George Wagner was born in Pennsylvania in 1831. In 1847, he was apprenticed to learn the trade of gold beating until he turned twenty-one. When the Civil War started, he enlisted as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I. He was honorably discharged due to illness. In 1863, he was appointed as 1st Lieutenant in the Invalid Corps, later renamed the Veteran Reserve Corps. He was then assigned to Company A, 5th Regiment, at Burnside Barracks, Camp Morton for guard duty. He remained there until the end of the war. After the war, he remained in federal service, joining the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands.
From the description of George Wagner documents and photographs, 1847-1896, 1974. (Indiana Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 8087440