Sergeant James Fegan (1827 – June 25, 1886) was an American soldier in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

who served with the

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit, ...

and 3rd U.S. Infantry during 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 ...

, and

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. In March 1868, while escorting a powder train en route from Fort Harker to

Fort Dodge, Kansas Fort Dodge is an unincorporated community in Grandview Township, Ford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 97. It is located on U.S. Route 400 southeast of Dodge City. F ...

, he single-handedly prevented a mob from blowing up the train to free an army deserter. For his efforts, he received 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 valo ...

. Fegan was popular and well known in the military during his lifetime. He was especially noted for his shrewdness and humor, having many colorful stories and anecdotes attributed to him. President

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James ...

spoke of him in a special message to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

in 1882. His life and career were among several prominent officers profiled by author Theo F. Rodenbough in his books ''Uncle Sam's Medal of Honor'' (1886) and ''Sabre and Bayonet: Stories of Heroism and Military Adventure'' (1897).

Biography

Early life and military career

Born in Athlone, Ireland in 1827, James Fegan served some time with the

Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...

prior to emigrating to the United States in 1850. After arriving in

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, he enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the

and assigned to Company I of the 2nd U.S. Infantry on October 29, 1851. By the end of his first enlistment in 1856, he had risen to the rank of sergeant. Fegan remained with his unit up to and during the

. As part of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...

, he saw action at Gaines' Mill,

Malvern Hill Malvern Hill stands on the north bank of the James River in Henrico County, Virginia, USA, about eighteen miles southeast of Richmond. On 1 July 1862, it was the scene of the Battle of Malvern Hill, one of the Seven Days Battles of the Americ ...

, Hanover Court House, Fair Oaks,

Harrison's Landing Berkeley Plantation, one of the first plantations in America, comprises about on the banks of the James River on State Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Berkeley Plantation was originally called Berkeley Hundred, named after the Berkel ...

, Bull Run, Centreville, South Mountain and

Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

. Though seriously wounded at Antietam, having taken a bullet in the right leg, he reenlisted in Company C of the 3rd U.S. Infantry on March 31, 1864. He held a distinguished war record, having been wounded several times in action, and participated in a number of major battles during the final years of the war. Among these included the battles of Petersburg, Reams' Station, James' Station, Birney Station, Stoneman's Creek, the

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and second battles of Deep Bottom, South Side Railroad, Danville Railroad, Boydton Plank Road,

Appomattox Station Appomattox Station was located in the town of Appomattox, Virginia (at the time, known as, West Appomattox) and was the site of the Battle of Appomattox Station on the day before General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Li ...

, Farmsville City, New House, Savage's Station, Reno Station, Manchester,

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, Dunwiddie, Burksville Junction, Appomattox Courthouse and the subsequent surrender of General Lee's Army.Rodenbough, Theo F., ed. ''Uncle Sam's Medal of Honor: Some of the Noble Deeds For Which the Medal Has Been Awarded, Described By Those Who Have Won It, 1861-1866''. New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1886. (pg. 391-400)Rodenbough, Theo F., ed. ''Sabre and Bayonet: Stories of Heroism and Military Adventure''. New York: G.W. Dillingham & Co., 1897. (pg. 350-359)

Incident at Plum Creek

Fegan remained with the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

after the war and saw considerable service on the frontier. In March 1868, he was assigned to escort a mule train carrying gunpowder from Fort Harker to

. It was during the trip that Fegan caught an army deserter with the intention of turning him in upon his arrival in Fort Dodge. Camping one night near Plum Creek, however, Fegan was confronted by a fellow soldier, Sergeant John W. Blake of the

7th U.S. Cavalry The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment formed in 1866. Its official nickname is "Garryowen", after the Irish air " Garryowen" that was adopted as its march tune. The regiment participated in some of the largest ba ...

, who had organized a

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from local townspeople and demanded that the deserter be released. Refusing to turn over his prisoner, the mob attempted to set the gunpowder on fire and take the deserter by force. Fegan ran off the mob single-handed, wounding two of his attackers, and continued to Fort Dodge where he safely arrived on March 13. He was recommended by the fort commander for the

which he received on October 19, 1868.Russell, Jerry L., ed. ''1876 Facts About Custer and the Battle of the Little Big Horn''. New York: Da Capo Press, 1999. (pg. 200)

Later years

Fegan continued to serve with the 3rd U.S. Infantry during the last years of his life. Though placed in the

Soldiers' Home The Soldiers' Home is an historic Italianate style building in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Located at 739 E. 35th Street, the Home was built in a series of phases from 1864 to 1923, designed by William W. Boyington and other architects. ...

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shortly after his sixth reenlistment in 1870, he was granted discharged from the home and returned to duty in the

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries ...

. Fegan was a well-known character in the regiment, known for his shrewdness and humor, and many memorable anecdotes were attributed to him during his lifetime. On December 6, 1882, Fegan was the subject of a special presidential message by

to the

. His life and career was profiled by author Theo F. Rodenbough in his books ''Uncle Sam's Medal of Honor'' (1886) and ''Sabre and Bayonet: Stories of Heroism and Military Adventure'' (1897). His son, John Fegan, Jr., had joined the 3rd Infantry and eventually became a sergeant alongside his father in Company H. He retired from active service at

Fort Missoula Fort Missoula was established by the United States Army in 1877 on land that is now part of the city of Missoula, Montana, to protect settlers in Western Montana from possible threats from the Native American Indians, such as the Nez Perce. Beginn ...

in the

on May 8, 1885. A year later, Fegan died at

Fort Shaw Fort Shaw (originally named Camp Reynolds) was a United States Army fort located on the Sun River 24 miles west of Great Falls, Montana, in the United States. It was founded on June 30, 1867, and abandoned by the Army in July 1891. It later serv ...

on June 25, 1886, at the age of 59. He was interred at

Custer National Cemetery George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...

near the

Crow Agency Crow Agency ( cro, awaasúuchia) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Big Horn County, Montana, United States and is near the actual location for the Little Bighorn National Monument and re-enactment produced by the Real Bird family known as Ba ...

in Montana.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company H, 3d U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Plum Creek, Kans., March 1868. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: October 19, 1878. Citation:

While in charge of a powder train en route from Fort Harker to Fort Dodge, Kans., was attacked by a party of desperadoes, who attempted to rescue a deserter in his charge and to fire the train. Sgt. Fegan, single-handed, repelled the attacking party, wounding 2 of them, and brought his train through in safety.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fegan, James 1827 births 1886 deaths 19th-century Irish people Irish soldiers in the United States Army American military personnel of the Indian Wars United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Athlone Military personnel from County Westmeath Military personnel from County Roscommon United States Army soldiers Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients Irish emigrants to the United States American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor Royal Irish Constabulary officers