George Lincoln Prescott was born on May 21, 1829, in Littleton, Massachusetts. His family moved to Concord, Massachusetts, around 1833. He married Sarah Edes on November 3, 1852, and they had at least three children: Alice, born on November 12, 1853; Charles, born on November 14, 1858; and William, born on August 30, 1860. By the early 1860s, he was working as a lumber dealer in Concord, and he owned $11,000 of real estate and $6,500 of personal property.
In the spring of 1861, he received a commission as captain of Company C of the 5th Massachusetts Militia Infantry. The regiment took part in the First Battle of Manassas, and he mustered out on July 31, 1861. He returned to the Union army soon afterward, receiving a commission as captain of Company B of the 32nd Massachusetts Infantry in October 1861.
He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on August 13, 1862, and to colonel on December 28, 1862. He was wounded at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, but he eventually recovered and rejoined the regiment. He was wounded again at Petersburg on June 18, 1864, and he died the following day.
Image: George L. Prescott (courtesy Library of Congress)