Old Boy, Soldier, Spy: William Orton Williams
William Orton Williams was a member of the esteemed Williams family of Virginia and a cousin of Robert E. Lee by marriage. He attended Episcopal High School from 1853 to 1854 and then enrolled at the US Military Academy in 1857 (despite Robert E. Lee’s attempt to dissuade him). (1) He joined the Confederate Army in 1861, while his brother was a captain in the Tenth US Infantry (2). He was regarded as hot-headed and arrogant by his subordinates but was well respected by his superiors and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming an aide to General Leonidas Polk and chief of artillery for General Braxton Bragg. (3) Shortly before the battle of Shiloh in Hardin County, Tennessee, Williams killed an insubordinate officer. Williams was not officially punished, but because of backlash he faced, he changed his name to Lawrence Williams Orton and was recommissioned. (4). As Lawrence Williams Orton, his story unfolded and he infiltrated a Union camp in Franklin, Tennessee. See the timeline for more…
(1) White, John, Chronicles of the Episcopal High School in Virginia 1839-1989 (Dublin, New Hampshire: William L. Bauhaun, Publisher, 1989), 39.
(2) Ibid 40
(3) Ibid 40
(4) Ibid 40
Newspaper descriptions of Orton's capture and death.
