 3, 1865.

Following his discharge, he returned home and married Saloma Stiles in 1866, with whom he had three children. Saloma died in 1872, and three years later William married Jane E. “Jennie” Carley. William and Jennie would have one child. At various times William would labor as a farmer, Justice of the Peace, barber, customs officer, and railroad conductor, and he was active in the Grand Army of the Republic, serving locally as the Commodore for Foote Post #84 in Kitsap County, Washington.

In August 1911 he applied for residency at the State Soldiers Home Colony in Pierce County, Washington, stating that he was suffering from rheumatism, heart failure and kidney trouble. He claimed his only assets were property valued at $400 and a monthly soldier’s pension of $12. The home’s surgeon examined Sickles and confirmed his ailments, noting that Sickles was no longer able to perform manual labor, and approved him for admission.

On February 28, 1917, Sickles was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Gravelly Run, just one day after his friend Albert O’Connor received his Medal for the same action. O’Connor was the comrade mentioned in Sickles’ citation, which read: With a comrade, attempted capture of a stand of Confederate colors and detachment of nine Confederates, actually taking prisoner three members of the detachment, dispersing the remainder, and recapturing a Union officer who was a prisoner in hands of the detachment.

In addition to receiving the Medal of Honor, highlights of his post-war life included being honored with his friend and fellow Medal of Honor recipient O’Connor at the National Armistice Day Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on May 30, 1920; attending the funeral of the World War I Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery on November 11, 1921; and taking part in the 75^th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1938.

However, as is often the case, life’s highlights are often offset by events that would prefer to be forgotten. His civilian life was marred on Tuesday morning, March 21, 1933, when he and his son Claude got into an argument. The altercation grew heated, culminating with Claude viciously beating his 89-year-old father. The Medal of Honor Recipient was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was listed for several days in critical condition. While Sickles was in the hospital, his son was charged with second degree assault. Described as a “tough old bird” by a friend, Sickles proved the friend to be correct by not only surviving his beating, but also returning to the Soldiers Home following his release from the hospital, where he lived for four more years with no long-term effects from his beating.

On September 16, 1938, his health issues, exacerbated by his advanced age, caused him to be admitted to the Puyallup General Hospital in Puyallup, Washington. Ten days later he passed away, with his death attributed to “inanition due to age,” according to his death certificate. Inanition was a term that referred to a state of malnutrition which could be brought on by any of various accompanying diseases, in his case most likely his heart failure. At age 93, he was the last remaining Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient.

Sickles was buried at the Soldiers Home Cemetery in Orting, Washington, adjacent to his second wife, Jennie, and near his friend with whom he earned the Medal of Honor, Albert O’Connor, who had died 10 years earlier.

Further Reading

• Civil War Veterans Buried in Washington State, William Hogoge Sickles, https://www.civilwarvetswastate.com/veterans/detail.html?veteranid=2772, Accessed January 25, 2025.
• Wisconsin Historical Society, Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865. Volume I, page 547, https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/tp/id/35643, Accessed January 24, 2025.
• “Aged Man Beaten”, Spokane Chronicle, Spokane, Washington, March 22, 1933, page 9, Newspapers.com,  https://www.newspapers.com/article/spokane-chronicle-william-sickles-1844/80399078/, Accessed January 26, 2025.
• “Obituary of Sergt. W. H. Sickles”, Spokane Chronicle, Spokane, Washington, September 28, 1938, Newspapers.com, https://www.newspapers.com/article/spokane-chronicle-william-sickles-1844/80399078/, Accessed January 26, 2025.
• American Battlefield Trust, White Oak Road, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/white-oak-road, Accessed January 25, 2025.
• Washington Soldiers Home Cemetery History, https://www.dva.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-02/Orting%20Soldiers%20Home%20Cemetery%20Write-up%202018.pdf, Accessed January 26, 2025.

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The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Medal of Honor, inspiring America to live the values the Medal represents, and supporting Recipients of the Medal as they connect with communities across America.

Chartered by Congress in 1958, its membership consists exclusively of those individuals who have received the Medal of Honor. There are fewer than 70 living Recipients.

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