I am responding because I am also looking for info re: a William Shepard who was in the Civil War. Not from NY, my William (no middle name) Shepard was from Wabash, Indiana, and he died in July, 1862 of war injuries in an Evansville, Indiana hospital. The name is so similar and they are both Civil War vets, so if you happen to come across the one I am looking for, please pass me the word, and I will do the same for you.