Fox received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action during the Third Battle of Petersburg in Virginia on 2 April 1865.

Fox's official Medal of Honor citation reads: The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private William R. Fox, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 2 April 1865, while serving with Company A, 95th Pennsylvania Infantry, in action at Petersburg, Virginia.

[1][2]Medal of Honor recipient William R. Fox died June 6, 1888, of intestinal inflammation and was initially buried June 8, 1888, at the now defunct Odd Fellows Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

His remains were removed May 31, 1899, to Hillside Cemetery, Roslyn, Pennsylvania.

Burial plot: Section C, lot 527, grave 5, GPS (lat/lon): 40.1221, -75.1384