Jeremiah Regan (born c. 1832) was a

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

who was awarded 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 gallantry 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 th ...

. When his ship, the , attacked

Drewry's Bluff Drewry's Bluff is located in northeastern Chesterfield County, Virginia, in the United States. It was the site of Confederate Fort Darling during the American Civil War. It was named for a local landowner, Confederate Captain Augustus H. Drewry, w ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in the

Battle of Drewry's Bluff The Battle of Drewry's Bluff, also known as the Battle of Fort Darling, or Fort Drewry, took place on May 15, 1862, in Chesterfield County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Four Union Navy warships, inclu ...

, it was heavily damaged by shellfire with several crewmembers wounded or killed. Despite the danger of the situation, Regan continued to man his gun throughout the engagement. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on 3 April 1863 by

President Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

Personal life

Regan was born in about 1832 in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Military service

Regan was the captain of the No. 2. gun aboard the , which was the lead ship of a

Union Navy ), (official) , colors = Blue and gold , colors_label = Colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label ...

flotilla that attempted to raid the Confederates' unfinished Fort Drewry (also known as Fort Darling) on 15 May 1862. During the attack on Drewry's Bluff and the fort, Regan continued to man his gun despite the fire directed at the ship from Confederate sharpshooters and an artillery shell which injured or killed most of his crewmates. He made a dangerous climb up the forerigging under heavy fire and cleared the

halyards In sailing, a halyard or halliard is a line (rope) that is used to hoist a ladder, sail, flag or yard. The term ''halyard'' comes from the phrase "to haul yards". Halyards, like most other parts of the running rigging, were classically made of n ...

, throwing away the ship's white flag. He then returned to man his gun. Regan was one of three crew members to receive a Medal of Honor for action on that day, the others being First Class Fireman

Charles Kenyon Charles Kenyon (November 2, 1880 – June 27, 1961) was an American screenwriter, who wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for more than 110 films between 1915 and 1946. He was married to actress Jane Winton from 1927 to 1930. Kenyon was born i ...

and Marine Corporal John Mackie. Regan's Medal of Honor citation reads: A marker now stands in

Richmond National Battlefield Park The Richmond National Battlefield Park commemorates 13 American Civil War sites around Richmond, Virginia, which served as the capital of the Confederate States of America for most of the war. The park connects certain features within the city wit ...

at 37° 25.329′ N, 77° 25.301′ W commemorating the three Medal of Honor awardees.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Regan, Jeremiah Quartermasters Union Navy personnel 1830s births Year of death missing