Michael Dougherty (soldier)

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Michael Dougherty
Born(1844-05-10)May 10, 1844
Falcarragh, County Donegal, Ireland
DiedMarch 19, 1930(1930-03-19) (aged 85)
Bristol, Pennsylvania
Buried
Saint Mark's Roman Catholic Churchyard
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army
Union Army
Years of service1862 - 1865
RankPrivate
UnitPennsylvania 13th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry Regiment - Company B
Awards Medal of Honor

Private Michael Dougherty (May 10, 1844 to February 19, 1930) was an Irish soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Dougherty received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action at Jefferson, Virginia on 12 October 1863. He was honored with the award on 23 January 1897.[1][2][3]

Biography[edit]

Dougherty was born in Falcarragh, Ireland on 10 May 1844. He enlisted in the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry on 8 August 1862. On the 12 October 1863, he performed the act of gallantry that earned him the Medal of Honor award. Taken as a prisoner of war on that day, he remained in various Confederate prisons until 12 April 1865.[4]

After his release from prison, he was sent to Camp Fisk, the parole camp set up four-miles outside of Vicksburg, MS. On 24 April 1865, he was placed aboard the Mississippi steamboat Sultana along with almost 2,000 other recently paroled Union prisoners of war. On April 27, 1865, the Sultana exploded her boilers near Memphis, TN, killing almost 1,200 people. Private Dougherty was a survivor. He was eventually sent to Spring Mills, PA, where he was discharged from the army on June 27, 1865.[5]

Following the war he married Rose Magee, a union which produced 12 children. He lived with his family in Philadelphia, working at the U.S. Mint. In 1908 he published his diary, which chronicled his experiences in Confederate prisons.[4]

He died on 19 February 1930 and his remains are interred at the Saint Marks Roman Catholic Churchyard[6] in Bristol, Pennsylvania.

Medal of Honor citation[edit]

At the head of a detachment of his company dashed across an open field, exposed to a deadly fire from the enemy, and succeeded in dislodging them from an unoccupied house, which he and his comrades defended for several hours against repeated attacks, thus preventing the enemy from flanking the position of the Union forces.[1][2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Civil War (A-L) Medal of Honor Recipients". Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Michael Dougherty". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  3. ^ "U.S. Army Medal of Honor Recipients". Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Medal of Honor: Private Michael Dougherty, 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry". Irish in the American Civil War. 28 March 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  5. ^ Dougherty, Michael, The Prison Diary of Michael Dougherty. Bristol, PA: Chas. A. Dougherty, 1908
  6. ^ "Michael Dougherty (1844-1930) - Find a Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
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