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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

Patrick Scanlan

Private Patrick Scanlan, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on May 24, 1864 at Ashepoo River, South Carolina during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War May 24, 1864Born in Ireland

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Private Patrick Scanlan received the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 24, 1864 at Ashepoo River, South Carolina during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company A, 4th Massachusetts Cavalry. Scanlan was about 26 years old.

5 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on January 21, 1897, 32 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Sergeant.

Scanlan was born in 1838 in Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Spencer, Worcester County, Massachusetts. Scanlan died on September 5, 1903 in Farmington, Connecticut, at the age of about 65. He is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Farmington, Connecticut. Records also list him as Scanlon, Patrick.

Scanlan is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 265 credited to Massachusetts.

★ Rescue & Lifesaving

Official Medal of Honor citation

Volunteered as a member of a boat crew which went to the rescue of a large number of Union soldiers on board the stranded steamer Boston, and with great gallantry assisted in conveying them to shore, being exposed the entire time to a heavy fire from a Confederate battery.

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

Places

  • Buried: Saint Mary's Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →

Timeline

  1. 1838
    Born in Ireland
  2. May 24, 1864
    Act of valor — Ashepoo River, South Carolina
    Age about 26. Company A, 4th Massachusetts Cavalry
  3. January 21, 1897
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. September 5, 1903
    Died in Farmington, Connecticut
    Age about 65.
  5. Resting place
    St. Mary's Cemetery
    Farmington, Connecticut

Biography

Patrick Scanlan (c. 1838 – September 5, 1903) was an Irish-born soldier who fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for valor.

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

Further reading

Also honored for actions on May 24, 1864

George Washington Brush Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1864 WD William Downey Private · Army Civil War · 1864 JD John Duffey Private · Army Civil War · 1864 David L. Gifford Private · Army Civil War · 1864 MM Michael C. Murphy Lieutenant Colonel · Army Civil War · 1864

More Civil War recipients from Massachusetts

JS Joseph Alton Sladen Private · Army Civil War · 1864 WO William Henry Osborne Private · Army Civil War · 1862 GH George H. Harrison Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1864 RB Robert M. Boody Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1863 JG John Griffiths Captain of the Forecastle · Navy Civil War · 1865 Nathaniel M. Allen Corporal · Army Civil War · 1863
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.