Franklin, William Buel, 1823-1903

Educated West Point, graduated 1843. Served in Mexican-American War, as Professor at West Point for three years and as an engineer until the outbreak of the Civil War. As a Union Army General, he saw action at Antietam and Fredericksburg. After the war he became manager of Colt Firearms.

From the description of W. B. Franklin letter to Col. George E. Waring, Jr. [manuscript], 1870 Jul 1. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 225134864

Army officer.

From the description of William Buel Franklin papers, 1861-1865. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79450703

William Buel Franklin was a Union army general in the Civil War.

From the description of W. B. Franklin letter to Colonel Nicholson, 1899 September 1. (University of California, Santa Barbara). WorldCat record id: 746528112

William Buel Franklin was born in York, Pennsylvania, on February 27, 1823. His father, Walter S. Franklin, served as a clerk for the United States House of Representatives. Franklin entered the United States Military Academy at West Point at the age of 16 and graduated as the first-ranking cadet in the Class of 1843. Following his graduation, he served in the Corps of Topographical Engineers and served in Mexico under General John E. Wool during the Mexican War. He later moved to Washington, D.C., and became a civil engineer, working as a lighthouse inspector. In 1857, he became Army Secretary to the Lighthouse Board. Franklin served in the Union Army during the Civil War, participating in several battles under Major General George B. McClellan and attaining the rank of major general. He resigned his commission after the war, and continued to work as an engineer in Hartford, Connecticut, where he oversaw construction of the state capitol in the 1870s. William B. Franklin died on March 8, 1903.

From the guide to the William B. Franklin letter book, Franklin, William B. letter book, 1857-1859, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)