Oscar Towne

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Oscar Towne
1874-1898
Section: C19

    Oscar was a young man whose service to his country did not take place on a battlefield, but in a hospital ward.
    During the Spanish American War Oscar served as Chief Hospital Steward with the 3rd Infantry of the National Guard at Camp Alger in Virginia. His role would have been much like that of a pharmacist, preparing medicines, assisting surgeons, and caring for sick and wounded soldiers.
    This service was not accidental. Before the war, Oscar had already begun his career as a pharmacist and had medical experience. There are records of him helping with surgeries and autopsies before he joined the military. Once he had to help amputate the thumb of Fred Urban which had been so badly bitten by a robber it couldn't be saved. 
    While serving at the military hospital, Oscar contracted typhoid fever, a disease that swept through military camps. He was sent home on furlough to recover, and upon arriving home, he went straight to bed. For a time, it appeared as though Oscar might recover, but at one o’clock on September 10, 1898 his heart gave out and he died.
    There was a plaque placed in his honor in the Tonawanda Armory. It's home is now with the Historical Society Of The Tonawandas. 


plaque in armory 





Sources: Historical Society of The Tonawandas, Newspapers.com, Ancestry.com, Familysearch.com
Fultonhistory.com



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