Existing comment:
General William Henry Winder (1775-1824)
William Henry Winder was born in Somerset County, Maryland, in 1775. He studied law and in 1789 settled in Baltimore. By 1812, he was appointed a Lieutenant-Colonel in the US Infantry and by the following year became a Brigadier-Genearl. In May 1814, he was appointed Adjutant-General and placed in command of the newly created 10th Military District.
General Wilder was court-martialed for his part in the defeat at Bladensburg, but the trial resulted in a report of "commendation" for having heroically done his duty under circumstances beyond his control. The court found that Winder showed great zeal but lacked the skill and ability to handle troops properly. In June 1815, he retired a somewhat broken man but resumed the practice of law in Baltimore, where he died in 1824.
General W.H. Winder was promoted for political rather than military reasons. He owed his appointment as Brigadier-General to his kinship with the governor of Maryland. |