Captain William Nelson Harris

Gravestone of Captain William Nelson Harris in the Gettysburg National Cemetery

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Significance:

Captain, 1st West Virginia Cavalry, Company E

Place of Birth:

Wood County, VA

Date of Birth:

1826

Place of Death:

Gettysburg, PA

Date of Death:

July 4, 1863

Place of Burial:

West Virginia, Row A, Site #7

Cemetery Name:

Gettysburg National Cemetery

West Virginia, Row A, Site #7

Captain Harris (Harriss), born in 1826, was a farm laborer in Wood County, VA (now WV). He enlisted in Parkersburg, Wood County in 1861 and was promoted to Captain after recruiting his company.

He was captured on July 3, 1863 during the battle of Gettysburg and died the following day.