Bond received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action aboard the USS Kearsarge near Cherbourg-Octeville, France on June 19, 1864.

[1][2] Bond was born in 1839 in Boston, Massachusetts, and enlisted into United States Navy aboard the Union warship USS Kearsarge on 16 January 1862.

[3] On 19 June 1864 Bond was aboard the Kearsarge, under command of captain John Ancrum Winslow in its hunt for the CSS Alabama.

[1][3] Bond died on 17 March 1892 in Vallejo, California, and his remains are interred at the Sunrise Memorial Cemetery.

Carrying out his duties courageously, William Bond exhibited marked coolness and good conduct and was highly recommended for his gallantry under fire by his divisional officer.