William Kerley Strong

William Kerley Strong (1805–1867) was a merchant and a brigadier general during the American Civil War. He was the commander of Benton Barracks and the districts of Cairo and St. Louis. Strong was also a prominent Democrat, noted his pro-Union speeches.

Biography Strong was a wealthy wool merchant in New York. to Josiah Strong and Martha Green. Strong's father was an American Revolutionary War veteran who had fought in the Battle of Trenton under George Washington. In 1839, Strong was noted for constructing a sprawling grand mansion covering 11,634 feet of living space. The property called Rose Hill Mansion was given to Robert Swan in 1850.

Strong died on March 16, 1867. He was not assigned to field duty but made commander of the Benton Barracks in Missouri. Strong was sent to New York for an unknown mission before he was appointed the commander of the District of St. Louis from June to October 1863. He resigned his commission on October 20.

Strong was also appointed as the president of a commission that investigated the circumstances behind the evacuation of the Union forces in New Madrid, Missouri.

After the war, he settled in New York and started employing Black workers.