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William Elliott (September 3, 1838 - December 7, 1907) was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina between 1887 and 1903, with a few interregnums. During his youth, the American Civil War broke out, and he served in the Confederate States Army.
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 its ranks.
In 1881, William Elliott was now a Colonel and in command of the forts that overlooked Washington. After war was declared, he demanded the city's surrender to avoid its 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. Although he ordered his forts to occasionally bombard the city, it wasn't with the vigor he'd originally shown during his opening salvo. In May 1882, Colonel Elliott's position finally improved as he received infantry reinforcements, and made preparations to support the army attack on Washington. However, the war ended before this could happen.
