The Bombardment of Fort Sumter on 12th April 1861 (Library of Congress)

Hough and his comrades were part of the Fort Sumter garrison in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina which endured the Confederate bombardment that sparked the deadly four-year conflict. He and his companions survived the initial action, but it was during a salute to the flag fired after the Fort’s surrender that Daniel met his end. He was killed on 14th April 1861, when the cartridge he was loading prematurely went off, in an explosion that also mortally wounded fellow Irishman Edward Gallway. Over four years after the event, on Saturday 17th June 1865, and with the conflict now at an end, a man identifying himself as Daniel Hough’s brother William wrote a letter that was published in the New York Herald-Tribune:

Secession’s First Victim

To His Excellency, President Johnson:

Sir: The N.Y. Journal of Commerce in a recent issue, published the name of the first man who was killed in this war, Daniel Howe.

His father’s name was Timothy Howe; his mother’s maiden name was Catharine Lacey; his birthplace was the town of Nenagh, county of Tipperary, Ireland. Daniel was killed at Fort Sumter (in 1861) and there interred in the presence of then Major (now Brigadier-Gen.) Anderson, and of Beauregard.

The writer of this is a brother of the above-mentioned Daniel, and is a humble and comparatively obscure citizen of these United States, a man of limited pecuniary means; and one object of this communication is to express a desire to have the remains of his brother removed from Sumter to Calvary Cemetery, on Long Island.

It might not be deemed presumptious to suggest to your Excellency that the United States Government could consistently defray the expenses of such desired removal, and possibly induced to go a step further and erect a suitable monument over the last resting place in Calvary of the remains of Daniel Howe.

It will not be presumptious to add that the writer feels some pride in calling your Excellency’s attention to the above statement, and also in giving it this publicity. 

Should your Excellency be disposed to think favorably of this “expressed desire,” the writer would feel proud and happy to be allowed to superintend the arrangements necessary to carry it out, and forever be Your most grateful and obedient servant,

William Howe,

Westchester House, corner Bowery and Brooms-st., New York City, June 15, 1865. (1)

Further work is required to fully confirm the contents of this letter. Previous research has been carried out on Hough’s origins by Tom Hurley for his excellent ‘What the Hough- the First Casualty of the American Civil War was a Tipperary Soldier’ radio documentary, which was broadcast on Tipp FM in 2012. Tom’s work identified a Daniel Hough born in Borrisokane in 1829 as the most likely candidate for the Fort Sumter Hough. He is certainly a strong contender. This Hough was baptised on 1st August 1829, the son of John Hough and Ellen Quinlan. However, this differs from the details in the 1865 letter, in which Timothy Howe and Catharine Lacey are identified as the parents of the Fort Sumter Daniel Hough. This raises the possibility that they may not be the same individual. (2)

Initial reviews have not revealed a marriage of Timothy Howe and Catharine Lacey in north Tipperary, but records are far from complete, and only additional research can answer the question as to whether evidence exists of their union. The primary question is if the William Howe who wrote this letter is genuine, or if he was an imposter attempting to profit in some way from an association with the Daniel Hough who died at Fort Sumter. However, if we accept the letter as genuine, then there is no reason to doubt that Daniel Hough was indeed a native of Nenagh.

William’s published letter provides us with vital new information to further explore Daniel’s origins in Ireland, which should allow additional research into his life before he departed for the United States. Although the 1865 letter to have Daniel Hough suitably remembered proved fruitless, it may be that 150 years later the information provided in it may inadvertently allow for the suitable commemoration of Daniel Hough (or Howe) in the town of his birth. It seems that this may well be Nenagh, Co. Tipperary.

(1) New York Herald Tribune; (2) North Tipperary Genealogy Centre Church Baptism Records;

References

New York Herald-Tribune 17th June 1865. Secession’s First Victim.

North Tipperary Genealogy Centre Church Baptism Records.

John Lonergan Memorial, Carrick-On-Suir, Co. Tipperary. Lonergan received the Medal of Honor for actions at Gettysburg

The main themes dealt with during the lecture were as follows:

• Causes of the American Civil War

• The Irish in the United States before 1861

• Why Did the Irish Fight?

• Theatres of War

• The Union Irish

• The Confederate Irish

• Irish Stories

• The American Civil War and Ireland

• Aftermath and Memory

• Irish American Civil War Trail

There was a great attendance at the event and we had a lively discussion afterwards. I must say the evening was one of the most enjoyable lecture nights I have had in a long time, and I strongly recommend that anyone in the vicinity with an interest in military history consider checking out this energetic and proactive organisation. I must extend my thanks to the society for their invitation to chat them, and I hope they have continued success in the future!

John Lonergan was born in 1837 at Sir John’s Road, Carrick-On-Suir, Co. Tipperary. His family emigrated to the United States in 1848 where he was active in the Fenian movement both prior to and following the Civil War. Lonergan became a Captain of Company A, 13th Vermont Regiment, a nine-month unit that was organised in October 1862. They spent much of their service on guard duty but joined the main body of the Army of the Potomac in time for its greatest battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in July 1863. The 13th Vermont arrived at the battlefield on the evening of the first day (July 1st) as part of Brigadier-General Stannard’s 3rd Brigade (2nd Vermont Brigade) of Major-General Abner Doubleday’s 3rd Division. They were part of Major-General Reynolds I Corps.

The 13th Vermont’s first major action of the battle took place on the second day (July 2nd), when the regiment were positioned in support of artillery at Cemetery Hill. While stationed here they received an urgent request to rescue a Federal Battery in General Hancock’s section of the line that had been abandoned and was about to be taken by the Confederates. The Vermont men counterattacked and drove the enemy back, in the process recapturing the guns. Having accomplished this the 13th Vermont and Captain John Lonergan’s Company A continued their advance and charged as far as the Emmittsburg Road, where two Confederate artillery pieces were captured. Not content with this, Lonergan and his men then surrounded the Roger’s House which contained a large number of Confederate troops, and forced them to surrender. Despite the heavy fighting that they experienced the 13th Vermont’s role in the battle was not over, as they were to play an important part in the repulse of the Confederate advance on the final day (July 3rd), which has gone down in history as ‘Pickett’s Charge’. The 13th Vermont had arrived at Gettysburg with a strength of some 636 men. They were to lose 10 men killed, 103 wounded and 10 missing (a percentage loss of 19%) during the course of the fighting (Bicheno 2001).

Following the battle John Lonergan’s pivotal role in the 13th Vermont’s success on Gettysburg’s second day was acknowledged, as he was the recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions. The citation indicated that the award was presented as a result of Lonergan’s gallantry in the recapture of four guns, as well as the capture of two additional enemy guns and a number of prisoners.

The memorial on the street where he was born in Carrick-On-Suir was officially unveiled on May 8th last. It is in a prominent position on one of the main routes into the town, and is a fitting tribute to the Tipperary native.

References & Further Reading

Bicheno, Hugh 2001. Gettysburg

Clarke, Albert 13th Vermont Infantry History

Congressional Medal of Honor Society