Patrick H. White (June 1, 1832 in

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

, IrelandCivil War Legacy
– November 25, 1915) was an American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.

Early life

With his parents and siblings, he moved to Nova Scotia, Canada (though one source says they emigrated to

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

, New Brunswick) to escape the Great Famine of Ireland of the 1840s. The family then moved to Chicago, Illinois, United States, where White took a job in a meat-packing plant.

Military career and honor

He joined an artillery militia group, which became known as the Chicago Artillery, or First Illinois Light Artillery Battery A after emigrating to Chicago. When the war broke out, the majority of the Artillery group's members went to fight - however, White opted not to, instead choosing to help raise his siblings as both his parents died. He enlisted in the Union Army as a

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on August 15, 1861, joining another Chicago battery known as the First Illinois Light Artillery Battery B. White served as commander of the Chicago Mercantile Independent Battery from 1863 to 1864. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 22, 1863 at Vicksburg, Mississippi, when, according to the United States Army's official Website, he "Carried with others by hand a cannon up to and fired it through an embrasure of the enemy's works."Army.mil
He was later captured at the Battle of Mansfield, and was held at

Camp Ford Camp Ford was a POW camp near Tyler, Texas, during the American Civil War. It was the largest Confederate-run prison west of the Mississippi.

until 1865.

Burial

White is interred at

St. Agnes Cemetery St. Agnes Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery established in 1867. Located in Menands, New York, St. Agnes Cemetery is managed and cared for by Albany Diocesan Cemeteries. St. Agnes Cemetery was consecrated in 1867 and has features characterist ...

in Menands, New York.

References

1832 births 1915 deaths 19th-century Irish people Irish soldiers in the United States Army Military personnel from County Sligo Irish emigrants to Canada Irish emigrants to the United States Military personnel from Chicago People of Illinois in the American Civil War Union Army officers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients Burials at St. Agnes Cemetery American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub