James Wood King
| James Wood King | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
August 13, 1842 Fabius, Michigan |
| Died | October 9, 1903 (aged 61) Coldwater, Michigan |
| Place of burial | Riverside Cemetery, Three Rivers, Michigan |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–64 |
| Rank | Quartermaster Sergeant |
| Unit | 11th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Other work | Clerk, newspaper editor, court stenographer |
James Wood King (August 13, 1842 – October 9, 1903) was a soldier, carpetbagger, and newspaper editor from the state of Michigan who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor for committing acts of conspicuous gallantry at the Battle of Missionary Ridge.
King was born in Fabius Township, Michigan. He was the sixth of eight children of Benjamin Montaigne and Martha (Wetherbee) King. Martha King died in 1846, and Benjamin remarried to Eliza Van Buren, a cousin of U.S. president Martin Van Buren and descendant of John Jay.
King grew up working on his father's farm. In late 1860, he fell in love with Sarah Jane Babcock, a fellow student at the local district school. She was a daughter of Darius Ambrose and Ruth (Butler) Babcock, both of whom had ancestors in the Connecticut House of Representatives during the Revolution. King and Babcock’s young romance was interrupted when the Civil War broke out and King enlisted in the 11th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment, mustering in on August 24, 1861.
King was frequently detailed to clerk and quartermaster duties, culminating in his March 1863 promotion to quartermaster sergeant, a rank that nominally precluded involvement in combat. King, however, requested and was granted permission by his brigade commander to join in battle outside his line of duty at Missionary Ridge on November 25, 1863. There, King twice charged ahead of his unit against fortified Confederate positions, entering hand-to-hand combat on the first occasion, and penetrating a gap in Alexander P. Stewart's division on the ridge summit in the second case. King was among the first to crest the ridge, and the piercing of the Confederate battle line triggered Stewart’s retreat from the heights. King was wounded in the process, suffering a gunshot wound to his right arm that inflicted a lifelong disability and nearly necessitated amputation.
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