Born a slave in Louisiana, Moses Williams was one of the renowned Buffalo Soldiers who fought in the Indian Campaigns. He received the nation’s highest military honor for his actions on Aug. 16, 1881. The citation notes that Williams “Rallied a detachment, skillfully conducted a running fight of three or four hours, and by his coolness, bravery, and unflinching devotion to duty in standing by his commanding officer in an exposed position under a heavy fire from a large party of Indians saved the lives of at least three of his comrades.”
Williams served in the Pacific Northwest in the 1890s and moved to Vancouver when he retired in 1899; he died three weeks later at age 53.
Military historian and volunteer Jack Buckmeir of Vancouver placed a photograph of Moses Williams at his grave in the Vancouver Barracks Post Cemetery on Thursday, in observance of Memorial Day. Williams is one of four Medal of Honor recipients buried at the cemetery off Fourth Plain Boulevard east of Interstate 5.
