Timothy O'Donoghue (1844 - July 20, 1877) was a
Union Navy sailor in the
American Civil War and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the
Medal of Honor, for his actions during the
Red River Campaign.
Born in 1844 in
Rochester, New York, O'Donoghue joined the Navy in August 1863. He served as a
seaman
Seaman may refer to:
* Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew
* Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies
* Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name)
* ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...
and
boatswain's mate on the . On May 5, 1864, during an engagement with
Confederates on the
Red River in Louisiana, ''Signal'' took heavy fire and was disabled. Although wounded early in the battle, O'Donoghue remained at his post as gun captain until being ordered to withdraw. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor seven months later, on December 31, 1864.
O'Donoghue left the Navy in March 1865, but served again from May 1867 until May 1870.
O'Donoghue's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Served as boatswain's mate on board the U.S.S. ''Signal'', Red River, 5 May 1864. Proceeding up the Red River, the U.S.S. ''Signal'' engaged a large force of enemy field batteries and sharpshooters, returning the fire until the ship was totally disabled, at which time the white flag was raised. Serving as gun captain, and wounded early in the battle, O'Donoghue bravely stood by his gun in the face of enemy fire until ordered to withdraw.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonoghue, Timothy
1844 births
1877 deaths
Military personnel from Rochester, New York
People of New York (state) in the American Civil War
Union Navy sailors
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor