Career
Born on September 26, 1842, in Waterford, Pennsylvania, McWilliams was still living in that city when he joined the Navy. He served as a landsman on the United States Ship Pontoosuc in the Wilmington Campaign, from the First Battle of Fort Fisher on December 24, 1864, through the campaign"s end on February 22, 1865. He was severely wounded and received treatment at a hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia.
McWilliams" official Medal of Honor citation reads:
McWilliams died on August 11, 1900, at age 57 and was buried at Ida Grove Cemetery in Ida Grove, Iowa.
