William Anthony
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| William Anthony | |
|---|---|
| October 27, 1853 - November 24, 1899 | |
 Sergeant Major William Anthony, USMC |
|
| Nickname | "The Nation's Hero" |
| Place of birth | Albany, New York |
| Place of death | New York, New York |
| Allegiance | USMC |
| Years of service | 1875-1885 (U.S. Army) 1885-1899 (USMC) |
| Rank | Sergeant Major |
| Battles/wars | Spanish-American War |
William Anthony (27 October 1853 – 24 November 1899) was a soldier in the United States Army and a Marine in the United States Marine Corps, who served during the Spanish-American War.
Born in Albany, New York, Anthony enlisted in the Army on 1 February 1875 and served two five-year enlistments before joining the Marine Corps at Brooklyn, New York, on 18 July 1885. He served ashore (at the New York Navy Yard) and afloat (in the armored cruiser Brooklyn) before reporting for duty on 12 May 1897 in the Marine guard of the battleship Maine.
An explosion rocked Maine as she lay at anchor in Havana Harbor on the night of 15 February 1898. As she began to settle, Private Anthony, who was on watch at the time, hastened immediately forward toward the captain's cabin to inform him of the event. In the darkness, the Marine bumped into Captain Charles D. Sigsbee as the latter groped his way toward the outer hatch of the super-structure. Anthony apologized and made his report "that the ship has blown up and is sinking." The two men then proceeded together toward the quarterdeck.
"The special feature in this case of service performed by Private Anthony," Sigsbee later recounted in a letter to John D. Long, the Secretary of the Navy, "is that, on an occasion when a man's instinct would lead him to safety outside the ship, he started into the superstructure and toward the cabin, irrespective of the danger. Maine's former captain then recommended that the Marine be promoted to sergeant, which was accomplished on 14 April 1898.
Anthony had meanwhile joined the Marine guard of the cruiser Detroit on 5 March 1898 and served in that ship until transferred to duty at the Marine Barracks, New York Navy Yard, on 10 September of that year. Upon expiration of his enlistment, Anthony was honorably discharged at New York on 26 June 1899 with the rank of sergeant major.
Anthony died in New York City on 24 November 1899 and was buried at Evergreens Cemetery in Brooklyn five days later.
USS Anthony (DD-172) and USS Anthony (DD-515) were named for him.
[edit] References
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- William Anthony, Sergeant Major, USMC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy.
