Corporal Louis [Lewis] Wilson, 17th New York Infantry- Co. Dublin

Louis Wilson was granted a pension of $24.00 a month from November 1865 for the loss of his right thigh. He had served in the Western Theater with the 17th New York Infantry, having enlisted for three years on June 22nd at the age of 29. He had initially served in the 11th New York Infantry from September 2nd 1863, before transferring to Company E of the 17th New York on 1st October that year. Louis was promoted to Corporal on 26th January 1864, before receiving the wound that would take his leg at Jonesboro, Georgia on 1st September, 1864. He was discharged from service due to disability on 9th June, 1865.

Private George Church, 17th New York Infantry- Co. Cork

George Church enlisted for three years in the 17th New York at the age of 39, on 25th September, 1863. As a Private in Company G he accompanied his unit to the Western Theater, where he was wounded on 1st September 1864 at the Battle of Jonesboro, Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign (the same battle that took Louis Wilson’s leg). His wound resulted in the loss of his left arm, and George was discharged for disability on 30th December 1864 in New York. Returning to Ireland he was in receipt of a pension of $24.00 a month in Cork city, which started in June 1865.

The Battle of Jonesboro, Georgia in 1864. Louis Wilson of Dublin and George Church of Cork both lost limbs here while serving with the 17th New York Infantry. (Currier & Ives)

Private Simon Dowling, 164th New York Infantry- Co. Roscommon

Simon Dowling was in receipt of a pension of $6.oo a month which was granted in 1872, and delivered to his home village of Kiltoom, Co. Roscommon. Simon was 38-years-old when he enlisted in New York on the 12th October, 1862 to serve three years in Corcoran’s Irish Legion. He mustered in as a private in Company G on 19th November, 1862, but was discharged for disability on 27th August, 1863. The disability for which he received his pension was caused by an injury to the abdomen. He was also borne on the rolls under the name Michael Dowling.

Corporal John Pigot, 42nd New York Infantry- Co. Derry/Londonderry

John Pigot collected his pension of $8.00 a month at the post office in Magherafelt. He had been granted the sum in March 1865 for a wound he had received in his right thigh. Pigot has joined the ‘Tammany Regiment’ on 1st June 1861 to serve for three years. The 30-year-old quickly rose to Corporal in Company E, a role he took up on 22nd June 1861. He received the wound that led to his disability at Bristoe Station, Virginia on 14th October, 1863. He was transferred to an unassigned battalion of the Veteran Reserve Corps in 1864.

Private Jasper Stafford, 170th New York Infantry- Co. Wexford

Jasper Stafford lived in Screen, Co. Wexford after the war, where he was in receipt of a pension of $18.00 a month. He had enlisted in the 170th New York on 10th September 1862 at the age of 34. Mustering in as a private in Company D on 7th October, 1862, he was wounded with Corcoran’s Irish Legion at Petersburg, Virginia on 16th June 1864. This injury led to the loss of his right arm. Jasper was discharged for disability on 27th June, 1865.

Sergeant Richard Chestnut, 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry- Co. Donegal?

Richard Chestnut lived in Ashippun, Wisconsin when he enlisted in the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry on 19th October 1861. He served in Company D as both a Corporal and a Sergeant before being discharged due to disability on 11th November 1864. He suffered from paralysis to his right side, for which he received a pension of $12.00 per month from October 1866. This was delivered to his address in ‘Kilcare’ [Kilcar, Co. Donegal?] in Ireland. Chestnut had spent his service in the west, where his regiment had been engaged in battle at locations such as Prairie Grove and Honey Springs. His service would have brought him into contact with Native American forces fighting for both the Union and Confederacy.

Private Patrick Forrester, 99th Pennsylvania Infantry- Co. Derry/Londonderry

Patrick Forrester mustered into service with the 99th Pennsylvania on 12th October 1861. He was a member of Company F, recruited in Philadelphia. At the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia on 13th December 1862, he was seriously wounded and as a result lost his left leg. Patrick received a pension of $23.00 per month to his home in Derry/Londonderry from October 1873.

Private Phaley Cunningham, 83rd Ohio Infantry- Co. Down

Phaley Cunningham entered into service in Company C of the 83rd Ohio Infantry on 13th August, 1862 for three years service. He was discharged on 9th March 1863 at Nashville, Tennessee on a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability. The reason for his discharge was the loss of his left arm, which he most likely sustained during either the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, Mississippi in December 1862 or the Battle of Arkansas Post, Arkansas in January 1863. Cunningham would eventually return home to Newry, Co. Down where he received a pension of $18.00 for his disability, payment of which started in December 1863.

References

A variety of sources were utilised for these biographies including Civil War Pension Index Cards, Index to Pension Files 1861-1934 and rosters of various  regiments. A full reference list will be included when the resources page is completed.

It is difficult to find veterans of the American Civil War in Ireland. One tool is to examine the 1883 ‘List of Pensioners on the Roll’ which contains a section on those individuals claiming a United States pension in foreign countries. A total of 91 men are recorded as receiving a pension in Ireland for service in the United States forces. That number is increased when widows and dependants are included, and they will be the subject of later posts. Over the coming months a new resource section will be added to this site which will provide brief details on these men and women, in the hope of discovering and recording their final resting places in Ireland.

Not all of the men receiving a United States pension in 1883 had seen service in the American Civil War- some served afterwards, be it in the Navy or in the regular army. Despite this, the majority of the 91 men listed earned their pension for services between 1861 and 1865. They most likely had varying reasons for returning home; perhaps some were disillusioned following the war, or found that their disabilities stifled their hopes for making their way in America. For many it may simply have been that they could now afford to go home, as they were in receipt of a pension that helped to support their journey. Below are short profiles of the first ten of these men examined.

Increase in pension for Seaman Peter Keefe for the loss of his leg, to be directed to a Post Office in Piltown, Co. Kilkenny (Fold3)

Private John A Donnelly, 3rd New York Cavalry- Co. Armagh

John Donnelly received a pension of $14 a month in 1883, which he collected at Armagh Post Office in Co. Armagh. This was for an unspecified disability which he had sustained as a result of service in the 3rd New York Cavalry. He was not a young man when he was enlisted in New York on 4th December 1863, being 37 years of age. Serving in Company F he was discharged on 15th June 1865 from Balfour General Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. During his service John would have seen service in the Eastern Theatre, notably around Petersburg.

Private William Connor, 6th New York Heavy Artillery- Co. Cork?

William Connor received a pension of $24 which the List of Pensioners states was collected in Ballyhoold Post Office. This may be Ballyhooly, in Co. Cork. The then 43 year old had enlisted at Cortland on 21st August 1862, as part of Company I (originally 135th Infantry) to serve for three years. The Irishman had experienced the horrors of the Overland Campaign in 1864 before he and his regiment arrived before Petersburg in June. On the 20th of that month Connor received a wound which necessitated the amputation of his left arm. He was discharged for disability on 11st September 1865 at De Camp General Hospital in New York.

Captain Archibald Wilson, 25th New York Cavalry- Co. Antrim

Archibald Wilson collected $17 per month from Belfast Post Office as a result of varicose veins in his left leg. As a 21-year-old he had enrolled on 16th May 1864 at Hart’s Island, mustering in as a First Lieutenant in Company K on 16th May 1864 for three years. His most notable service came with his regiment in the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Archibald was promoted to Captain of Company F on 28th March 1865, mustering out on 27th June the same year.

Seaman Peter Keefe, U.S. Brig Perry- Co. Kilkenny

Peter Keefe went to his local Belline Post Office each month to receive a pension of $24. He had enlisted in New York on 12th October 1863, and on board the Perry he was part of the Federal blockade of southern ports. In late 1864 she was patrolling of Murrell’s Inlet in South Carolina, when a number of the crew were sent ashore to burn a Confederate schooner. Keefe was captured by the Rebels, and in attempting to escape was shot in the left leg. This resulted in the amputation of the limb above the knee. Peter was honorably discharged on 12th November 1864.

Private Hugh O’Brien, 170th New York, Corcoran’s Irish Legion- Co. Tyrone

Hugh O’Brien received $18 a month which he collected at Castlecaulfield Post Office in Co. Tyrone. As a 32-year-old he had enlisted in the 170th New York on 26th September 1862 in New York. Assigned to Company C, he fought with the Legion at Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor before receiving a sever wound during the 16th June assault on Petersburg. This necessitated the amputation of his left leg. He was still in hospital when his Company mustered out at the end of the war.

Corporal Patrick Connolly, 70th New York Infantry- Co. Meath

Donaghmore Post Office was where Patrick Connolly went to claim his $18 a month. As a 22-year-old he had enlisted in Newark, New Jersey on 20th April 1861. He initially became a Private in Company K of the 70th New York, being promoted to Corporal on an unknown date. His served throughout the Peninsula Campaign of 1862 at battles such as Seven Pines, Savage Station and Malvern Hill, before he was wounded at Bristoe Station on 27th August, 1862. As a result of the wound his left foot was amputated. He was discharged for disability on 13th August, 1863.

Private Owen Devine (also Divine), 37th New York Infantry ‘Irish Rifles’- Co. ?

The List of Pensioners states that Owen Devine collected his $6 a month pension at ‘Dramscridian’ Post Office, an as yet unidentified location in Ireland. He had enlisted as a 40-year-old on 9th May 1861 at Ellicotsville for a period of two years. As a Private in Company I he was captured at the Battle of Chancellorsville on 3rd May 1863, being paroled ten days later. Owen was mustered out with his Company on 22nd June 1863 in New York; he would later develop varicose veins in his left leg as a memento of service.

Private Thomas Beatty, 4th New York Heavy Artillery- Co. Louth

Thomas Beatty received $18 a month for the loss of his left leg, collecting his pension at Drogheda Post Office. His roster records are somewhat confused, but he may have served in the 6th New York Infantry in the early part of the war. He enlisted in the 4th New York Heavy Artillery on 2nd March 1864 in New York, and presumably received the wound which took his leg during the 1864 Overland Campaign or around Petersburg. He was discharged for disability on 26th January 1865 in Alexandria, Virginia.

Private Michael Buird (also Bird), 161st New York Infantry- Co. Donegal?

The unfortunate Michael Buird received $31.25 a month to assist him due to his disability, which was complete blindness. He collected this from ‘Ramerton’ (Ramelton?) Post Office. As a 23-year-old he had enlisted in the regiment at Dix to serve one year, mustering in as a Private of Company G in September 1864. The cause of his blindness remains a mystery- he was absent sick in hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania when the Company mustered out.

Private Richard Brooks, 72nd New York Infantry- Co. Waterford

Richard Brooks received $4 a month at Waterford Post Office due to a wound received at one of the most famous battles of the war. Richard had enlisted as a 29-year-old in New York City on 7th July, 1861. While serving in Company C he fought with his regiment at the Battle of Fredericksburg on 13th December, 1862. He lost his right thumb during the action, and on 5th June 1864 he was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps.

References

A variety of sources were utilised for these biographies including Civil War Pension Index Cards, Index to Pension Files 1861-1934 and rosters of various New York regiments. A full reference list will be included when the resources page is completed.