Wikipedia:Today's featured article/March 21, 2024

William Y. Slack (August 1, 1816 – March 21, 1862) was an American lawyer, politician and soldier. A peacetime lawyer, Slack served in the Missouri General Assembly from 1842 to 1843 and saw combat in the Mexican–American War. After the outbreak of the American Civil War in April 1861, Slack, who held pro-slavery views, supported the Confederate cause. When the Missouri State Guard was formed the next month to oppose the Union Army, he was appointed as a brigadier general, commanding its 4th Division. After participating in the Battle of Carthage in July, he fought in the Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, where he suffered a bad hip wound. He transferred to the Confederate Army in late 1861 as a colonel. On March 7, 1862, during the Battle of Pea Ridge, he was wounded again. Infection set in, and he died on March 21. He was posthumously promoted to brigadier general in the Confederate Army on April 17; the Confederate Senate may not have known that he was dead.