William Dwight

William Dwight Jr. (July 14, 1831 – April 21, 1888), was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Raised in Massachusetts, he came from a notable family of military leaders. Early life William Dwight was born July 14, 1831, in Springfield, Massachusetts. His father was William Dwight of the New England Dwight family who was born April 5, 1805. His mother was Elizabeth Amelia White, daughter of Judge Daniel Appleton White (1776–1861) and Mary Wilder (1780–1811). Dwight was the second born son in a family of seven sons, three of whom, besides himself, served in the American Civil War. He was considered to be an out-spoken, boisterous, high-spirited boy, somewhat rude in his manner, sometimes troublesome, yet was said to possess a charm that made him well liked. The young Dwight also had a great love for the out door life and sport. Starting in 1846 he attended a military preparatory school, and was admitted to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1849. However, he resigned January 31, 1853, and moved to Boston to work in manufacturing. On January 1, 1856, he married Anna Robeson.