William Evans was born on August 9, 1847, in Charlottesville, Virginia, to Frances W. Evans and an unknown father. His mother later explained in her pension testimonty that Evans moved to live with his grandmother in Ohio in 1855. He remained there until June 15, 1863, when he enlisted in the 5th USCT Infantry Regiment in Chillicothe, Ohio, for a period of three years. At the time of his enlistment, Evans was only 18 years old, and he stood 5 feet, 11 inches tall, with a light mulatto complexion, grey eyes, and black hair. He mustered into Company E of the 5th USCT at Camp Delaware in Chillicothe, Ohio, that same day. 

The regiment was organized at Camp Delaware and moved to Norfolk, Virginia, in November 1863 for service in the Department of Virginia and North Carolina. Evans and the 5th USCT were attached to General Edward A. Wild's expedition to South Mills and Camden Court House, North Carolina, between December 5-24, 1863. During the expedition, the men saw action at Sandy Swamp, North Carolina, on December 8. The army transferred the regiment to Yorktown, Virginia, in January 1864, where it remained until May. Evans participated in Wistar's expedition against Richmond between February 6-8, as well as the expedition to New Kent Court House in aid of Kilpatrick's cavalry between March 1-4. They fought at New Kent Court House on March 2 against Hampton's troopers and proceeded north in an expedition into King and Queen County between March 9-12 northeast of Richmond. The regiment retreated into Matthews and Middlesex Counties on March 17-21 as the Confederates continued to drive the men further from Richmond.

Following a period of rest, Evans and the 5th USCT again engaged in combat, participating in Butler's operations on the south side of the James against Petersburg and Richmond between May 4-15. They captured City Point on May 4, the future headquarters of the Army of the Potomac. They served on fatigue duty at City Point and built Fort Converse on the Appomattox River, where they repulsed an attack on the fort on May 20. Stationed on the front lines before Petersburg on June 15-18, Evans and his comrades fought at Bailor's Farm on June 15. Following this battle, the army began to transition into siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond. The 5th USCT sat in the trenches when the mine explosion decimated the Confederate line before Petersburg on July 30, beginning the Battle of the Crater. Luckily, Evans escaped with his life. After recuperating from the disastrous battle, the regiment moved to Deep Bottom, Virginia, on August 28. The 5th USCT fought valiantly at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm and New Market Heights between September 28-30. In the midst of the three-day battle, however, Evans was killed in action on September 29, 1864.

His mother applied for a pension after the war, claiming she depended on her son's income for her living. While she did receive bounty pay from the U.S. government, she was denied both a pension and her son's back pay.

Documents:

Pension Application and Testimony of Frances W. Evans, Mother of William Evans