Thomas Joseph Callan (July 12, 1853 – May 5, 1908) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

soldier who received 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 bravery during the

Battle of Little Big Horn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Northe ...

in 1876.

Biography

Callan was born in

County Louth, Ireland County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the north-east, ...

on July 12, 1853, and joined the US Army in March 1876.7th Cavalry muster rolls
/ref> He had served just three months as a Private in Company B,

7th United States Cavalry The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment formed in 1866. Its official nickname is "Garryowen", after the Irish air " Garryowen" that was adopted as its march tune. The regiment participated in some of the largest ba ...

, at the time of his actions. He received the

for his bravery at the

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries ...

, on June 25, and June 26, 1876. His medal was issued on October 24, 1896. He died on May 5, 1908, and was buried in

Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, East Orange Holy Sepulchre Cemetery is located in East Orange and Newark, New Jersey. The Garden State Parkway runs through the two halves of the cemetery (exit 144 and exit 145, respectively). The cemetery was established in 1859 and is maintained by the ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date. At Little Big Horn, Mont., 25-June 26, 1876. Entered service at: Boston, Mass. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: October 24, 1896. Citation:

Volunteered and succeeded in obtaining water for the wounded of the command; also displayed conspicuously good conduct in assistlng (''sic'') to drive away the Indians.

Notes

References

* 1853 births 1908 deaths Military personnel from County Louth 19th-century Irish people Irish soldiers in the United States Army Irish emigrants to the United States United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People of the Great Sioux War of 1876 United States Army soldiers Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor Burials at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery (East Orange, New Jersey) {{US-army-bio-stub

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

References