George Washington Ballou was born on October 28, 1832, in Essex County, New York. He was the third, of five, children born to Alanson Ballou and Priscilla (Sherman) Ballou. He married Martha Udell, in Jefferson, Ohio, on March 1, 1857, and later took up farming in Franklin County, Iowa. They had two sons, Frank A. (1858-1886), and Horace Mann (1860-1941). George Washington Ballou enlisted, as Washington Ballou, in the Union Army, at Maysville, Franklin County, Iowa, on August 14, 1862. He was mustered into Company H, of the 32nd Regiment of Iowa’s Volunteer Infantry, on September 13, 1862, and soon earned the rank of Corporal. According to “The Ballous in America” (published in 1888): “We have no particulars of his war record, except the single sad fact that he was killed in the battle of Pleasant Hill, LA, April 9, 1864, aged 31 yrs. 5 mos. and 11 ds. So his mortal life went out in its bloom–a patriot’s sacrifice to his country’s national integrity. What a ruthless monster is war!” From his “Inventory of Effects”, dated May 27, 1864, it has been learned that: he died “from wounds received in battle”; he had “no effects”; he had “drawn clothing to the amount of 9 04/100 Dollars, since last settlement Aug. 31, 1863”; and, he was last paid on December 31, 1863. 

In a letter to his widow, Martha, Captain Hanson, wrote: “Mr. Ballou was in the front rank, his face to the enemy, when a musket ball entered his breast, passing through his heart; he died instantly, did not speak a single word after he was shot. As a friend and a soldier, he will always have a place in my memory, and will never be forgotten by his few surviving comrades in Co. H. He was a good soldier, always at his post, ready to do anything that might be required of him.”

His cousin, Hosea Ballou, said in his obituary: “Thus, in the prime of life, has fallen another victim to this wicked rebellion—one whose many virtues endeared him to all, who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. The affectionate husband, the kind father, the true patriot and constant friend, lie in the tomb of Washington Ballou. The deceased was faithful in all the relations of life. Every one that knew him speaks of his self-sacrificing character and exalted devotion to the interests of humanity. Constitutionally averse to war and to every species of cruelty, he entered the army, impelled by the sacred sense of duty, and resolved to offer up his life, if need be, on the altar of his country. He felt her cause is just, and that the happiness of millions yet unborn, yes, the best interests of humanity depend on the success of her present struggles. Now he sleeps until the morning of his resurrection, far from loved ones and friends.  He sleeps among his enemies—enemies because misled by ambitious and designing men, who desire the overthrow of our free institutions and the establishment of a slave-holding oligarchy. His grave should be strewn with garlands, as testimony to his offering up his life as a martyr to the glorious cause of liberty.”

Unfortunately, there are no known photographs of George Washington Ballou, and no record of his burial has been found, so it is assumed that he was buried at the battlefield.