William H. French

William Henry French
General William Henry French
Born	(1815-01-13)January 13, 1815 Baltimore, Maryland
Died	May 20, 1881(1881-05-20) (aged 66) Washington, D.C.
Place of burial	Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1837–1880
Rank	Major General
Commands held	III Corps
Battles/wars	Second Seminole War Mexican-American War American Civil War

William Henry French (January 13, 1815 – May 20, 1881) was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army General in the American Civil War. He rose to temporarily command a corps within the Army of the Potomac, but was relieved of active field duty following poor performance by his command during the Mine Run Campaign in late 1863. He remained in the Army and went on to command several Army installations before his retirement in 1880.

William H. French was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1837 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Artillery. He briefly served in the Second Seminole War and was then assigned to garrison duty along the Canada–US border from late 1837 through 1838, when he was reassigned to other military posts for the next decade.

During the Mexican-American War, French was aide-de-camp to General Franklin Pierce, and also on the staff of General Robert Patterson. He was engaged in the siege of Vera Cruz, and received two brevet promotions for bravery: to captain for Cerro Gordo and to major for Contreras and Churubusco.