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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

Patrick J. Ginley

Private Patrick J. Ginley, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on August 25, 1864 at Reams' Station, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War August 25, 1864Born in Ireland

Private Patrick J. Ginley was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 25, 1864 at Reams' Station, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company G, 1st New York Light Artillery. Ginley was 41 years old.

2 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on October 31, 1890, 26 years after the action.

Ginley was born on December 11, 1822 in Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York, New York. Ginley died on April 5, 1917 in New York, New York, at the age of 94. He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, New York.

Ginley is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 678 credited to New York.

Official Medal of Honor citation

The command having been driven from the works, he, having been left alone between the opposing lines, crept back into the works, put three charges of canister in one of the guns and fired the piece directly into a body of the enemy about to seize the works; he then rejoined his command, took the colors, and ran toward the enemy, followed by the command, which recaptured the works and guns.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Places

  • Born: Ireland — map
  • Buried: Calvary Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →

Timeline

  1. December 11, 1822
    Born in Ireland
  2. August 25, 1864
    Act of valor — Reams' Station, Virginia
    Age 41. Company G, 1st New York Light Artillery
  3. October 31, 1890
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. April 5, 1917
    Died in New York, New York
    Age 94.
  5. Resting place
    Calvary Cemetery
    Woodside, New York

Biography

Patrick Ginley (December 11, 1822 – April 5, 1917) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Ginley was born in Ireland, and entered service at Woodside, Queens, in New York City. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism shown in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, for bravery in action during the Second Battle of Ream's Station, while serving as a Private with Company F, 2nd U.S. Artillery. His Medal of Honor was issued on October 31, 1890. Ginley died at the age of 94, on April 5, 1917, and was buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York.

From the Wikipedia article “Patrick Ginley”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on August 25, 1864

James Milton Pipes Captain · Army Civil War · 1864 FR Ferdinand Frederick Rohm Chief Bugler · Army Civil War · 1864

More Civil War recipients from New York

Francis Bloodgood Hall Chaplain · Army Civil War · 1863 WS William Shipman Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1865 AP Alfred Peterson Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1862 GM George Merrill Private · Army Civil War · 1865 HJ Henry Johnson Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1864 John Porter Hatch Brigadier General · Army Civil War · 1862
Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.