Nathaniel Towson was born in
Towson,
Maryland, which was then a small town north of
Baltimore. Towson farmed for much of his early life and left his hometown to establish his family's recently acquired farm in
Kentucky. Because of a land dispute, he moved to
Natchez,
Mississippi.
Military career While in Natchez, Towson joined a volunteer artillery outfit to accompany the first American governor of
Louisiana,
William C. C. Claiborne, to
New Orleans. Towson quelled an attempted mass desertion and quickly rose through the ranks until he finally commanded the Natchez Volunteer Artillery. In 1805, He returned to
Baltimore County and continued farming but remained a military officer through his position with the Maryland Militia. His military prowess earned him recognition in the Maryland Militia and he became Adjutant of its 7th Regiment. During this period prior to the War of 1812, Towson became an astute artillery officer and devoted significant efforts to artillery's related study of mathematics. He also became an adviser to the state during its revision of the militia laws.
War of 1812 With American and British tensions escalating, Towson was appointed
captain in the
United States Army artillery on March 15, 1812. His service during the
War of 1812 began with a notable success. His first engagement involved his commanding a small group to capture a British
brig, HMS
Caledonia. The successful capture propelled Towson's reputation. He quickly rose through the ranks, both through his own acts of individual bravery and his effective artillery command. While commanding relatively few artillery pieces, his batteries' discharges were so numerous that his position during the
Siege of Fort Erie became known as "Towson's Lighthouse". During the
War of 1812, he commanded artillery during many confrontations, including the
Battle of Fort George, the
Battle of Stoney Creek, the
Battle of Queenston Heights, the
Battle of Chippawa, the
Battle of Lundy's Lane, and the
Siege of Fort Erie.
Post war After the War, Towson was assigned to a command
Fort Independence in
Boston and then
Fort Wolcott in
Newport,
Rhode Island. He was then appointed
Paymaster-General of the United States Army in 1819 and was promoted to colonel on June 1, 1821. As Paymaster General, Towson resided primarily in
Washington, D.C. Towson received a brevet (honorary promotion) to brigadier general on June 30, 1834, and another to major general on May 30, 1848, for his services during the
Mexican War. Towson died while on active duty on July 20, 1854, after serving 42 years in the army. He was buried at
Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Towson was succeeded as Paymaster-General by Col.
Benjamin Larned, who served in that post until his death in 1862.
Societies During the 1820s, Towson was a member of the prestigious society, the
Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences, which counted among its members former presidents
Andrew Jackson and
John Quincy Adams as well as many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions. In 1831 he was admitted as an honorary member of the Maryland
Society of the Cincinnati. ==Namesakes==