William Gaston Lewis was born on September 3, 1835 at Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States. He was of Revolutionary stock, the son of Dr. John Wesley and Catharine Ann (Battle) Lewis, and the grandson of Exum and Ann (Harrison) Lewis.
He attended Lovejoy's Military School at Raleigh and graduated from the University of North Carolina in the year 1855.
Lewis taught school at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and in Jackson County, Florida. During 1857-1858 he served as a government surveyor in Minnesota, and from 1858 to 1861 as assistant engineer on the Tarboro branch of the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad. The Civil War found him a member of the Edgecombe Guards, from which he received appointment as ensign and lieutenant in the newly organized 1st North Carolina Regiment, April 21, 1861, and after creditable service in the battle of Big Bethel, he was promoted major of the 33rd North Carolina Infantry.
For meritorious services at New Bern, he won additional promotion to lieutenant-colonel, 43rd North Carolina, and in June 1863 participated in Ewell's Shenandoah Valley campaign. He took part in the battle of Malvern Hill, and at Gettysburg received special commendation from his brigade commander. Subsequently he took part in the battles of Bristow Station, Mine Run, and in April 1864, in the capture of Plymouth, North Carolina. He was promoted to the colonelcy of his regiment, and at Drewry's Bluff, May 16, 1864, he received official praise from General Ransom for skilful construction of the outer works. For this he was promoted brigadier-general, June 2, 1864, as of May 31, 1864. As a brigade commander, Lewis was with Early in his engagements with Sheridan in the latter part of the year 1864, and in the battles around Petersburg. He participated in the final retirement of the Confederate army westward, and at Farmville, Virginia, April 7, 1865, was severely wounded and taken prisoner.
After the close of the war, Lewis resumed practice as a civil engineer. He became agent of the state board for swamp lands, was state engineer for some thirteen years, was appointed chief engineer of the Albany & Raleigh Railroad in 1899, and was for an extended period chief of engineers of the North Carolina National Guard. He died suddenly of pneumonia at his home in Goldsboro, North Carolina, in his sixty-sixth year. He was interred with military honors at Goldsboro.
On March 15, 1864 Lewis married Martha E. (Pender) Lewis of Edgecombe County, North Carolina. They had two sons and four daughters.
