Gustavus Washington Town

(1839 - 1863)
Home State: Pennsylvania
Command Billet: Commanding Regiment
Branch of Service: Infantry
Unit: 95th Pennsylvania Infantry

see his Battle Report

Before the Antietam Campaign:
He was a printer in Philadelphia before the War. He had been a member of the Washington Blues, a Philadelphia militia Company, and when they organized for Federal service he mustered-in as First Lieutenant, Company A, 18th Pennsylvania Infantry (3 months) on 24 April 1861. He then helped raise a new regiment in Philadelphia and mustered as Lieutenant Colonel of the 95th Pennsylvania Infantry on 17 September 1861. Promoted to Colonel of the regiment on 28 June 1862.

The remainder of the War:
He was killed in action at Salem Heights, VA on 3 May 1863.

References, Sources, and other notes:
His photograph from one in the USAHEC collection1. Basic service dates and life details from Bates2,3. He was 6 feet 3 inches tall. Bates says his brother Thomas Jefferson Town (Major of the 95th) attempted to recover his body at Salem Heights, but was himself wounded, and the Colonel's body was not recovered.

Birth Date: 08/28/1839 Place of Birth: Philadelphia, PA
Death Date: 05/03/1863 Death Place: Salem Heights, VA Burial Place: West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala-Cynwyd, PA

Notes

1 US Army, Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC), Civil War Photographs Collection, first accessed 01 January 2012, <http://cdm16635.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16635coll13>, Source page: CWP RG98 B96 F42 [AotW citation 10176]

2 Bates, Samuel Penniman, History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-65, Harrisburg: State of Pennsylvania, 1868-1871 [AotW citation 10177]

3 Bates, Samuel Penniman, Martial Deeds Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia: T. H. Davis & Co., 1876, pp. 491-492 [AotW citation 10178]

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