DOB/DOD: February 14, 1846 (Dublin, Ireland) – September 12, 1916 (Sea Cliff, NY); 70 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Henrietta Hartwell (1849-1925) in 1868.
CHILDREN: Three sons, George D. (1868-1944), Robert H. (1870-1934), and Christopher W., Jr. (1880-1942). One daughter, Bessie D. Wilson Scofield (1876-1957).
ENLISTMENT: July 5, 1861, in New York City.
FAMILY: Born to Joseph and Elizabeth Davis Wilson. No other information is known.
OTHER: His family immigrated to Meriden and was living in today’s downtown at the start of the Civil War in 1861. Enlisted in the Union Army infantry at Camp Scott in Staten Island as a private in Company F, 4th Regiment Excelsior Brigade.
MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS DURING: Civil War
BRANCH OF SERVICE: Army
UNIT: Company E, 73rd New York Infantry
DATE OF ISSUE AND PRESENTATION: December 30, 1898 (34 years later)
AGE ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT: 18
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private Christopher W. Wilson, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 12 May 1864, while serving with Company E, 73rd New York Infantry, in action at Spotsylvania, Virginia. Private Wilson took the flag from the wounded Color Bearer and carried it in the charge over the Confederate works, in which charge he also captured the colors of the 56th Virginia (Confederate States of America), bringing off both flags in safety.
From The Standard Union (Brooklyn, NY) September 13, 1916
Christopher W. Wilson, senior member of the firm of C.W. Wilson and Company, lumber dealers at the foot of Kent Street, and Vice President and Director of the Eastern District Hospital, died yesterday at his summer home in Sea Cliff, aged 71 years. Mr. Wilson was born in Ireland on February 14, 1846. He came to this country as a boy and, at the outbreak of the Civil War, enlisted as a Private in the Seventy-third Regiment, New York Volunteers. He was promoted rapidly for bravery and, at the close of the conflict, was acting-Major. Mr. Wilson was seriously wounded in the Battle of Williamsburg, Virginia, and later was awarded a Congressional medal. At the close of the war, he returned North and entered the Eastman Business College at Poughkeepsie. After completing his course there, he entered business in Brooklyn and had lived here up to the time of his death. He was connected with a great many business organizations and patriotic societies. He was a commander of the Loyal Legion of the United States, a member of the Third Army Corps Veteran Association, the New York Lumber Trades Association, the Business Men’s and Manufacturers’ Association, and the Hanover and Lincoln Clubs. He was also a Director of the Greenpoint National Bank and the New York Rubber Company. He is survived by his widow, Henrietta; three sons, George E., Robert H., and Christopher W. Jr., and one daughter, Mrs. Bessie W. Scofield, wife of Dr. Charles E. Scofield. Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. at his Brooklyn home, 331 Jefferson Avenue. Interment Friday morning in Evergreen Cemetery.
From The Times Union (Brooklyn, NY) September 14, 1916
The death of Christopher W. Wilson deprives the business world of Brooklyn of a fine and commanding figure, and although he had reached the Scriptural allotment of years and had not been a resident of the Eastern District for several years, his influence was still strong in its social and religious life, and his death will be deeply distressing to thousands. Mr. Wilson represented a type of Brooklyn businessman whose strict sense of honor and whose broad public spirit enriched the community. His great lumber yard is still one of the industrial assets of the Eastern District. His long activity in Christ Church, his participation in the club life of Williamsburg, and the intelligence and energy he displayed with respect to projects of public interest and value earned for him the high place he held in public esteem. He was a thorough American, although not of American birth, who bought his right to citizenship by a soldier’s service under the Stars and Stripes.
From The Standard Union (Brooklyn, NY) September 15, 1916
Dr. Downey Delivers Eulogy at Funeral Services – Many Organizations Represented
The body of Christopher W. Wilson, head of an Eastern District lumber concern, was buried today at Evergreen Cemetery. Last night at his late home, 331 Jefferson Avenue, funeral services were conducted by the Rev. David G. Downey, D.D. book editor of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Delegations attended from the Hanover Club, New York Commandery of the Loyal Legion, Third Army Corps Veterans’ Association, Marsh Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; New York Lumber Trade Association, Lincoln Club, Commerce Club, Eastern District Hospital, Greenpoint National Bank, New York Rubber Company, Taylor Iron Works, and members of the Christ Episcopal Church. Dr. Downey, in his eulogy, spoke feelingly on the life of Mr. Wilson. He said that from the very time he was able to understand right from wrong, he had worked for the moral uplift of his fellow man. He said he loved his country and was at all times ready to serve it. “The good manner in which he lived preserved him, and although he had passed the three score and ten mark, he looked very young. All the time I knew him, I never heard him speak one cross word. He was always happy, and whenever he could be of service to his fellow man, he was never found lacking. In the death of Mr. Wilson, the borough, city, state, and country have lost an honorable and beloved citizen.”
Buried in The Evergreens Cemetery, 1629 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn, New York; Tulip Grove Section, Lot 107. Photos by Jeff DeWitt.
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