George Edward Head, Jr.

After an education at Boston Latin, Harvard, and Tremont Medical School, he was a doctor in a Rhode Island hospital (1856-57), was Acting Surgeon, US Army, at Ft. Mackinac, MI, then in private practice in Amherst, MA for two years. He was commissioned First Lieutenant, Company D, 11th United States Infantry in Fall River, MA on 14 May 1861.

He led the men of his Company as skirmishers in the action at Boteler's Ford near Shepherdstown, VA on 20 September 1862.

He was Regimental Adjutant from 1 October 1862 to 24 April 1863 and was promoted to Captain on 12 July 1864. He was honored by brevet to Major for his service at Spotsylvania, VA on 1 August 1864.

He continued in Regular Army service and transferred to the 29th US Infantry on 21 September 1866. He was assigned to the 3rd US Infantry on 31 December 1870 and promoted to Major on 20 April 1886. His last promotion was to Lieutenant Colonel on 19 May 1891 and he retired on 9 July 1891. He then lived in Newport, NY and Annapolis, MD.

His service from Heitman.1 His role at Shepherdstown from Major Floyd-Jones' Report. Personal details from a sketch in the Annals of the Harvard Class of 1852 (1922). His gravesite is on Findagrave.

He married Lydia Bowen Barry and they had at least 3 children.

His 1852 photograph (daguerreotype) is in the Harvard University Archives.

1831; Boston, MA

09/08/1908; Newport, Herkimer County, NY; burial in Newport Cemetery, Newport, NY