William Branch Crawford was born to Sampson (?-?) and Elizabeth Rogan (?-?) on 19 August 1878, in Corinth, Mississippi.
Crawford enlisted in the U.S. Army’s Co. L, 24th Infantry Regiment as a Sergeant on 1 November 1898, discharged 31 October, 1901; enlisted 1 November 1901, discharged 31 October 1904; enlisted 1 November 1904, discharged 23 December 1907; enlisted 23 April 1908, discharged 22 April 1911; enlisted 23 April 1911, discharged 22 April 1914; enlisted 23 April 1914, discharged 7 July 1916; enlisted 5 October 1916.
Appointed Captain of the 25th Infantry Regiment 5 July 1917. Captain Crawford and his Company sailed on the U.S. Army Transport Ship President Grant, on 7 April 1918, arriving in Brest, France on 13 April. Captain Crawford received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions at Ferme-de-la Riviere, France, on 30 September 1918. “The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Captain (Infantry) William B. Crawford, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 370th Infantry Regiment, 93d Division, A.E.F., at Ferme-de-la-Riviere, France, 30 September 1918. Having been placed in command of Company L, whose task it was to lead the advance in an attack, the same undertaking having failed the day previous, Captain Crawford, in order to assure the success of the attack, personally led the advanced element of his company in the face of heavy fire. The objective was successfully carried, due to Captain Crawford’s gallant conduct”.
Captain William Branch Crawford commanded Company [L], 370th Infantry Regiment, under the command of the French 59th Division. During his time in command, he was able to distinguish himself despite facing blatant discrimination from his commanding officers.
On 30 September, the German opposition facing the 59th Division began to give-way. As the French components of the Division launched assaults on German bastions around Pinon, Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan’s 3rd Battalion moved back to the 370th Regiment’s front. Though their attack two days prior had failed, the German opposition had grown weaker in that time and the wooded area held by Company [F], 2nd Battalion, gave 3rd Battalion a strong jumping-off point for an operation to claim Ferme de Riviere, which was the last significant German holdout in the 370th Regiment’s sector. Knowing that his career was likely riding on the success of this attack, Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan entrusted the leading role to Captain William Crawford, the commanding officer of Company [L]. Representing some of the most experienced soldiers in the entire regiment, Captain Crawford and his men were an excellent choice to lead this attack. About 0300 hours the signal to advance came and [L] Company burst from their lines. Advancing across open ground under a hailstorm of shrapnel and bullets, the men of Company [L] quickly seized Ferme de la Riviere, with Captain Crawford personally leading the charge. Due to this outstanding demonstration of courage and leadership – a far cry from the cowardice and incompetence which Colonel Roberts had claimed was rife in his African-American officers – the 370th Regiment was able to drive the Germans from not just Ferme de la Riviere, but entirely out of their sector and across the Oise-Aisne Canal as well.
For this exemplary show of courage, Captain William B. Crawford was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1919 under General Orders No. 46.

Capt Crawford was discharged 14 July 1919; enlisted 15 July 1919, discharged 14 July 1922 as a Technical Sergeant for Headquarters Co., 25th Infantry Regiment. Last enlistment was on 15 July 1922, retired from the U.S. Army as a Master Sergeant of the Service Company, 25th Infantry Regiment, on 13 January 1925.
Crawford married Roberta Dodd (1897-1954) on 22 December 1917, they divorced in the late 1920s; he never remarried or had children. After his retirement from the Army, Crawford lived in Chicago, Illinois. Crawford died of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy on 4 March 1938 at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.

Source: https://gsr.park.edu/service_members/william-branch-crawford/