William Stowell Tilton was born on February 1, 1828, in Newburyport, Massachusetts, to Stephen and Priscilla Tilton. By 1850, he was working as a merchant in Boston, Massachusetts. He married Elizabeth Lorin on January 24, 1850.

 

In September 1861, he received a commission as a 1^st lieutenant in the 22^nd Massachusetts Infantry. He was promoted to major soon afterward. The regiment took part in the Peninsula campaign, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, and the siege of Petersburg. He was wounded in the shoulder at Gaines’ Mill on June 27, 1862, and Confederate forces captured him after the battle. He was exchanged in August 1862, and he rejoined the regiment in September. He eventually earned a promotion to lieutenant colonel and then to colonel. He mustered out in October 1864.

 

He settled in Chelsea, Maine, after the war and resumed his work as a merchant. He helped run the National Soldiers’ Home in Togus, Maine, from 1869 until 1883. By 1870, he owned $175,000 of real estate and $25,000 of personal property. He died of chronic nephritis in Newton, Massachusetts, on March 23, 1889.

 

Image: William S. Tilton (courtesy Wikicommons)

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