William H. Gilmore was born in Fairlee, Vermont, on October 17, 1839. The son of state legislator and probate judge Alexander H. Gilmore, he was educated at New London Academy (now Colby-Sawyer College) and began a career as a farmer in Fairlee.[1][2]
Civil War
William H. Gilmore, Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, 8th Vermont Infantry
In 1861 Gilmore joined Company D, 8th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment.[note 1] Enlisting as a private, he served until being mustered out in 1864, and rose in rank to become the regiment's supply sergeant. On several occasions he was commended for sustaining the regiment in battle by arranging for the timely acquisition and distribution of food, ammunition and equipment.[3][4]
Gilmore was also active in several businesses, including serving as president of the Bradford National Bank.[11]
Continued military service
William H. Gilmore, Vermont Adjutant General
In 1882 Gilmore accepted appointment as a colonel on the staff of GovernorJohn L. Barstow, a fellow veteran of the 8th Vermont, and he served until 1883.[12]
In 1886 Gilmore was elected by the Vermont General Assembly to serve as Quartermaster General of the Vermont Militia, with the rank of brigadier general.[13]
Gilmore was elected Quartermaster, Inspector and Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia with the rank of major general in November 1900 and served until his death.[14]
Death and burial
In later years Gilmore resided in Bradford during the winter and in a cottage on Lake Morey in Fairlee during the summer.[15]
Gilmore died in Bellows Falls, Vermont, on April 18, 1910. He had become ill in March while in town to inspect the local National Guard company, and he remained bedridden in a Bellows Fall hotel while being treated for pneumonia and other ailments.[16] He was buried in Bradford’s Upper Plain Cemetery.
Family
In 1866 Gilmore married Mary T. Haselton (1839–1917). Their children included Alexander H. Gilmore (June 2, 1866 – February 5, 1939), who became a newspaper editor in Newport News, Virginia, Macon, Georgia, and New Castle, Delaware,[17] and Kathie Gilmore, the wife of Harry B. Chamberlin, a Vermont businessman who served as an officer in Vermont National Guard, joined the army for the Spanish–American War and was later assigned to Alabama, California and other posts throughout the country.[18][14]
Frank P. Bennett (1904). United States Investor. Vol. 15. Frank P. Bennett and Company. p. 839. Retrieved May 9, 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Vermont State Board of Agriculture (1886). "1885-1886". Vermont Agricultural Report ... Vol. 9. The Board. p. 387. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
Williamstown History Book Committee; Williamstown Historical Society (1991). A History of Williamstown, Vermont, 1781-1991. Williamstown Historical Society. p. 109. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
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