John T. Gaston was born around 1833 in Ohio to William and Sarah Gaston. His father was a farmer who owned $5,000 of real estate and $1,000 of personal property by 1860. The family lived in Morefield, Ohio, until the early 1850s, when they moved to Wingville, Wisconsin.

 

Gaston enlisted in the Union army on April 22, 1861, and he mustered in as a corporal in Company F of the 3^rd Wisconsin Infantry later that day. As he later explained, he enlisted in order to “fight for my country.” He fell ill that fall, and he died in Frederick City, Maryland, on November 9, 1861. As one of his comrades noted, he was “much beloved by his company—and they deeply mourn his loss. He was a friend to all, an obedient soldier, and always cheerful, however he felt. Integrity, benevolence, and stability of mind, were his leading traits of character!” His company raised $80 in order to “purchase a tombstone for his grave.”

SOURCES