WILLIAM H. REILY, PASSED MIDN, USN

From USNA Virtual Memorial Hall
William Reily '47

Date of birth: 1830

Date of death: September 21, 1854

Age: ~34


Loss

William was lost sometime after September 21, 1854 when USS Porpoise (1836) disappeared between Formosa and China.

Other Information

He was born in Washington, D.C. and appointed to the Naval Academy from Maryland. Year of birth (1830) is approximate.

From Cybrarygoddess:

He married Ellen T. Roche in March 1853.

They had a son, William Van Wyck Reily, born December 1853 in the District of Columbia.

2nd Lt. William Van Wyck Reily was killed with Lt. Col. George A. Custer’s battalion at the battle of Little Bighorn in June 1876.

As mentioned above, William was survived by his wife Ellen Teresa Roche Febiger, and son William Van Wyck Reily.

Career

From the Naval History and Heritage Command:

Midshipman, 9 February, 1841. Passed Midshipman, 10 August, 1847. Acting Master, 11 December, 1852. Lost in Porpoise, 21 September, 1854.

Related Articles

William's son, William Reily '75, whom he never met, was killed in the battle at Little Bighorn. The son was named for his classmate and shipmate, William Van Wyck '47.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.

September 1842
Midshipman, Frigate Congress

January 1843
Midshipman, Frigate Congress

October 1843
Midshipman, Frigate Congress

Others at this command:
January 1844
Midshipman, Frigate Congress

Others at this command:
January 1846
Midshipman, Steamer Princeton

Others at this command:
January 1848
Passed Midshipman, Schooner Bonito
January 1849
Passed Midshipman, leave of absence
January 1850
Passed Midshipman, Sloop Falmouth

Others at this command:
January 1851
Passed Midshipman, Sloop Warren
January 1852
Passed Midshipman, Store Ship Supply

Others at this command:
January 1853
Passed Midshipman, Brig Porpoise

Others at this command:
January 1854
Passed Midshipman, Brig Porpoise

Others at this command:
January 1855
Passed Midshipman, Brig Porpoise

Memorial Hall Error

William's middle name was Hamilton; this is omitted in Memorial Hall.


Class of 1847

William is one of 32 members of the Class of 1847 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

QR code

The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.