- William Anthony
Infobox Military Person
name= William Anthony
born= birth date|1853|10|27
died= death date and age|1899|11|24|1853|10|27
placeofbirth=Albany, New York
placeofdeath=New York City
caption= Sergeant Major William Anthony, USMC
nickname= "The Nation's Hero"
allegiance= United States of America
branch=United States Marine Corps
serviceyears= 1875-1885 (U.S. Army) 1885-1899 (USMC)
rank= Sergeant Major
commands=
unit=
battles=Spanish-American War
awards=
laterwork=William Anthony (
27 October 1853 –24 November 1899 ) was a soldier in theUnited States Army and a Marine in theUnited States Marine Corps , who served during theSpanish-American War .Biography
Born in
Albany, New York , Anthony enlisted in the Army on1 February 1875 and served two five-year enlistments before joining the Marine Corps atBrooklyn, New York , on18 July 1885 . He served ashore (at theNew York Navy Yard ) and afloat (in the armoredcruiser "Brooklyn") before reporting for duty on12 May 1897 in the Marine guard of thebattleship "Maine".An explosion rocked "Maine" as she lay at anchor in
Havana Harbor on the night of15 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 , theSecretary 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 on14 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 , on10 September of that year. Upon expiration of his enlistment, Anthony was honorably discharged at New York on26 June 1899 with the rank of sergeant major.Anthony died in
New York City on24 November 1899 and was buried at Evergreens Cemetery in Brooklyn five days later.Namesake
USS "Anthony" (DD-172) and USS "Anthony" (DD-515) were named for him.
ee also
References
:DANFS:Marine Corps
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-a/w-anthny.htm William Anthony, Sergeant Major, USMC] , "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships", Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy.
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