DOB/DOD: September 8, 1841 (Bucksport, ME) – November 7, 1903 (Bridgeport, CT); 62 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Mary L. Hart (1843-1890)
CHILDREN: Three sons, Edward B. (1869-1890), William T. (1870-1931), and Robert (1875-1935).
ENLISTMENT: July 22, 1862, in Connecticut.
DISCHARGE: Mustered out on May 31, 1865, in Alexandria, Virginia.
FAMILY: Born to John W. (1817-1875) and Sarah A. Blodgett Hincks (1820-1864). Brothers Edward Y. (1844-1927), Enoch P. (1846-1915), and John H. (1849-1804). One sister, Jane I. (1856-1929).
MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS DURING: Civil War
BRANCH OF SERVICE: Army
UNIT: 14th Connecticut Infantry
DATE OF ISSUE: December 1, 1864
AGE ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT: 21
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Major William B. Hincks, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 3 July 1863, while serving with the 14th Connecticut Infantry, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. During the high-water mark of Pickett’s charge on 3 July 1863, the colors of the 14th Tennessee Infantry C.S.A. were planted 50 yards in front of the center of Sergeant Major Hincks’s regiment. There were no Confederates standing near it, but several were lying down around it. Upon a call for volunteers by Major Ellis, commanding, to capture this flag, this soldier and two others leaped the wall. One companion was instantly shot. Sergeant Major Hincks outran his remaining companion, running straight and swift for the colors amid a storm of shot. Swinging his saber over the prostrate Confederates and uttering a terrific yell, he seized the flag and hastily returned to his lines. The 14th Tennessee carried 12 battle honors on its flag. The devotion to duty shown by Sergeant Major Hincks gave encouragement to many of his comrades at a crucial moment of the battle.
Presentation Date and Details: December 6, 1864, by Major General George G. Meade, at a review of the 2nd Army Corps Headquarters, Peebles’ House, near Petersburg, Virginia.
After moving to Bridgeport with his family, William established a career for himself as a writer, and on July 22, 1862, he enlisted in the 14th Connecticut Infantry as the unit’s adjutant (aka secretary).
After the war, he became a wealthy bank executive and prominent citizen in his hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and through his assistance to circus showman and fellow Bridgeport native P.T. Barnum, was able to found the Barnum Museum (which still exists today) and the Bridgeport Hospital. He also established a book business in partnership with Hobart Brinsmade under the name of Brinsmade & Hincks, purchasing his partner’s interests in 1871. He was interested in American history and contributed to many of the nation’s leading magazines (Harpers, Hearth & Home) and, in 1876, wrote “Bridgeport and Vicinity in the Revolution and the War of 1812“.
In later life, Hincks became one of Bridgeport’s most respected citizens, serving on the boards of a large number of Bridgeport businesses in his capacity as treasurer of the City Savings Bank of Bridgeport. He served as co-executor of P.T. Barnum’s estate, which amounted to more than $5 million at the time.
Buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery, 2675 North Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut; Section 1, Mausoleum 17. Photos by Jeff DeWitt.
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