William W. Riser (1841 - 1863)

Born 16 Nov 1841 in Hinds County, Mississippi

Ancestors

Died 16 May 1863 at age 21 in Champion Hill, Hinds, Mississippi

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Biography

William was born on November 16, 1841. He was the son of Isaac Riser and Polly Hollingsworth.^[1]

William served in the Army of the Confederate States of America. Initially, he volunteered as a Private in Company H (Brown's Rebels), 18th Mississippi Infantry along with his brother Lafayette Riser.^[2] The regiment was organized on June 7, 1861 in Corinth, Mississippi, with Company H being recruited at Terry's Station, Hinds County. The regiment was immediately ordered to Virginia and arrived at Camp Walker, near Manassas on June 18. The 18th Mississippi was posted at McLean's Ford during the Battle of Bull Run (aka First Battle of Manassas), and during this battle, late in the day on July 21, 1861, the 18th attacked up Little Rocky Run and came under heavy artillery fire. The regiment lost seven killed and 21 injured. William's brother Lafayette died 11 days later, so it is presumed that he was one of the injured who later succumbed to his injuries.^[3]

The period of enlistment for the soldiers of the 18th was only one year. At some point after that, William enlisted in Company A, 1st Mississippi Light Artillery and held the rank of Corporal. He fought in the Battle of Champion Hill, part of the Siege of Vicksburg, and was killed in action at the age of 21 on May 16, 1863.

William is buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Vicksburg, Warren County, Mississippi.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4LC-YZD : 12 April 2016), Isaac Riser, Hinds county, part of, Hinds, Mississippi, United States; citing family 941, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ A Roll of 18th Mississippi Infantry Soldiers During the Civil War, 1861 - 1865, http://www.angelfire.com/ms3/18msinf/H.html accessed 7 May 2018
3. ↑ "18th Mississippi Infantry Regiment", The Civil War in the East, http://civilwarintheeast.com/confederate-regiments/mississippi/18th-mississippi-infantry-regiment/ Accessed 9 May 2018
4. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/161760795/william-w-riser : accessed 07 May 2018), memorial page for CPL William W Riser (16 Nov 1841–16 May 1863), Find A Grave Memorial no. 161760795, citing Cedar Hill Cemetery, Vicksburg, Warren County, Mississippi, USA ; Maintained by James Earl (Sam) Price (contributor 48869962) .

For further reading

• Wikipedia: Battle of Champion Hill