Civil War Union Brigadier General, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he graduated 8th in the United States Military Academy class of 1847. After his graduation,he served in garrisons in Mexico, New Mexico Territory, Massachusetts, and Florida. In 1857 he resigned his commission, returned to his hometown, and became a lawyer. Reenlisting in military service on May 1, 1861, with the rank of Colonel of the 1st Michigan Volunteer Infantry, he led the regiment at First Bull Run, where he was wounded and captured. In Confederate prisons for more than a year, he was released on August 19, 1862, receiving his commission as Brigadier General the same day. Assigned a division of the Army of the Potomac's IX Corps, he directed it at the Battles of South Mountain and Antietam. When Major General Ambrose Burnside, the corps commander, succeeded to command of the army, he led the corps during the December 1862 Fredericksburg Campaign. Early in 1863 the IX Corps was transferred to the West, assigned to the Army of the Ohio. During 1863 and part of 1864, he commanded the corps 3 times. He also served briefly as commander of the District of Central Kentucky. The IX Corps in spring 1864 returned to Virginia, where he led his division at the Battle of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. When General Burnside resigned after the disastrous Battle of the Crater, on July 30, Major General John G. Parke, the corps's Chief of Staff, not himself, assumed command. Despite his excellent record, he had never been promoted to Major General. He stayed at divisional command until the surrender at Appomattox. Brevetted Major General in the volunteer and Regular service, he was mustered out in January 1866, returning to his legal practice in Detroit. In July, however, the army was enlarged, and he was reappointed as Colonel of the 29th United States Infantry. He remained in the army for 21 years. Because of his performance as commander of the Department of Arizona, the town of Willcox, Arizona, was named after him. He retired in 1887 and, 8 years later, Congress awarded him the Medal of Honor for his performance at First Bull Run. He died in Coburg, Ontario, Canada, of acute bronchitis. His MOH citation reads "Led repeated charges until wounded and taken prisoner".