Noah Wyle Uncovers Grim Ending for Ancestor Who Fought In Civil War Battle of Shiloh
Former ER star Noah Wyle was the latest celebrity to dive deep into his ancestry on Who Do You Think You Are? Sunday night’s episode followed Noah’s search for answers about his relatives during the Civil War. He had gotten information from his uncle that his family used its wealth to avoid fighting in the war, but Noah discovered otherwise.
Noah found out that his great-great-great-grandfather — John H. Mills — did, in fact, fight in the war. Unfortunately, Noah also found out that Mills fought for the Confederacy, which he was hoping wouldn’t be the case. It turned out that Mills even fought in one of the bloodiest battles of the war, the Battle of Shiloh.
And that wasn’t the most unsettling part of Noah’s great-great-great-grandfather’s story. The former ER star discovered that Mills had committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. His ancestor was a very successful and respected person in the community in Mississippi until he ran into some serious financial problems toward the end of his life. Unable to pay his insurance premiums, Mills thought that killing himself was the best way to save his reputation and his family.
In the end, Noah was shaken by his ancestor’s grim demise, but was proud that he fought in the war, saying, “I do feel better to know that, right or wrong, he stood up and served.”
Who Do You Think You Are? airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on TLC.
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