John Nicholas Coyne Jr. (November 14, 1839 to March 4, 1907) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

military officer 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 ...

as a member of the 70th New York 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 th ...

. He received his nation's highest award for valor, the U.S.

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 capturing an enemy flag while engaged in hand-to-hand combat during the

Battle of Williamsburg The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the first pitc ...

in Virginia on May 5, 1862. That flag was " e first Confederate flag captured on the battle-field" by the Union Army during the war, according to historian Thomas S. Townsend. Coyne's medal was conferred on April 18, 1888.

Formative years

Born in

New York City 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 ...

, New York on November 14, 1839, John Nicholas Coyne Jr. was a son of John Nicholas Coyne Sr. (1815–1854), a native of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and New York City native Hannah Anne (Parke) Avery (1804–1888), whose first husband, Samuel Putnam Avery (1797-1832), had died in 1832. Initially reared in New York City with his brother, Charles Russell Coyne (1845–1899), and their half-siblings, Samuel P. (1822–1904), Hannah S.(1824–1885) and Susan Jane Avery (b. 1826), his life and that of his siblings changed with the death of their father on May 31, 1854. Sometime after John Coyne Sr.'s burial at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, John N. Coyne Jr. relocated with his mother and brother to

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.President Abraham Lincoln's call for volunteers to help defend Washington, D.C. following the

fall of Fort Sumter The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender by the United States Army, beginning the American Civil War. Follo ...

on April 13, 1861. Enrolling for Civil War military service, he mustered in on April 26 as a private with Company G of the

7th New York Militia The 7th Regiment of the New York Militia, aka the "Silk Stocking" regiment, was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Also known as the "Blue-Bloods" due to the disproportionate number of its members who were part o ...

. After honorably completing his Three Months' Service, he mustered out with his unit on June 3. Just over six months later, at the age of 22, he signed up for a three-year tour of duty in New York City, mustering in on January 20, 1862 with Company B of the 70th New York Infantry, which was part of the "

Excelsior Brigade The Excelsior Brigade was a military unit in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Mainly composed of infantry regiments raised in the state of New York primarily by former U.S. Representative Daniel Sickles, the brigade served in several ...

" and the U.S.

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 Confedera ...

. On January 28, he was advanced to the rank of sergeant. Serving initially as part of the brigade led by Brigadier-General

Daniel Sickles Daniel Edgar Sickles (October 20, 1819May 3, 1914) was an American politician, soldier, and diplomat. Born to a wealthy family in New York City, Sickles was involved in a number of scandals, most notably the 1859 homicide of his wife's lover, U. ...

, which was part of the division commanded by Brigadier-General Joseph Hooker, he and his regiment were reassigned to the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division of the U.S. Army's

III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to: France * 3rd Army Corps (France) * III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of th ...

in March, and ordered to duties associated with the

Siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

. On May 7, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant, and assigned to the command staff of his regiment's F Company. During the spring of 1862, Coyne performed the act of valor for which he would later be awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor. According to Medal of Honor historians W. F. Beyer and O. F. Keydel:

When the enemy were overtaken at
Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...
n May 5, 1862the Third Excelsior, of the Seventieth New York Volunteers, was in advance. It was a dark, rainy morning. A heavy vapor covered the field, and the smoke of the battle obscured the scene. As the supporting regiment approached, the enemy, who were concealed in the thick woods, sent up the cry: 'Show us your colors!' The color-bearer waved the flag, and, as its folds spread out and showed the stars and stripes, the rebels advanced from the woods and opened fire. The fire was returned so effectively that they were driven back. Another advance, with re-enforcements, was also repulsed by the valiant Excelsiors. After several hours of conflict the ammunition became exhausted, and the New Yorkers were ordered to fall back by companies. Sergeant Coyne's company, which during the latter part of the battle was under his command, the captain and lieutenant having been disabled, became separated, and a number of them, missing their way, found themselves with their leader confronted by a party of the enemy surrounding their color-bearer.... Coyne singled out the color-bearer and rushed upon him. The rebel was too strong to be conquered by such an assault, and defended his flag bravely until a bullet, shattering his right hand, forced him to loosen his hold and enabled Coyne to drag the trophy from him. Tearing the flag from the staff and tying it around his body, he turned to offer battle to any one who should attempt to retake it; but survivors of the enemy were hurriedly leaving the field before a rescuing party sent by General Heintzelman. Of the brave band who had supported their leader but few remained standing, and Sergeant Cook, Corporal Beekman, and Privates Howard and Lynch were killed outright. Sergeant Coyne received the commission of second lieutenant to date from the battle. He was mentioned for bravery in general orders by General Heintzelman, and was advanced to the rank of lieutenant-colonel for several acts of gallantry during the war.

The flag captured by Coyne was reportedly the first

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

flag to be taken by a Union Army soldier on an American Civil War battlefield, according to historian Thomas S. Townsend. Coyne was then wounded in action on June 1, 1862 while fighting with his regiment during the Battle of Seven Pines (also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks). After recuperating, he returned to duty, and fought with his regiment in the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

(December 11–15). Three days after Christmas in 1862, Coyne was advanced in rank again, having been recommissioned as a first lieutenant. After emerging from winter quarters, Coyne and his regiment were assigned, once again, to the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, III Corps in the Army of the Potomac. During the spring and summer of that year, they then fought in the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

as part of the Chancellorsville Campaign (April 30 – May 6). 70th-NY-Inf-Monument

While fighting with his regiment in 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 ...

as part of the Gettysburg Campaign (June 3 – July 24), Coyne was wounded in action again, this time on July 2, 1863. Three weeks later, he was commissioned as a captain, and placed in charge of the 70th New York Infantry's D Company. On July 23, he led his new company in combat with other Union troops in the Battle of Wapping Heights (also known as the Battle of Manassas Gap) and in the Mine Run Campaign (November 27 – December 2. After emerging from winter quarters during the early spring of 1864, Coyne and his regiment were reassigned to the 2nd Brigade, 4th Division of the U.S. Army's

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

from March to May and then re-assigned again in May to the 4th Brigade, 3rd Division within that same Corps. Ordered to duties associated with Lieutenant-General Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign (May 4 – June 24, 1864), they then fought in the battles of the

Wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

(May 5–7),

Spotsylvania Court House The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 1864 ...

(May 8–21), North Anna (May 23–26), Totopotomoy Creek (May 28–30), and

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

(May 31 – June 12), and engaged in the Siege of Petersburg from June 9 until June 22 when the regiment was transported back to New York for muster out and reorganization. Although a number of 70th New York infantrymen were subsequently re-mustered into the 86th New York Infantry, Coyne was honorably mustered out in New York City on July 1, 1864.

Post-war life

Following his honorable discharge from the military, Coyne returned to New Jersey, where he found work as a customs house clerk in Jersey City and resumed life with his wife, Sallie, and their daughter, Saidee. Another daughter, Mary, was then born in June of 1870. During the 1880s and 1890s, he was active with the Mutual Aid Society of the Jersey City and Bergen Railroad Company. In 1893, he attended the fourth annual convention of the Medal of Honor Legion, which was held at the Holland House in New York City in October. By the fall of 1900, he had advanced professionally to become chief clerk of the disbursing department of the Customs House. Coyne died from disease-related complications in Orange, New Jersey on March 4, 1907, and was interred at the Green-Wood Cemetery in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

on March 7. His funeral announcement noted that he was a member of the Military Order, Loyal Legion, United States (Commandery State of New York)."Coyne", in
Died
. New York, New York: ''The Sun'', March 6, 1907, p. 2.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company B, 70th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1862. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Date of Issue: April 18, 1888:

References

External links

John Nicholas Coyne
(memorial with gravestone photos). Salt Lake City, Utah: Find A Grave, retrieved online October 3, 2018. *Shiels, Damien.
Your Likeness Was Buried With Him': A Letter to An Irish Soldier's Wife After Gettysburg
. Ireland: ''Irish in the American Civil War'', July 17, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Coyne, John N. 1839 births 1907 deaths People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union Army officers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor

Formative years

Post-war life

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links