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Soon after the war started, William signed up with the Infantry. He probably joined up because he thought slavery was wrong and because of the loyalty, he felt toward his country. Soldier life was probably hard on William. He was most likely homesick for his wife and his daughter who was five years old. William was a foot solider so he was probably issued a rifle to fight with. In addition, he may have been given a uniform by the army. William probably fought in the Kennesaw Mountain battle in Benton, Louisville and the Chickamauga. In 1863, William was discharged from the army. He was probably wounded in battle and was not able to fight anymore.

Once William was discharged, he went home to his wife and daughter. On April 7,1864 William was appointed guardian of his eight year old daughter. Her mother most likely died perhaps from childbirth, however we will never really know.

In 1871, a guardian was appointed to take care of William, his property, and financial needs. William may have been seriously hurt while working and was not able to take of himself; it also may have been from the civil war.

• William S. Rowe died on January 5, 1900
• William was buried in Shiloh, Fisher cemetery.
• He was married twice.
• He was a property owner for probably several people.

A soldier's life was not at all easy. During the civil war, many soldiers became sick and malnourished because of the camp's condition and food. Army food was very poor. The hardtack and crackers were stale, moldy, hard, or sometimes worm invested. In the Confederate camps, there were often field peas and potatoes to eat sometimes however they got corn on the cob. For the Union army however it was rare to have these food items.

After the civil war got under way, there was often a clothes shortage. All cloths that were issued to the soldiers had a cash value. The company officers kept track of the amount of clothing issued to each soldier. The overcoats, blankets, and shoes were often items that were of shortage to the soldiers. Many of the women were called in to supply clothes for the soldiers.

Battles were often infrequent and only lasted two or three days. Most soldiers hated fighting and marching right before Christmas, so the general law was to stop for the winter. During this time, the soldiers had a lot of free time on their hands. Many soldiers played games such as checkers or cards. Some soldiers enjoyed reading, though there were not that many materials, the bible was the most read book from both sides. Music was the most pleasurable and they often sang a variety of songs around the campfire. Soldiers enjoyed putting on dramas and playing practical jokes on each other also. Sports such as foot races or leapfrog were sometimes playing in camp.