Sergeant John W. Townsend was 21 years old when he enlisted in New York City on December 2^nd, 1861.  While the 10^th would serve with distinction until May of 1863, all but 98 men signed 2-year enlistment contracts and those few elected to continue service with the 10^th New York as a small battalion of mixed companies.  According to records, one of these men was John Townsend who, despite being captured in October of 1864 at Hatcher’s Run and held as a POW until February of 1865.

At Gettysburg, the battalion was attached to the headquarters of General Hays and suffered 6 casualties of 98 men present for duty.  After Pickett’s Charge, the 10^th was assigned to guard over 1,200 Confederate prisoners behind Cemetery Ridge.

As one of the men to leave Gettysburg physically unharmed, and as evidenced by this collection, John was compelled to return several times for New York-related events at Gettysburg in the decades following the battle.

Included in this grouping are 4 uncommonly found ribbon badges and a medal commemorating several important milestones for the State of New York during the monumentation and memorialization period of the post-war era - each once belonging to John.  The first of this group is his New York Day of 1893 medal, which is named and retains the patriotic ribbon with light wear.  The second of the group is his 1913 New York at Gettysburg medal and it remains in excellent condition.  The third is a New York Day of 1893 ribbon in blue with gold accents (6” in length) – the brooch is an official New York delegation pin and the lower edge of the ribbon show some light fraying. Last is an exceedingly rare 10^th New York reunion ribbon (7” in length) from the 1889 dedication of their monument on the Gettysburg Battlefield.

Also included is a small, fabric coin purse featuring an “E” in black ink and a faint “1c” in more modern blue ink, and containing 16 Grand Army of the Republic “GAR” patented swivel-backed coat and cuff buttons (12 coat buttons, 4 cuff buttons – all in excellent condition with rotating backs for placement over various types of buttons or switching between garments without full removal).

This grouping covers the complete range of New York State medals and ribbons for Gettysburg Veterans.  With the identification to John, this collection is certainly not one to miss for the collector of Gettysburg or New York items.  [sr][ph:L]

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