NELSON, WiLmam, 1825-62; b. Ky.; brother of Thomas Henry, minister to Chili 1801-66; joined the navy in 1840, and in 1847 commanded a battery in the fleet which bombarded Vera Cruz, keeping up a continuous cannonade and seconding the movements of the army under Scott, resulting in the capture of the city and fort. He served in the Mediterranean and south Pacific, and in 1854 was promoted to master, in 1855 to lieut. In 1858, when the slave ship Echo was required to discharge her cargo of negroes into the keeping of the _Niagara, for the purpose of restoring them to African soil, he was ordered to the latter vessel. In ,1861 he was on ordnance duty at Washington, and at the outbreak of the rebellion lie was placed in command of the gun boats on the Ohio, with the rank of lient.commander. Soon after, he left the navy, and entering the military service, was ordered to Kentucky. He there established recruiting stations, and organized camp " Dick Robinson," near Danville, and a similar rendezvous at Washington, in Mason county He was promoted to brig.gen. Sept.
1861. At the battle of Shiloh, April, 1862, he commanded the 2(1 division under gen. Buell, whose forces united with gen. Grant's were attacked by the confederate gen. Beauregard. He was wounded at the battle of Richmond, Ky. In 1802, when Louis ville was threatened with an attack of the confederates under gen. Bragg, be com manded the union forces, ordered earthworks to be constructed, pressing private citizens into the service, and defending the position until the arrival of gen. Buell with the army. In 1862 he was commissioned maj.gen. of volunteers, and in September was fatally shot at the Galt house, Louisville, by the union gen. Jefferson C. Davis of Indiana, in a personal quarrel.