Saunders, William D.

Civil War Veteran

Birth: May 28, 1838, Bullitt County, Kentucky
Death: June 15, 1911, Vienna, Trumbull County, Ohio
Burial: Vienna Township Cemetery, Vienna, Trumbull County, Ohio
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Military Service: 53rd Regiment, Kentucky Infantry, Company E

William D. Saunders married his wife, Julia Ann Barber, in 1861 and was mustered into the 53rd Kentucky in the same year. A steelworker and railroad worker, Saunders had moved from Newport, Kentucky, to work in the Niles mills after his service in the Civil War. His son, James Peter, owned a 110-acre farm in Vienna. Here the elderly Saunders moved in 1910.

Regimental History, 53rd Kentucky Infantry

Overview: Organized at Covington, Ky., September, 1864. Attached to Military District of Kentucky, Dept. Ohio, and Dept. of Kentucky, to September, 1865.

Service: Guard Kentucky Central Railroad between Lexington and Cincinnati. Scouting in Central Kentucky and operating against guerrillas till November, 1864. Moved to Crab Orchard, Ky., November 24, and joined General Stoneman. Stoneman's Raid into Southwest Virginia December 10-29. Near Marion, Va., December 17-18. Saltsville, Va., December 20-21. Capture and destruction of salt works. Operating against guerrillas at various points in Kentucky by detachments till September, 1865. Mustered out September 17, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 1 Officer and 8 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 40 Enlisted men by disease. Total 49.