Maj. William W. Shoemaker, ex-soldier and court bailiff of the police court, Dayton, Ohio, was born in Berks county, Pa., January 31, 1839, and is descended, on both sides, from ante-Revolutionary stock. He accompanied his parents to Dayton at the age of thirteen years, and has lived in the same house, No. 141 South Williams street, for over forty-two years. His parents were Isaac and Hannah (Maxton) Shoemaker, the former of whom was born in Berks county, Pa., in 1810, where his parents, who came from Canada, had settled prior to the war of the Revolution. Isaac Shoemaker died in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of seventy-two years. The Maxton family was of Scotch ancestry, was also established in Pennsylvania previous to the Revolutionary war, and the maternal grandmother of the major had several times seen both Washington and Cornwallis, remembered many of the stirring events of their time, and died in Dayton at the age of ninety years. Mrs. Hannah (Maxton) Shoemaker, mother of the major, was born in Chester county, Pa., in 1817, and died in Dayton, at the age of seventy-two, the mother of eight children, of whom two died in infancy; those who have lived to maturity are named Jacob, who was the first born of the family, is a printer by trade, served in the One Hundred and Thirty-first Ohio volunteer infantry, and now resides in Dayton; William W., was the second born; Sarah is the wife of William Miller, and resides on a stock farm near Bardstown, Ky.; Isaac K. was a soldier for three years in company K, Ninety-third Ohio infantry, was wounded at Chickamauga, and died in Dayton in 1893; Emma is the widow of George Martin, and has her home in the Gem City; Charles D., is a native of this city and is a merchant.
William W. Shoemaker was early taught the carpenter's trade and was engaged in this calling at the outbreak of the Civil war. He had joined the Dayton Zouaves in 1860, and was thoroughly drilled when enlistment in the volunteer service became the order of the day, when he left the Zouaves and on April 15, 1861, joined the Dayton Light Guards (of whom further mention may be found in the sketch of Capt. Winder), and was thus one of the first to respond to the call for 75,000 three-months men. The guards were mustered in as company C, First Ohio volunteer infantry, went on to Washington, took part in the somewhat extended skirmish at Vienna, Va., and then in the great opening battle of the war at Bull Run, on the 2ist of July. The term of enlistment had expired July 16, and the boys were invited to join in the fray, and it was almost unanimously voted to do so.
August 5, 1861, Mr. Shoemaker re-enlisted, was elected second lieutenant of company H, Fourth Ohio cavalry, and on the 15th was honorably discharged from his old company, and with his new company took part in its first battle, at Bowling Green, Ky., under Gen. Mitchell; then went to Nashville, Tenn.; and thence, with Mitchell's division, to Huntsville, Ala., where the regiment captured seven locomotives, a large amount of stores, and prisoners from the recent battle field of Corinth. They then crossed the Tennessee river on a burning bridge at Decatur, Ala.; went as far as Stevenson, and then returned to Huntsville and joined Gen. Buell on his retreat into Kentucky; took part in the fight at Perryville, Ky.; went to Lexington, near which point, on the previous day, at Clay's farm, the greater portion of the Ohio cavalry had been captured by the raider, John Morgan. Lieut. Shoemaker was provost guard at Lexington, in command of 128 men, whom he had quartered in the courthouse. When called upon to surrender, he flatly refused, unless convinced that all the other cavalry had been captured. "What evidence do you require?" was asked. "Bring the colonels of the regiments you say you have captured," was the answer. On this request being complied with, Lieut. Shoemaker surrendered his men. This action had been strongly urged by the mayor of Lexington, who wished to save the city from being shelled and probably burned. An incident of this surrender, tending to show Lieut. Shoemaker's tenacity, may here be related. He had been presented with a very handsome sword-belt, with which he refused to part, though threatened with death if he refused; while the controversy was going on, Gen. Breckinridge, the Confederate, rode up to ascertain the cause of the trouble, and, on learning the circumstances, ordered the hot-headed Texan captor to restore the belt. The lieutenant was paroled on the spot and returned to Frankfort, and thence to Indianapolis.
Having been exchanged, Lieut. Shoemaker returned to the front in time to take part in the battle of Stone River (December 31, 1862, and January 1 and 2, 1863). Later, while on staff duty under Gen. Turchin, and while on the Tullahoma campaign, in searching for a ford across Stone river, the lieutenant was shot through the shoulder, the ball coming out near the elbow; but he remained on Gen. Crook's staff until after the Chickamauga campaign; then returned to Tullahoma and thence went to Murfreesboro; at the battle of Farmington, while making a saber charge, he was shot through the right lung, the ball being removed from under the shoulder blade. He was conveyed to a private dwelling together with seven wounded men, who where left there to die, and the next morning five of the seven were actually dead. He had but little hope of recovery, under the indifferent treatment of his rebel host; at the end of thirty days, however, he secured a horse and was able to ride to Wartrace station, on the Nashville & Chattanooga railroad, and take a train for Deckard, where he found the Federal cavalry headquarters, to learn that he had been reported as dead, and to encounter much difficulty in convincing his fellow-officers that he, the dirty, emaciated soldier, was the former robust officer they had mourned as lost. He here received a furlough for thirty days, which was extended to sixty, but the wound was not entirely healed until two years later.
Reporting to Gen. Crook at Pulaski, Tenn., Lieut. Shoemaker was appointed recruiting officer of the Second cavalry division and located at Nashville. This duty ended, he was mustered in as captain of company F, Fourth Ohio cavalry, and went home on a thirty-day veteran furlough, at the expiration of which he rejoined the army at Nashville, and the main army at Rome, Ga., to enter upon the Atlanta campaign. At Decatur, Ala., he had a fight with the rebel, Roddy, and captured some prisoners; was detailed as assistant inspector on the staff of Gen. Girard, at Decatur, and went on the Atlanta campaign; was on the Jonesboro raid, and with Kilpatrick in the rear of Atlanta. After the fall of that city, the cavalry division was placed under the command of Gen, Thomas, at Nashville; Lieut. Shoemaker served on staff duty until Gen. Girard was relieved; returned to his regiment and remained with it until after the fight at Nashville: went to Eastport, Tenn., under Gen. Wilson; was detailed as aid-de-camp to Gen. Long, and remained with him until the battle of Selma, where Long was wounded; then returned to his regiment and took command, he being the ranking officer; crossed the Alabama river at Selma, captured 1,800 prisoners, and then moved on to Montgomery; thence went to Columbus, Ga., and after a hard struggle captured that city; thence he went to Macon, where he captured Gen. Howell Cobb and his army. The Fourth Ohio cavalry was then constituted provost guard of Macon, and was upon this duty when the Confederacy collapsed. Maj. Shoemaker then took part in the pursuit of Jefferson Davis, and was near at hand when he was captured by the Fourth Michigan cavalry. Maj. Shoemaker then marched from Macon to Atlanta, visiting all battle fields en route, and at the latter city met Col. Thompson, who had been released from a rebel prison and who now took command of the regiment. Maj. Shoemaker was mustered out of the service at Nashville, Tenn., July 15, 1865, as captain, but was subsequently enrolled by the war department at Washington as major of his regiment.
Returning to Dayton, Ohio, Maj. Shoemaker was married, August 10, 1865, to Miss Vesta J. Congdon, a native of Grafton, Mass., where she was reared and educated. This marriage has been blessed with two children, viz: William H., who is chief deputy of the common pleas court, and Edwin Stanton, who is a plumber, is married, and is the father of two children. In 1867, Maj. Shoemaker was appointed to the police force of Dayton, on which he has since filled every position, but for several years has been on light duty. When he was first appointed, there were but twenty-one men on this force; there are now over eighty. In politics, the major was formerly a Whig, but has been a member of the republican party ever since its organization; he has never been a seeker after office, however, nor ever held official positions, except as stated above. He is a member of Old Guard post, G.A.R., and also a Knight of Pythias, and he and his family are all members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Source: Centennial Portrait and Biographical Record of the City of Dayton and of Montgomery County, Ohio Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens Together with the Biographies and Portraits of the Presidents of the United States and Biographies of the Governors of Ohio, ed. by Frank Conover, A.W. Bowen & Co., 1897, pp. 762-765.