Virtual Tour of Williams' 1862 Trail

Interactive Map of Williams' 1862 Trail

Discovering Alpheus Williams

Who is Plug Ugly?

Alpheus Starkey Williams  

      Alpheus Williams may be the leading candidate for the title of unsung hero of the American Civil War. This website will, hopefully, put an end to that status. Here you will discover a human being of remarkable character and warmth who submerged personal ambition and recognition for the better execution of the terrible historical tasks laid before him.

      The immense role of Alpheus Williams in the Civil War has been largely neglected. Long overdue recognition of Williams' historical role began with the garishly titled 1959 publication "From the Canon's Mouth: the Civil War Letters of General Alpheus S. Williams",1 a collection of his finely written and astonishingly descriptive letters sent to his family in Detroit throughout his remarkable four years of service in the Union cause. His legacy has since been supplemented by the finely researched biography of Michigan State University professor Jeffrey Charnley, "Neglected Honor, The Life of General A.S. Williams of Michigan (1810-1878)". 2

      Project Plugugly joins this process by bringing to life the career of this eloquent citizen-soldier from Detroit whose overlooked contributions were essential in saving both the Union army and the Union.

1 "From the Canon's Mouth: the Civil War Letters of General Alpheus S. Williams" (Detroit: Wayne State University Press and the Detroit Historical Society, 1959.   return to text

2 "Neglected Honor, The Life of General A.S. Williams of Michigan (1810-1878)" (Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1983 by Jeffrey Charnley).   return to text


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