| William H. Spencer | 160th Ohio Voluntary Infantry |
| by Matt Feltner |
William H. Spencer was a native of Muskingum Township in Muskingum County, Ohio. His father was a Russian immigrant and his mother was from Ohio. Not long before the war, Spencer wed his wife Mary, a native of Ohio.
When hostilities began in 1861, he was still living with his wife and first child, Samuel, in his native Muskingum Township. When Governor Brough issued the call for volunteers for the newly formed Ohio National Guard, Spencer volunteered, entering service with the 160th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (O.V.I.) as the Captain of Company C on 2 May 1864. The regiment mustered into service on 12 May 1864 in Zanesville.
The 160th O.V.I . left Zanesville for the Shenandoah Valley, where it performed guard duty for wagon trains. The regiment participated in a skirmish at Newtown on 14 May, during which it chased off a band of rebel guerillas, killing fourteen in the process. The 160th suffered only one wounded during the action. Except for this skirmish, Capt. Spencer and the 160th saw no real action, despite their close proximity to the front lines. The regiment spent the bulk of their term of service manning fortifications at Maryland Heights. Spencer and the rest of the regiment mustered out on 7 September 1864 in Zanesville.
Sometime after the war, Spencer moved with his family to Blendon Township in Franklin County. In 1880 Spencer lived in Blendon Township with his wife and children. By 1880, his family had expanded to include (ages in 1880 in parentheses) Samuel (19), Joseph (17), Kate (16), Mary (14), John (13), Maggie (11), Sylvia (9), Blanche (6), and William C. (4). His two oldest both attended Otterbein College. While living in Blendon Township, Spencer worked as an INS agent.
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