Private Michael Dougherty (10 May 1844 – 19 February 1930) was an
Irish soldier who fought in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. Dougherty received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
, for his action at
Jefferson, Virginia, on 12 October 1863. He was honored with the award on 23 January 1897.
Biography
Dougherty was born in
Falcarragh
''An Fál Carrach'' (anglicised as Falcarragh), sometimes called ('the Crossroads'), is a small ''Gaeltacht'' town and townland in the north-west of County Donegal, Ireland. The settlement is in the district and old parish of Cloughaneely.
Ir ...
, 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
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
on that day, he remained in various Confederate prisons until 12 April 1865.
After his release from prison, he was sent to Camp Fisk, the parole camp set up four-miles outside of
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 21,573 at the 2020 census. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vicksburg ...
. 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 27 April 1865, the ''Sultana'' exploded her boilers near Memphis, Tennessee, killing almost 1,200 people. Private Dougherty was eventually sent to Spring Mills, Pennsylvania, where he was discharged from the army on 27 June 1865.
[Dougherty, Michael, The Prison Diary of Michael Dougherty. Bristol, PA: Chas. A. Dougherty, 1908]
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
The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. The U.S. Mint is one of two U.S. age ...
. In 1908 he published his diary, which chronicled his experiences in Confederate prisons.
He died on 19 February 1930.
Medal of Honor citation
See also
*
List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dougherty, Michael
1844 births
1930 deaths
Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients
People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War
Union army officers
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor
Military personnel from County Donegal
Irish emigrants to the United States
People from Falcarragh
Irish soldiers in the United States Army
19th-century Irish military personnel