Menomen O’Donnell, c. 1862 (Deborah Maroney)

Menomen O’Donnell was born in Drumboarty, Co. Donegal on 20th April 1830 and emigrated to the United States during the Famine, arriving in America in 1848. Gradually moving further and further west, he eventually settling in Bridgeport, Illinois in 1850. On 7th June 1853 Menomen married Mary Bailey of Towanda, Pennsylvania. The couple would go on to have nine children together, although two would not survive infancy. He did well as a farmer and stock-breeder, and at one point owned over 1,000 acres. His success meant that the family he left in Ireland could join him, and over the course of the 1850s he was able to welcome his brother, sisters, father and step-mother to Illinois. He was even able to take a trip back to Ireland shortly before the war broke out- for Menomen O’Donnell America was fulfilling all his hopes and dreams. (1)

With the outbreak of war Menomen answered the call for volunteers, enlisting in July 1861. As Illinois had filled its quota of men, his company became part of the 11th Missouri Infantry, with whom he would serve for the duration of the conflict. He quickly rose to the rank of Lieutenant and began to demonstrate the courage that marked him out during the war years. During the fight for New Madrid and Island No. 10 in March 1862 he volunteered to take a detachment of soldiers across the Mississippi to silence a newly constructed Rebel battery. One of his men recalled the event: ‘Lieut. O’Donnell said that if they would let him have 12 picked men he would go over and spike their guns. He did and I was one of the 12. We crossed the river at midnight on a dark night and drifted down to opposite the guns, when the rebel sentinel sang out, ‘Who goes there?’ Lieut. O’Donnell told them he was a friend and wanted to see the General in command. At least 1,000 men raised up from behind the guns.’ The Donegal native and his men beat a hasty retreat, and lived to fight another day. (2)

Siege of Vicksburg by Kurz and Allison c. 1888 (Library of Congress)

The 1863 siege of Vicksburg was one of the defining events of the war in the West. It’s capture would split the Confederacy in two and secure control of the Mississippi River for the Union. The 22nd May assault was an attempt to end the siege by force and compel the Confederate army in the city to surrender. For much of that day O’Donnell and the men of the 11th Missouri could only watch as their comrades tried- and failed- to take the Confederate fortifications. Finally, shortly after 4pm, they received orders to launch themselves against the enemy entrenchments in the vicinity of the Stockade Redan. Menomen later recounted the action:

‘The Eleventh Missouri led the advance. The enemy’s guns had been booming for some time, but as soon as the Union advance was seen coming over the bluff, the fire seemed to double its former strength and fury. The ground was covered with the dead and wounded, and not seeing my colors I felt like one lost in the wilderness. I called out: ‘Where is the flag of the Eleventh Missouri?’ A captain of an Ohio company answered: ‘Lieutenant, your flag is over there!’ then pointing still farther to the left he said: ‘And the head of your regiment is at the fort.’ I soon found the flag, and called all of the Eleventh Missouri, within sound of my voice, to come forward to the colors. Only forty-four appeared. I exhorted the boys to follow me to the fort. The color sergeant refused to carry the flag. Just as I was about to reach for it, brave Corporal Warner stepped forward, grabbed the flag, and to the fort it went with us. It was raised, but soon shot down, only to be again put up and floated on the rebel fort until dark. Twenty-four of the forty-four got to the fort. After arriving there we could do nothing but sit with our backs to the wall until darkness came, when under cover of the night, we finally got out, and safely returned to camp.’ (3)

Brigadier-General Joseph A. Mower (Library of Congress)

On the 11th September 1897 Menomen O’Donnell received the Medal of Honor for his actions that day at Vicksburg. The first part of the citation read: ‘Voluntarily joined the color guard in the assault on the enemy’s works when he saw indications of wavering and caused the colors of his regiment to be planted on the parapet.’ However Vicksburg was not the sole reason for the award. It also recognised his actions at Fort DeRussey, Louisiana on 14th March 1864 when he: ‘Voluntarily placed himself in the ranks of an assaulting column (being then on staff duty) and rode with it into the enemy’s works, being the only mounted officer present; was twice wounded in battle.’  (4)

The reference to Fort DeRussey was testament to Menomen’s continued bravery and his close relationship with Brigadier-General Joseph Mower. Mower had been O’Donnell’s brigade commander at Vicksburg, and had approved the Irishman’s promotion to Captain following the fighting there. By 1864 Mower had risen to divisional command, and both men were taking part in the ill-fated Red River Campaign. Fort De Russey blocked the Federal advance, and Mower had been ordered to deal with it. Menomen takes up the story:

‘Returning from a reconnaissance, in which, with a few mounted orderlies, I had taken twenty prisoners, with some supply wagons, I found General Mower with the command, about two miles from the fort. The general said to me: ‘Captain, I have received orders to go into camp; what do you say?’ ‘General, it is not for me to say what to do,’ I answered. ‘I wish you would give me your opinion,’ he persisted. ‘General,’ I replied, ‘if I were in your place, I would capture Fort DeRussy before evening. if we don’t, the enemy will be gone before daylight.’ ‘Just my own opinion,’ General Mower said, requesting me to take a brigade, and open fire, which was the signal for a general charge. Subsequently I led the Twenty-fourth Missouri of Colonel Shaw’s Brigade against the enemy. There was some hard fighting, but at 6.30 pm we were in possession of the fort.’ (5)

In his report of the action, Mower did not forget O’Donnell: ‘I deem it my duty to mention the conduct of Captain O’Donnell, of my staff, who rendered me most efficient and valuable aid in putting troops into position. He was always ready when his services were required, and was one of the first in the enemy’s works.’ Aside from the actions which saw him receive the Medal of Honor, Menomen had a number of other brushes with death. He received three gun-shot wounds in the left arm during a skirmish with the Rebels at Grand Ecore, Louisiana on 5th April 1864 and had two horses shot from under him at Tupelo, Mississippi that July. The latter encounter resulted in a fall that crushed his left shoulder and aggravating his earlier wound. These injuries forced Menomen from the service, and he was mustered out at St. Louis, Missouri on 9th August 1864. (6)

Menomen O’Donnell and his family in later years (Deborah Maroney)

Following the war Menomen O’Donnell returned to business in Bridgeport. He sought to build on his family’s position through cattle ranching and by expansion into the pork packing trade. However, he had not reckoned on the Panic of 1873. This financial crisis and the depression that followed destroyed his business and took his fortune, which was estimated at some $70,000. Having built himself up from scratch and survived the hardships of war, Menomen now faced what was perhaps his toughest challenge. He had to find a way to restore his family’s livelihood and secure their economic future. He decided to move to Vincennes, Indiana in 1879, where he opened a butcher’s shop and slowly but surely began to recover financially. He rebuilt his family’s business and became active in the Grand Army of the Republic and also the local Democratic Party. Having successfully conquered his post-war setbacks, Menomen O’Donnell was able to enjoy his later years. He passed away at the age of 81 on 4th September 1911 at his home in Vincennes, Indiana and is buried in the city’s Mount Calvary Cemetery. (7)

*Special thanks are due to Deborah Maroney, a descendant of Menomen O’Donnell, for providing images and valuable information about her ancestor.

(1) Maroney: Capt. Menomen O’Donnell, Blanchard 1898: 1136; (2) Blanchard 1898: 1137, Belcher 2011: 42; (3) Belcher 2011: 124, Beyer & Keydell 1901: 200- 201; (4) Proft 2002: 954; (5)  Beyer & Keydell 1901: 201; (6) Belcher 2011: 149, Blanchard 1898: 1138; (7) Vincennes Sun-Commercial 2011, Blanchard 1898: 1138-1139, Maroney: Capt. Menomen O’Donnell;

References & Further Reading

Belcher, Dennis W. 2011. The 11th Missouri Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster. 

Beyer, Walter F. & Keydel, Oscar F. 1901. Deeds of Valor: How America’s Heroes Won The Medal of Honor, Volume 1.

Blanchard, Charles 1898. History of the Catholic Church in Indiana, Volume 2. 

Maroney, Deborah, n.d. Capt. Menomen O’Donnell.

Proft, R.J. (ed.), 2002. United States of America’s Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients and their Official Citations, Fourth Edition.

Vincennes Sun-Commercial 3rd June 2011. Menomen O’Donnell: O’Donnell ‘A Man of Courage’.

Vicksburg National Military Park

Civil War Trust Vicksburg Page

Civil War Trust Red River Campaign Page

Battery M of the 1st Missouri Light Artillery during the 1864 Meridian Campaign (Photographic History of the Civil War)

The average visitor to the small rural cemetery of Cappincur, 2km outside of Tullamore in Co. Offaly, is unlikely to notice the unassuming headstone of the Cavanagh family. The inscription commemorates three of its members, and reads as follows:

IHS

LORD HAVE MERCY ON THE SOUL OF

NICHOLAS KAVANAGH

DIED AUGUST 9 1859 AGED 72 YEARS

AND HIS WIFE

MARY

DIED NOVEMBER 17 1871 AGED 82 YEARS

AND THEIR SON PETER

DIED MARCH 10 1871 AGED 45 YEARS

RIP

ERECTED BY THEIR SONS JOHN AND PAUL CAPPINCUR

The Cavanagh Family Headstone, Cappincur, Co. Offaly (Michael MacNamara)

This epitaph belies Peter Cavanagh’s extraordinary journey, which took him from Offaly to the United States and back again. Peter’s Great-Grandson Michael has painstakingly pieced together his ancestor’s life. Born in 1824, the family still posess Peter’s exercise book from his time in an Offaly Hedge School between 1844 and 1848. At some point after this he decided to try his luck in America. His port of embarkation was most likely Cork, as that county is erroneously listed as his birthplace on his enlistment papers.

Peter next appears in 1860, when he took the fateful step of joining the regular army on the eve of the American Civil War. His place of enlistment was given as Newport, Kentucky, where he joined Battery F of the 2nd U.S. Light Artillery. He was one of a group of soldiers transferred to the Missouri Union forces following the Confederate victory at Wilson’s Creek in 1861, with the new unit becoming Battery M of the 1st Missouri Light Artillery. It was with the 1st Missouri Light that Peter would serve for much of the war, travelling all over the South. Just prior to the Battle of Atlanta in 1864, Peter, now a Sergeant, petitioned along with a number of his regular comrades to be transferred back to the 2nd U.S. Light Artillery, a request which was granted. He remained in the military after the Confederate surrender, seeing service on the west coast at Fort Point in San Francisco and in Fort Vancouver in Washington, from where he returned to Ireland in July 1867.

The petition signed by Peter and his comrades in 1864 requesting a return to the regular service (Michael MacNamara)

Why did Peter choose to return home? Michael’s research has discovered that the Irishman fell ill with ‘miasmatic fever’ in 1863, contracted while on campaign in Mississippi. He recovered aboard the hospital ship Woodford, but it seems likely that he was sickly from this point forward. Apart from failing health Peter had at least one more pressing engagement at home in Ireland- having departed the United States in July of 1867 he was married to Offaly girl Margaret Tiernan that September. The marriage to Margaret may well have been the driving force behind his decision to return to his native land.

Peter and Margaret were not destined to enjoy their life together for long; Peter died of tuberculosis on 10th March 1871, to be followed to the grave only eight months later by his mother. Margaret long outlived her husband, claiming a pension for her husband’s military service which she received until her own death nearly sixty years later, in 1930. Peter Cavanagh brought home to rural Offaly memories of some of the hardest fighting of the American Civil War. His discharge prior to his 1864 re-enlistment in the 2nd U.S. Light noted the staggering array of engagements he had participated in up to that point:

1861: Capture of Camp Jackson, Battle of Boonville, Skirmish at Forsyth, Battle of Dug Springs, Battle of Wilson’s Creek;

1862: Battle of New Madrid/Island No. 10, Siege of Corinth, Skirmish at Farmington, Skirmish at Blackland, Battle of Iuka, Battle of Corinth, Skirmish at Hatchie River, Skirmish at Jonesboro, Skirmish at Tallahatchie;

1863: Battle of Fort Pemberton, Fight at Forty Hills, Battle of Raymond, Battle of Jackson, Battle of Champion Hill, Siege of Vicksburg, Siege of Jackson;

1864: Meridian Campaign, Red River Campaign, Battle of Kennesaw Mountain;

Peter’s 1864 discharge paper, charting the impressive list of actions he had been in engaged in up to that point (Michael MacNamara)

Peter served through the remainder of the Atlanta Campaign, and later fought with the ‘Rock of Chickamauga’, General George Thomas, in Tennessee. His last major battle of the war was fought at Nashville in December 1864, when he and his comrades destroyed the Confederate Army of Tennessee. It seems incongruous that someone who had survived so much hardship would enjoy such a short life back at home in Co. Offaly, but such was Peter’s lot. Thanks to the efforts of his Great-Great Grandson Michael MacNamara his remarkable service is remembered, as is his position as one of the very few Irish-born American Civil War soldiers who spent their final years in the land of their birth.

The Pension Certificate of Peter Cavanagh, claimed by his wife Margaret until her death in 1930 (Michael MacNamara)

*Many thanks to Michael MacNamara for providing both the images and the history that relates to the remarkable career of his Great-Grandfather. If anyone has any additional information that they think may add to Peter’s story Michael would be eager to hear from you.

The Battle of Belmont as depicted in Frank Leslie's 1896 'Famous Leaders and Battle Scenes of the Civil War' (University of South Florida)

The 2nd Tennessee Infantry had been organised by Joseph Knox Walker in Memphis, Tennessee the previous May. Walker was the nephew of former United States President James K. Polk and had served as his private secretary in the White House. The regiment consisted almost entirely of Memphis Irishmen, and its 750 soldiers were often called the ‘Irish Regiment’. Knox Walker’s affinity with the Irish was explained by his daughter Sally: ‘Memphis had a large Irish population; my father was their friend and counselor; in politics they followed his lead. So great was his influence with them, and their love for him, that Father Grace presented him with a pew for life in St. Patrick’s Church, now the cathedral, though my father was an Episcopalian. The Irish had followed my father in politics and now they followed him in war.’ By the time of Belmont the 2nd had already earned a reputation for being a bit on the wild side. This is typified by an incident remembered by William Stevenson, who briefly served in the unit, on the lengths the men would go to obtain alcohol. On one occasion, as the Colonel walked past one of the Irishmen’s tents, he saw the man raise his gun to his lips and proceed to take a long swig from the barrel.  Knox Walker asked, ‘Pat, what have you got in your gun, whiskey?’. The Irishman was quick to respond; ‘Colonel, I was looking into the barrel of my gun to see whether she was clean.’ The Colonel walked on, remarking how it was curious that the man’s eyes appeared to be located in his mouth. (1)

The Irishmen had arrived in Columbus by 24th October, and Knox Walker assumed a brigade command. In the late morning of the 7th November, as the battle seemed to be going badly for the Confederates, Brigadier-General Benjamin F. Cheatham ordered the regiment aboard the steamers Prince and Harry W.R. Hill to be ferried across to the fight. They managed to cross without becoming engaged by Federal gunboats, but were greeted by chaotic scenes as they landed. Men crowded the river bank as they sought escape from the Union advance, which had smashed the Confederate line and swept across Camp Johnston.  Total defeat appeared only minutes away, and large numbers of men were in imminent danger of capture. Despite the seemingly desperate situation, the 2nd needed little incentive to fight. They had been told before they crossed that sick men from the 12th Tennessee, which contained a number of Irishmen, had been bayoneted where they lay as the Union troops overran the camp. (2)

Brigadier-General Gideon Pillow was then in command of the Confederate troops on the west bank of the river. He ordered Knox Walker to advance his regiment to meet the enemy and buy time so that the disorganised men on the riverbank could be reformed.  Forming line of battle, the Irishmen plunged forward against the advancing Federal forces. The Union troops were not expecting an attack from fresh troops; as the Irishmen charged into the open field they checked the enemy’s advance, and it took Grant’s men some time to recover. Lieutenant James Walker, Colonel Knox Walker’s nephew, took over command of Company I when his Captain fell wounded. Now he was himself struck by a bullet in the hip, with the ball penetrating through to his intestines. He leaned against a log and continued to give orders for the next twenty minutes, shouting to Lieutenant John Dangan, ‘Fight Daugues, fight or die! Don’t let my men be taken prisoners’ before losing consciousness for the final time. Despite such heroics the 2nd were eventually forced back to the river, taking heavy casualties as they did so. They kept up their fire from this position, moving by the flank along the riverbank.

Map of the Battle of Belmont by Julius Bien & Co.

As the fight raged on the men tried to remain lighthearted. Captain Saffarans of the regiment had waded into the Mississippi early in the battle in an effort to escape the enemy’s fire, when one of the Irishmen shouted after him ‘Captain, dear, are ye off for Memphis? If ye are tell the ould woman the last ye saw ov me I was fighting, while ye were runnin’ away.’ Another Irishman, who was nicknamed ‘Dublin Tricks’, forgot to bite off the end of his cartridge before he rammed it home, so his rifle would not go off. He kept loading the gun with the same result. In an effort to remedy the situation, he pricked some priming into the tube. Predictably things did not end well and ‘both he and the gun went off’. As the men around him laughed, Dublin Tricks retorted ‘Hould, asy with your laffin’ boys; there is sivin more loads in her yit.’ Meanwhile another Irishman in the regiment gave his comrades some sage advice, quipping: ‘Illivate your guns a little lower boys, and ye’ll do more execution.’ (3)

The counterattack of the 2nd Tennessee had not been in vain. Pillow had an opportunity to reorganise his men and more troops were now crossing the river from Columbus. Grant’s troops had themselves become disorganised in their moment of victory, and now with Cheatham ashore with further reinforcements the Union regiments were forced into a general retreat. The 2nd joined in the advance. Seeing the colors of the 7th Iowa, Private David Vollmer of Company K declared that he was going to capture them or die in the attempt. The Federals had not finished fighting though. As the Confederates pressed on with their charge and broke cover, Captain J. Welby Armstrong, who commanded Company G, the ‘Sons of Erin’, disintegrated as he was struck by a shell. Vollmer and his friend Sergeant Dennis Lynch surged forward towards the 7th’s colors, with Vollmer bayoneting his opponent and seizing the flag. No sooner had he accomplished his goal than he and Lynch fell dead, struck by a volley of musketry. (4)

Despite the heavy fighting Ulysses S. Grant and his men were eventually forced back to their landing point at Hunter’s Farm, where they re-embarked and set off back for Cairo. The first major battle in the Western Theater had ended. Although the carnage had been worse than anything any of the men had previously experienced, the war would show them all too quickly that worse was to come. The Memphis Irishmen of the 2nd Tennessee lost 18 men killed, 63 wounded and 33 missing during the battle. It had been a bad day for the Irish of Memphis with the largely Irish 21st Tennessee also taking heavy casualties. These two units, which first fought together on the field at Belmont, would be consolidated in 1862 to form the 5th Confederate Infantry, a regiment which served in Corkman Major-General Patrick Cleburne’s Division. The few survivors would not see their last battle until March 1865, when they would be amongst the final remnants of the Army of Tennessee engaged at Bentonville, North Carolina. C.W. Frazer, who would write a brief history of the 5th Confederate after the war, recalled the performance of the 2nd and 21st Tennessee at Belmont. He remarked: ‘I well remember their dash and courage on that occasion, when with inferior guns, and unused to war or arms, they bore themselves as veterans, which can be accounted for only by their nationality, my observation being that Irishmen take to this as readily “as ducks to water”.’ (5)

(1) Cheairs Hughes Jr. 1991: 122-123, Civil War Centennial Commission of Tennessee 1964: 174, Stevenson 1862: 46; (2) Civil War Centennial Commission of Tennessee 1964: 174, Cheairs Hughes Jr. 1991: 122, Stevenson 1862: 68; (3) Official Records: 326, Stevenson 1862: 70-71, Cheairs Hughes Jr. 1991: 123; (4) Cheairs Hughes Jr. 1991: 144; (5) Cheairs Hughes Jr. 1991: 185, Frazer 1886: 146;

*One of two regiments designated the 2nd Tennessee Infantry, and not to be confused with the Nashville unit organised by William B. Bate.

References & Further Reading

Cheairs Hughes Jr., Nathaniel 1991. The Battle of Belmont: Grant Strikes South

Civil War Centennial Commission of Tennessee 1964. Tennesseans in the Civil War. Part 1.

Frazer, C.W. 1886. ‘Fifth Confederate’ in Lindsley, John Berrien (ed.) The Military Annals of Tennessee: Confederate

Stevenson, William G. 1862. Thirteen Months in the Rebel Army

Official Records Series 1, Volume 3, Chapter 10. Reports of Brig. Gen. Gideon J. Pillow, C.S. Army, Commanding First Division

Columbus-Belmont State Park