his brigade in a charge across Chinn Ridge. Small of stature, , and weighing only , he was nicknamed "Little Billy". As one of his soldiers put it, "He was every inch a soldier, though there were not many inches of him." Otelia Mahone was working in Richmond as a nurse, when Virginia Governor John Letcher sent word that Mahone had been injured at Second Bull Run, but had only received a "flesh wound." She is said to have replied "Now I know it is serious for William has no flesh whatsoever." The wound was not life-threatening, but he missed out on the Maryland Campaign the following month. He returned to command after two months of recuperation, not seeing any major action at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Mahone used his considerable political skills to lobby for a promotion to major general during the winter of 1862–63. Although several of his fellow officers in the Army of Northern Virginia agreed, Robert E. Lee argued that there was no available position for a major general just then, and Mahone would have to wait until one opened up. Mahone's brigade was one of the portions of Longstreet's corps that remained with the main army for the Battle of Chancellorsville. After Lee reorganized the army in May 1863, Mahone ended up in the newly created III Corps of A. P. Hill. At the Battle of Gettysburg, Mahone's brigade was mostly unengaged and suffered only a handful of casualties the entire battle. He was supposed to participate in the attack on Cemetery Ridge on July 2, but against orders, held his brigade back. During Pickett's Charge the following day, Mahone's brigade was assigned to protect artillery batteries and did not get involved in the main fighting. Mahone's official report for the battle was only 100 words in length and gave little insight as to his actions on July 2, although he told fellow brigadier Carnot Posey that division commander Richard H. Anderson had ordered him to stay put. Despite his failure to move his command into action, Mahone suffered no punishment due to his seniority and the fact that he would ultimately become one of a handful of officers in the Army of Northern Virginia to lead a brigade for an entire year's duration. Although his wound at Manassas had not been serious, Mahone did suffer from acute dyspepsia all of his life. During the