Born in Knoxville in 1840 and reared on a farm in New Somerset, William Pittenger enlisted in the 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry for a 90-day term in 1861, fought at the First Battle of Bull Run, and served as war correspondent for the Steubenville Herald. After reenlisting, he took part in the ill-fated Andrews Raid of 1862, during which raiders trying to disrupt enemy lines stole the Confederate locomotive "The General" but were captured after being chased north. Eight of the twenty-two captured raiders were executed as spies, and the rest languished in prison. Paroled in 1863, Pittenger received the fifth Congressional Medal of Honor from Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and was promoted to lieutenant. Discharged from the Army because of poor health, he returned home to preach at the New Somerset Methodist Church and retell his experiences in several books, including Daring and Suffering: A History of the Great Railroad Adventure.