William Nelson Green Jr. was born on January 10, 1843, in Worcester, Massachusetts, to William and Sarah Green. His father was a judge who owned $8,000 of real estate and $4,000 of personal property by 1860. He grew up and attended school in Worcester. He applied for a passport in April 1861, and his application described him as 5 feet, 9 ½ inches tall, with black hair and greyish blue eyes.
He enlisted in the Union army on September 16, 1861, and he mustered in as a private in Company K of the 25th Massachusetts Infantry. In March 1862, he was promoted to 2nd lieutenant in Company A of the 102nd New York Infantry. The regiment took part in the Battle of Cedar Mountain, the Battle of Chancellorsville, and the Battle of Gettysburg. Confederates captured him at Cedar Mountain on August 8, 1862, and imprisoned him at Libby Prison for several weeks.
He was promoted to captain during the winter of 1862-63. Then, in August 1863, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 173rd New York Infantry. The regiment took part in the Red River campaign. He was severely wounded in the Battle of Pleasant Hill on April 9, 1864, and surgeons amputated his left arm. He died in New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 14, 1864.
Image: William N. Green Jr. (Library of Congress)