Michael Dougherty

Private Michael Dougherty (10 May 1844 – 19 February 1930) was an Irish soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Dougherty received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action at Jefferson, Virginia, on 12 October 1863. He was honored with the award on 23 January 1897.

Biography Dougherty was born in Falcarragh, County Donegal, Ireland, on 10 May 1844. He emigrated to the United States in 1859. He enlisted in the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry on 8 August 1862.

During the Second Battle of Winchester, Dougherty was responsible for carrying dispatches, a role that earned him a gold medal for bravery from Colonel Michael Kerwin. Following the battle, the regiment became part of the Army of the Potomac.

On 8 February 1864, he and 600 other prisoners boarded a train from Richmond to Andersonville prison (then known as Camp Sumter) in Georgia, arriving on 15 February. While at Andersonville, Dougherty would record the brutal conditions endured at the prison in his diary. In late 1864 Michael Dougherty’s was taken to the Andersonville hospital and almost died. Private Dougherty survived the explosion and was eventually sent to Spring Mills, Pennsylvania, where he was discharged from the army on 27 June 1865. Dougherty was a member of Bristol Council between 1880 and 1882,

He died on 19 February 1930, and is buried at Saint Mark’s Roman Catholic Churchyard in Bristol.

Medal of Honor citation