Henry D. O'Brien (January 21, 1842 – November 1, 1902) was an American soldier who fought with the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. O'Brien received his country's highest award for bravery during combat, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

, for actions taken on July 3, 1863 during the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

Biography

O'Brien was born in

Calais, Maine Calais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,079, making Calais the third least-populous city in Maine (after Hallowell and Eastport). The city has three Canada–US border cro ...

in 1842. His family moved to

Saint Anthony Falls Saint Anthony Falls, or the Falls of Saint Anthony ( dak, italics=no, Owámniyomni, ) located at the northeastern edge of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the only natural major waterfall on the Mississippi River. Throughout the mid-to-late 1 ...

, Minnesota in 1857. He enlisted in the 1st Minnesota Infantry, Company E, as a private on August 13, 1861. With this regiment, O'Brien saw combat in multiple engagements, including the

Battle of Ball's Bluff The Battle of Ball's Bluff was an early battle of the American Civil War fought in Loudoun County, Virginia, on October 21, 1861, in which Union Army forces under Major General George B. McClellan suffered a humiliating defeat. The operation was ...

, the

Battle of Harpers Ferry {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Battle of Harpers Ferry , partof = the American Civil War , image = NWDNS-165-SB-26 Harpers Ferry Virginia.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = Harpers ...

, the

Siege of Yorktown (1862) The Battle of Yorktown or Siege of Yorktown was fought from April 5 to May 4, 1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Marching from Fort Monroe, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac encountered Ma ...

, the

Battle of Malvern Hill The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, was fought on July 1, 1862, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by Gen. Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George B. Mc ...

, and many others. He was also involved with the

from July 2 to 3, 1863. On the second day, O'Brien helped rescue a fallen soldier and brought him back to safety. On July 3, during

Pickett's Charge Pickett's Charge (July 3, 1863), also known as the Pickett–Pettigrew–Trimble Charge, was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee against Major General George G. Meade's Union positions on the last day of the B ...

, O'Brien took up the colors of his regiment when the initial color-bearer was shot down, and in doing so received two wounds in a bayonet charge that followed to bring the flag back to safety. He received the Medal of Honor for these actions. Following Gettysburg, O'Brien fought at the

Second Battle of Deep Bottom The Second Battle of Deep Bottom, also known as Fussell's Mill (particularly in the South), New Market Road, Bailey's Creek, Charles City Road, or White's Tavern was fought August 14–20, 1864, at Deep Bottom in Henrico County, Virginia, durin ...

where he was shot in the right shoulder and lung. The shot passed through his body cleanly, but the wound festered for nineteen years before a surgeon removed twenty-two pieces of bone and bullet fragment from the area.

Medal of Honor citation

Personal life

After the war, O'Brien married Emma Sinclair with whom they had one son. O'Brien worked as a government pension agent in St. Louis, where he lived for the rest of his life. O'Brien died of pneumonia in St. Louis, Missouri, at the age of 60.

Citations

References

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External links

Henry D. O'Brien on Find A GraveBiography from First Minnesota Films
{{DEFAULTSORT:O'Brien, Henry D. 1842 births 1902 deaths American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Washington County, Maine People of Minnesota in the American Civil War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Burials at Bellefontaine Cemetery