William Hemphill Bell
William Hemphill Bell | |
|---|---|
Brady–Handy photo of Bell as a captain, c. 1875 | |
| Born | January 28, 1834 |
| Died | October 17, 1906 (aged 72) Denver, Colorado, US |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States Union (American Civil War) |
| Service | United States Army Union Army |
| Service years | 1858–1861, 1866–1898 (US Army) 1861–1866 (Union Army) |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Unit | U.S. Army Subsistence Department |
| Commands | Subsistence Depot, Aquia Creek Subsistence Depot, Falmouth Depot Subsistence Depot, Belle Plains Chief Commissary, Department of New Mexico Chief Commissary, District of New Mexico Chief Commissary, Department of Alaska Chief Commissary, Department of the South Chief Commissary, Department of the Platte Chief Commissary, Department of California Chief Commissary, Department of Colorado Commissary General of the U.S. Army |
| Wars | American Civil War American Indian Wars |
| Alma mater | United States Military Academy |
| Spouse |
Mary Rebecca Edgar
(m. 1860; death 1902) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relations | Thomas S. Bell (father) Thomas S. Bell Jr. (brother) |
William H. Bell (28 January 1834 – 17 October 1906) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars, he served from 1858 to 1897 and attained the rank of brigadier general as the army's commissary general of subsistence.
Bell was born and raised in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1853 to 1858. Commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry, he served in New Mexico Territory, which included explorations of territory controlled by the Navajo people. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and his duties included participation in the First Battle of Bull Run, faculty member at West Point, and commissary of subsistence at posts in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico.
After the Civil War, Bell continued to perform commissary duties in Washington, D.C., California, Alaska, Washington state, Colorado, and Wyoming. In late 1897 Bell was promoted to brigadier general. In January 1897, he reached the mandatory retirement age of 64 and left the army. In retirement, Bell was a resident of Arvada, Colorado. He died in Denver on 17 October 1906 and was buried at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery.