Family tradition has him born on December 9, 1830 and his military records list his birth as 1832. In 1847, he graduated from Old Trinity College in Ireland and one year later he immigrated to the United States. He settled in New Orleans, Louisiana where he found employment as a railroad engineer. According to family history, when the Mexican-American War broke out he joined the 7th US Regiment as a Private under General Zachary Taylor and attained the rank of Captain. Later he came under the command of General Winfield Scott until the fall of Mexico City. Military records, however, show he first joined the 7th US Infantry, Company I on April 25, 1851. He served along the Arkansas frontier building roads and bridges and attained the rank of 1st Sergeant on June 21, 1858 and continued in that rank throughout the Civil War. On July 7, 1861 his company was at Fort Fillmore, New Mexico when the Fort was surrendered to Confederate forces and he became a Prisoner of War. He was paroled on August 31, 1861. His company was ordered to Army of the Potomac in October of 1862 and deployed to Virginia where he was severely wounded at Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was sent to a hospital in New York City where he began to petition for a commission. On June 7, 1864 he was finally commissioned as a second lieutenant and sent to recruiting duty in Pennsylvania and promoted to first lieutenant on September 26, 1865 and it was backdated to May 18, 1865. After the war he was ordered to the west and the Indian Wars. On January 5, 1875 he was promoted to captain and to the commanding officer of Company I under General John Gibbon's command. He met his death in the campaign against Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indians at the Battle of the Big Hole in Western Montana. The troop attacked the sleeping camp, but the Indians recovered quickly and delivered a withering fire from the shelter of the river bank. According to one story, Logan engaged a Nez Perce in hand-to-hand combat but was shot through the head by another warrior. The brave captain's death seemed to inspire his men to greater effort and the battle was over and the camp secure within 20 minutes from the time the first shot was fired.

For more information on Captain Logan please go to the following website: http://www.friendsnezpercebattlefields.org/captainwilliamlogan.htm