The Congressional Medal of Honor is awarded for acts of bravery and heroism, and its long history began with the American Civil War. At least 146 men who received the award for their actions between 1861 and 1865 were of Irish birth. One, John Cooper, was awarded the medal twice for actions during the Civil War. A list of these Irishmen appears below, together with their unit and the engagement at which they performed their act of heroism. If you are aware of any potential additions or corrections to the list below, please contact me at irishamericancivilwar@gmail.com.
| Name | Unit | Action |
| Ahern, Michael | Kearsarge | Cherbourg, France |
| Allen, James | 16th NY Inf. | South Mountain, Md. |
| Anderson, Robert | Keokuk | Charleston, S.C. |
| Barry, Augustus | 16th US Inf. | Various |
| Bass, David L. | Minnesota | Fort Fisher, N.C. |
| Begley, Terrence | 7th NY Hvy Arty. | Cold Harbor, Va. |
| Blackwood, William | 48th PA. Inf. | Petersburg, Va. |
| Bradley, Charles | Louisville | Various |
| Brannigan, Felix | 74th NY Inf. | Chancellorsville, Va. |
| Brennan, Christopher | Mississippi | Fts. Jackson & St. Philip, La. |
| Brosnan, John | 164th NY Inf. | Petersburg, Va. |
| Brown Jr., Edward | 62nd NY Inf. | Fredericksburg, Va. |
| Burk, Michael E. | 125th NY Inf. | Spotsylvania, Va. |
| Burke, Thomas | 5th NY Cav. | Hanover Courthouse, Va. |
| Byrnes, James | Louisville | Various |
| Campbell, William | 30th OH Inf. | Vicksburg, Miss. |
| Carey, Hugh | 82nd NY Inf. | Gettysburg, Pa. |
| Casey, David | 25th MA. Inf. | Cold Harbor, Va. |
| Cassidy, Michael | Lackawanna | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Colbert, Patrick | Commodore Hull | Plymouth, N.C. |
| Collis, Charles H.T. | 114th PA. Inf. | Fredericksburg, Va. |
| Conboy, Martin | 37th NY Inf. | Williamsburg, Va. |
| Connor, Thomas | Minnesota | Fort Fisher, N.C. |
| Connors, James | 43rd NY Inf. | Fisher’s Hill, Va. |
| Cooper, John | Brooklyn | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Cooper, John | Brooklyn | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Corcoran, Thomas E. | Cincinnati | Vicksburg, Miss. |
| Cosgrove, Thomas | 40th MA. Inf. | Drury’s Bluff, Va. |
| Creed, John | 23rd IL. Inf. | Fisher’s Hill, Va. |
| Cullen, Thomas | 82nd NY Inf. | Bristoe Station, Va. |
| Curran, Richard | 33rd NY Inf. | Antietam, Md. |
| Delaney, John C. | 107th PA. Inf. | Dabny’s Mills, Va. |
| Donoghue, Timothy | 69th NY Inf. | Fredericksburg, Va. |
| Doody, Patrick | 164th NY Inf. | Cold Harbor, Va. |
| Doolen, William | Richmond | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Dougherty, Michael | 13th PA. Cav. | Jefferson, Va. |
| Dougherty, Patrick | Lackawanna | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Downey, William | 4th MA. Cav. | Ashepoo River, S.C. |
| Drury, James | 4th VT. Inf. | Weldon Railroad, Va. |
| Dunphy, Richard D. | Hartford | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| English, Edmund | 2nd NJ Inf. | Wilderness, Va. |
| Fallon, Thomas T. | 37th NY Inf. | Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Va. |
| Flood, Thomas | Pensacola | Fts. Jackson & St. Philip, La. |
| Flynn, Christopher | 14th CT. Inf. | Gettysburg, Pa. |
| Ford, George W. | 88th NY Inf. | Sailors Creek, Va. |
| Fox, Nicholas | 28th CT. Inf. | Port Hudson, La. |
| Gardner, William | Calena | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Gasson, Richard | 47th NY Inf. | Chapins Farm, Va. |
| Ginley, Patrick | 1st NY Light Arty. | Reams Station, Va. |
| Gribben, James H. | 2nd NY Cav. | Sailors Creek, Va. |
| Haley, James | Kearsarge | Cherbourg, France |
| Harrington, Daniel | Pocahontas | Brunswick, Ga. |
| Havron, John H. | 1st RI. Light Arty. | Petersburg, Va. |
| Highland, Patrick | 23rd IL. Inf. | Petersburg, Va. |
| Horan, Thomas | 72nd NY Inf. | Gettysburg, Pa. |
| Hinnecan, William | Agawam | Fort Fisher, N.C. |
| Horne, Samuel B. | 11th CT. Inf. | Fort Harrison, Va. |
| Howard, Martin | Tacony | Plymouth, N.C. |
| Hudson, Michael | Brooklyn | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Hyland, John | Signal | Red River, La. |
| Irwin, Patrick | 14th MI. Inf. | Jonesboro, Ga. |
| Jones, Andrew | Chickasaw | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Jones, William | 73rd NY Inf. | Spotsylvania, Va. |
| Kane, John | 100th NY Inf. | Petersburg, Va. |
| Keele, Joseph | 182nd NY Inf. | North Anna River, Va. |
| Kelley, John | Ceres | Hamilton, N.C. |
| Kelly, Thomas | 6th NY Cav. | Front Royal, Va. |
| Kennedy, John | 2nd US Arty. | Trevilian Station, Va. |
| Keough, John | 67th PA. Inf. | Sailors Creek, Va. |
| Kerr, Thomas R. | 14th PA. Cav. | Moorefield, W.Va. |
| Lafferty, John | Wyalusing | Roanoke River, N.C. |
| Laffey, Bartlett | Marmora | Yazoo City, Miss. |
| Logan, Hugh | Rhode Island | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Lonergan, John | 13th VT. Inf. | Gettysburg, Pa. |
| Madden, Michael | 42nd NY Inf. | Masons Island, Md. |
| Mangam, Richard C. | 148th NY Inf. | Hatchers Run, Va. |
| Martin, Edward S. | Calena | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Martin, James | Richmond | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Martin, William | Varuna | Fts. Jackson & St. Philip, La. |
| McAdams, Peter | 98th PA. Inf. | Salem Heights, Va. |
| McAnally, Charles | 69th PA. Inf. | Spotsylvania, Va. |
| McCarren, Bernard | 1st DE. Inf. | Gettysburg, Pa. |
| McCormick, Michael | Signal | Red River, La. |
| McEnroe, Patrick H. | 6th NY Cav. | Winchester, Va. |
| McGough, Owen | 5th US Arty. | Bull Run, Va. |
| McGowan, John | Varuna | Fts. Jackson & St. Philip, La. |
| McGraw, Thomas | 23rd IL Inf. | Petersburg, Va. |
| McGuire, Patrick | IL Light Arty. | Vicksburg, Miss. |
| McHale, Alexander U. | 26th MI Inf. | Spotsylvania, Va. |
| McHugh, Martin | Cincinnati | Vicksburg, Miss. |
| McKee, George | 89th NY Inf. | Petersburg, Va. |
| McKeever, Michael | 5th PA. Cav. | Burnt Ordinary, Va. |
| Molloy, Hugh | Fort Hindman | Harrisonburg, La. |
| Monaghan, Patrick | 48th PA. Inf. | Petersburg, Va. |
| Montgomery, Robert | Agawam | Fort Fisher, N.C. |
| Moore, Charles | Marblehead | Legareville, S.C. |
| Morrison, John G. | Carondelet | Yazoo River, Miss. |
| Morton Charles W. | Benton | Yazoo River, Miss. |
| Mulholland, St. Clair A. | 116th PA. Inf. | Chancellorsville, Va. |
| Mullen, Patrick | Wyandanak | Mattox Creek, Virginia |
| Murphy, Dennis J.F. | 14th WI. Inf. | Corinth, Miss. |
| Murphy, John P. | 5th OH. Inf. | Antietam, Md. |
| Murphy, Michael C. | 170th NY Inf. | North Anna River, Va. |
| Murphy, Patrick | Metacomet | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Murphy, Thomas C. | 31st IL. Inf. | Vicksburg, Miss. |
| Murphy, Thomas J. | 146th NY Inf. | Five Forks, Va. |
| Nolan, John J. | 8th NH Inf. | Georgia Landing, La. |
| Nugent, Christopher | Fort Henry | Crystal River, Fl. |
| O’Beirne, James R. | 37th NY Inf. | Fair Oaks, Va. |
| O’Brien, Peter | 1st NY Cav. | Waynesboro, Va. |
| O’Connell, Thomas | Hartford | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| O’Connor, Timothy | 1st US Cav. | - |
| O’Dea, John | 8th MO. Inf. | Vicksburg, Miss. |
| O’Donnell, Menomen | 11th MO. Inf. | Vicksburg, Miss. |
| Platt, George C. | 6th US Cav. | Fairfield, Pa. |
| Plunkett, Thomas | 21st MA. Inf. | Fredericksburg, Va. |
| Preston, John | Onieda | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Quinlan, James | 88th NY Inf. | Savage Station, Va. |
| Rafferty, Peter | 69th NY Inf. | Malvern Hill, Va. |
| Rannahan, John | Minnesota | Fort Fisher, N.C. |
| Reynolds, George | 9th NY Inf. | Winchester, Va. |
| Riley, Thomas | 1st LA. Cav. | Fort Blakely, Al. |
| Roantree, James S. | Onieda | Mobile Bay, Al. |
| Robinson, John H. | 19th MA. Inf. | Gettysburg, Pa. |
| Robinson, Thomas | 81st PA. Inf. | Spotsylvania, Va. |
| Ryan, Peter J. | 11th IN. Inf. | Winchester, Va. |
| Scanlan, Patrick | 4th MA. Cav. | Ashepoo River, S.C. |
| Schutt, George | Hendrick Hudson | St. Marks, Fl. |
| Sewell, William J. | 5th NJ Inf. | Chancellorsville, Va. |
| Shields, Bernard | 2nd WV Cav. | Appomattox, Va. |
| Smith, William | Kearsarge | Cherbourg, France |
| Spillane, Timothy | 16th PA. Cav. | Hatchers Run, Va. |
| Stewart, Joseph | 1st MD. Inf. | Five Forks, Va. |
| Sullivan, Timothy | Louisville | Various |
| Tobin, John M. | 9th MA. Inf. | Malvern Hill, Va. |
| Toomer, William | 127th IL. Inf. | Vicksburg, Miss. |
| Tyrrell, George William | 5th OH. Inf. | Resaca, Ga. |
| Urell, M. Emmett | 82nd NY Inf. | Bristoe Station, Va. |
| Walsh, John | 5th NY Cav. | Cedar Creek, Va. |
| Welch, Richard | 37th MA. Inf. | Petersburg, Va. |
| Wells, Thomas M. | 6th NY Cav. | Cedar Creek, Va. |
| Welsh, Edward | 54th OH. Inf. | Vicksburg, Miss. |
| Welsh, James | 4th RI Inf. | Petersburg, Va. |
| White, Patrick H. | IL Light Arty. | Vicksburg, Miss. |
| Williams, William | Lehigh | Charleston, S.C. |
| Wilson, Christopher W. | 73rd NY Inf. | Spotsylvania, Va. |
| Wright, Robert | 14th US Inf. | Chapel House Farm, Va. |
*Names in italics represent naval vessels
*With thanks to John Fay and Brendan Hamilton for additions to this list
Further Reading
Broadwater, Robert P. 2007. Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients: A Complete Illustrated Record
Seeking information regarding civil war veteran , William Brennan, said to have served in mounted cavalry unit under Sherman’s command in the campaign through Georgia where he is though to have suffered a serious head wound. Said to have mustered out of service from Freeport, Illinois and from there to have settled in or near Jesup, Blackhawk County, Iowa. Any and all information would be greatly appreciated. Age of Mr. Brennan on entry into service would have likely been early 20s. Exact birthdate unknown but birthplace was Dublin , Ireland. County Meath was said to be his ancestral home.
Hi Timothy,
I had a look on the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System and it lists a William Brennan who served in the 4th Illinois Cavalry, though they mustered out in Springfield Illinois. They did serve in the Western Theatre (they were present at Forts Henry & Donelson, Shiloh and Corinth) but not with Sherman per se. A total of 11 William Brennans are listed in the Union Cavalry, and some such as the 5th Ohio Cavalry and the 7th Pennsylvania did serve with Sherman in the West but didnt muster out in Illinois. There is a possiblity of course that he was not enlisted under the name William (he may have used a middle name for example), and maybe present in a different regiment. A good starting point is to have a look at the soldiers and sailors system at http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/index.html and maybe the yahoo groups forum on the Civil War in the West, where there are a number of very knowledgable people who may be able to help- it is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/civilwarwest/. Is there any chance he may have been with an infantry regiment?
Kind Regards,
Damian.
Christopher Brennan is listed in the CWSS as serving from NEW YORK (2 different Units) on board the U.S. S. Mississippi seen to the left in this photo:
http://americancivilwar.com/pictures/USS_Essex_4.jpg
Damian – A total aside, but it’s interesting to see Menomen O’Donnell. Menamin being one of Hugh O’Donnells sons.
I wonder where that lad was from…
Hi Brian,
I am pretty sure he was a Donegal man alright but I will check it out to confirm!
Damian.
Hello Damian.
You have not listed my great uncle John Curtis who served with the 9th Connecticut Infantry. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Baton Rouge. His portrait is on the monument at Vicksburg.
Hi James,
Great to hear from you! Your Great Uncle was an incredible individual. The reason he is not on this list is I have restricted it to those born in Ireland. I hope at some point to do a second list of those who were Irish-American, or at the very least Irish-Americans in Irish Regiments, in which case he will certainly be there!
Kind Regards,
Damian.
Have you ever checked into the birthplace of John Neil, Medal of Honor, at Fort Fisher 1864, on USS Agawam. There is some debate about Irish birth but many believe it was in Newfoundland.
Bart Armstrong
Victoria BC
Hi Bart,
Thats certainly worth looking into a bit more- Broadwater lists him as born in Canada as does the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which is why I didn’t include him in the list. If there is a possibility that he may have been born in Ireland though I must investigate it!
Kind Regards,
Damian.
Your first fellow…James Allen is no doubt an Irish born Medal of Honor recipient. But did you know that sometime in the first 5 yrs of life his family imigrated to Canada, dates and unknown, and then he became an orphan. By his early teens he had somehow made it to the US and soon entered the NY regiment and went off to war.
If anyone has any info about his time in Canada I would love to hear from them,
thanks
Bart Armstrong
Victoria BC
Hi Bart,
It sounds like he had a tough start in life. I echo your call regarding his time in Canada, I would also be keen to find out more about him!
Kind Regards,
Damian.