William Elliott

William Elliott (September 3, 1838 - December 7, 1907) was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina.

William Elliott in Southern Victory
William Elliott had been a lawyer in Charleston, South Carolina when the War of Secession began in 1861. He entered the Confederate Army as a lieutenant and served throughout the war. When the war ended in 1862, Elliott stayed on in army, rising through it's ranks.

In 1881, William Elliott was now a Colonel and in command of the forts that overlooked Washington DC. After war was declared, he demanded the cities surrender, to avoid it's destruction, but was rebuffed. As dawn rose the next day, Colonel Elliott ordered his guns to fire on the city. However, US forts stationed around Washington returned fire, and after a few hours of bombardment, Colonel Elliott ordered his guns to stop.

Due to the strong troop presence in Washington, Colonel Elliott's position during the war was precarious, despite the failed attempt to cut him off in Virginia. It wasn't until the CS Armies victory in Louisville, was his situation improved when reinforcements were sent to his garrison in order to capture Washington and force an end to the war.