Albert M. Tilton, born in Moscow, New York, enlisted in Company C of the 51st Illinois Infantry in 1861 and was promoted to captain in December 1862. He fought at Chickamauga, was wounded at Kennesaw Mountain and Franklin, and effectively commanded the regiment through much of 1864 after most fellow officers fell. He mustered out in January 1865 and later worked for the Union Pacific Railroad in Utah before his early death.