William H. Murray (Medal of Honor)

He stood his ground through the long siege of the legations.

William Henry Murray was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 3 June 1876. He served in the United States Marine Corps under another name, Henry William Davis. Preserving that alias matters: the official records attach his Medal of Honor to Murray while identifying the name under which he served.

He was a private during the fighting at Peking, now Beijing, in the Boxer uprising of 1900. The award concerned his conduct from 21 July to 17 August, a sustained period of danger rather than one separately described charge or rescue. Marines were among the international forces defending the foreign legations and subsequently fighting in the city.

The official citation places Murray in the enemy's presence throughout those dates and recognises his “meritorious conduct.” The United States Army's published Medal of Honor roll reproduces the naval award and records Navy General Order 55, dated 19 July 1901 (https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/citations9.html).

Murray survived the China fighting. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society records his death at Rutland, Massachusetts, on 12 October 1923, aged forty-seven, and his burial at Oak Grove Cemetery in Medford. The Marine Corps History Division also preserves his identity among its China-expedition recipients. His surviving official citation is brief, but its recognition of steadfast service during weeks of fighting remains clear.