Gurdon was born in Williamsburg, New York, in 1843, and in 1960, he enlisted in the Union Navy. It was his actions as a Landsman that would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Minnesota in action during the assault on Fort Fisher, 15 January 1865. Landing on the beach with the assaulting party from his ship, Landsman Barter advanced to the top of the sandhill and partly through the breach in the palisades despite enemy fire which killed and wounded many officers and men. When more than two-thirds of the men became seized with panic and retreated on the run, he remained with the party until dark, when it came safely away, bringing its wounded, its arms, and its colors.

I am unsure when Gurdon left the Navy, but he was one of nine on the steam frigate that received the Medal for their actions. He married Sylvia Daily in Idaho and the couple had two daughters. Gurdon H Barter Jr died on the 22nd of April 1900, and he is buried with his wife in the Viola Cemetery in Viola, Idaho: Plot 66, Grave 3.