William D. Matthews was born a Maryland slave, so information about his early years remains elusive. By 1854, Matthews was a Black pioneer in Leavenworth, Kansas, a stop on the Underground Railroad. He opened a restaurant that soon became the head station on the underground railway system, with Matthews the “general passenger traffic manager.” As manager, he helped numerous runaways reach safety through the Leavenworth connection, and continued his underground work until he enlisted in the Union army on February 27, 1862.
Between August 17 and November 25, 1862, Matthews recruited a company of 81 men for the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry. Because the state of Kansas had not officially authorized the recruitment of Colored troops, they could not be mustered into service, and therefore received no pay. In January 1863, the regiment was officially reorganized and mustered into service at Fort Scott, Kansas.
William D. Matthews mustered into the Federal service on July 7, 1864 as a second lieutenant in the Independent Battery, U. S. Colored Light Artillery at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, becoming one of the 120 African-Americans commissioned as officers during the Civil War. He was promoted to first lieutenant on February 27, 1865, and assumed command of the battery when its captain became ill. He was mustered out of service on July 15, 1865.
