William Wing Loring was born in Wilmington, N. C. December 4, 1818 to Ruben and Hannah (Kenan) Loring. In the 1820s he became a resident of the new territory of Florida. At 14 he was involved in the Seminole War Florida Militia in the 11th Regiment 2nd Brigade advancing to a 2nd Lieutenant on June 16, 1837.  His nickname was "boy soldier." When he was 17 he ran away to fight in the Texas War for Independence but his father caught up with him and brought him back. He went to the Alexandria Boarding School in Alexandria Virginia and Georgetown University in D. C. He studied law and worked in the law office of territorial representative David Levy Yulee.and was admitted in 1842 to the Florida Bar. He ran for and was elected to the Florida State legislature and served for three years. In 1845 he ran for the Florida Senate but lost. From St. Augustine Patrols State of Florida City of St. Augustine To Francis P Ferreira, Sheriff of the County of St. Johns Greeting In the name and by the authority of the State of Florida, you are hereby commanded that you arrest, Brigadier Genl William J Worth and him forwith bring before me at my office in the City of St. Augustine to answer the complaints of William W. Loring charging him the said William J. Worth with an assault and battery upon him he said William Loring whilst in the discharge of his official duties as one of the patrol on the night of  the 20th inst. Given under my hand at the City of St. Augustine the 21st day of August 1845. E B Gould, Mayor City of St. Augustine In 1846 he joined the newly formed Mounted Rifleman that was orignally supposed to see duty in Oregon. The regiment was sent to Mexico where it lost its horses at sea. In the Mexican War he served under General Scott and participated in all of Scott's battles. He was a captain of Mounted Rifleman. He was breveted twice in the Mexican War and wounded at both Churubusco and Chapultepec where he lost his left arm in the battle to take the gate of Mexico City at Castle of Chapultepec,. For gallant conduct he was breveted Lieutenant-Colonel then to Colonel. In 1849 the one-armed Major led the Mounted Riflemen on the longest overland trek made by any U.S. Army unit, and he was military commander for the territory of Oregon and Washington. Loring spent eight years with the U.S. Army in the "wild west" where he became the youngest full Colonel in the U.S. Army at that time. In 1852 Loring and the Rifles were sent to help guard Texas. In 1856 Loring became the youngest line colonel in the history of the army. The following year he and the Rifles were transferred to New Mexico, where they took part in operations against the Apaches and played a brief part in the Mormon War. In 1859 Loring embarked on a lengthy journey to Europe and Egypt to study military tactics. In March 1861 he was named commander of the Department of New Mexico, but at the start of the Civil War he resigned his commission in Santa Fe on May 13. He wrote the book A Confederate Soldier in Egypt that was published in 1884.