Winder, William Henry

Winder, William Henry (1775-1824) Army Officer: William Henry Winder was born in Somerset County, Maryland, on February 18, 1775. After attending the University of Pennsylvania, he studied law and settled in Baltimore in 1798. When the War of 1812 began, he joined the army, was appointed a lieutenant colonel in 1812, and was placed in charge of the 14th US Infantry Regiment later that year. The next year, he was made a brigadier general, after leading a successful expedition from Black Rock to the Canada shore below Fort Erie. Captured at the Battle of Stony Creek in 1813, he was free by 1814, when he was appointed adjutant and inspector-general. Also in 1814, Winder commanded at the Battle of Bladensburg. He was responsible for protecting Washington, D.C. from British attack, but was unable to stop the British. When the US Army was reduced in 1815, Winder was retired. He returned to practicing law, and served in the Maryland before his death on May 24, 1824.