Captain in the 34th Illinois Infantry, Company A, engaged in fighting at Pittsburg Landing, Corinth and Murphreesboro. Was taken prisoner in October 1863 and moved to Belle Isle. Was exchanged in April 1864 and rejoined his regiment in Georgia, May 1864, to participate in the siege of Atlanta, Sherman's March to the Sea and up through the Carolinas to Washington, D.C. The Robinson family had come from Ohio in 1856 and started hardware stores in Sterling and Dixon, Illinois, eventually living in Sterling. William's father, Robert P. joined the 34th but was mustered out in 1862 due to illness. His brother Frank was a captain with the 4th Iowa Cavalry. Step brother Moses Dillon served as a private in the 140th Illinois. Loyd Dillon, who became a captain, was wounded and died while recovering in Minnesota.
From the description of Papers, 1860-1877. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 54354824
