Peter O'Brien – Medal of Honor, Civil War (1865)

Private Peter O'Brien was a soldier in the U.S. Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on March 2, 1865 in Waynesboro, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company A, 1st New York (Lincoln) Cavalry. O'Brien was about 23 years old.

13 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on March 26, 1865. He later rose to the rank of Corporal.

O'Brien was born in 1842 in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York, New York. O'Brien died on September 30, 1898 in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of about 56. He is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.

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

★ Flags & Colors

Official Medal of Honor citation

Capture of flag and of a Confederate officer with his horse and equipment.

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

Battles and campaigns

1865 · Civil War

Battle of Waynesboro, Virginia

Result: Union victory; Destruction of Early's Army of the Valley

8 Medal of Honor recipients

Places

Born: Dublin — map
Died: Chicago — map
Buried: Rosehill Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →

Timeline

1842
Born in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
March 2, 1865
Act of valor — Waynesboro, Virginia
Age about 23. Company A, 1st New York (Lincoln) Cavalry
March 26, 1865
Medal of Honor presented
September 30, 1898
Died in Chicago, Illinois
Age about 56.
Resting place
Rose Hill Cemetery
Chicago, Illinois

Biography

Peter O'Brien (c. 1842 – September 30, 1898) was an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. O'Brien received his country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor. O'Brien's medal was won for capturing a Confederate flag, and an officer with his horse and equipment, at the Battle of Waynesboro, Virginia, on March 2, 1865. He was honored with the award on March 26, 1865. O'Brien was born in Dublin, Ireland. He joined the US Army from New York City in August 1861, and mustered out with his regiment in June 1865. He was later buried in Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois.

From the Wikipedia article “Peter O'Brien (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on March 2, 1865

Charles W. Anderson Private · Army Civil War · 1865 HB Henry H. Bickford Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865 CB Christopher C. Bruton Captain · Army Civil War · 1865 WC Warren Carman Private · Army Civil War · 1865 HC Hartwell B. Compson Major · Army Civil War · 1865 MC Michael Crowley Private · Army Civil War · 1865 CG Charles Arthur Goheen First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 HH Harry Harvey Corporal · Army Civil War · 1865

Andrew Kuder Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1865 GL George Ladd Private · Army Civil War · 1865 JM James Madison Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1865 JM John Miller Private · Army Civil War · 1865

See all 14 recipients for March 2, 1865 →

More Civil War recipients from New York

JS James Seanor Master-at-Arms · Navy Civil War · 1864

Joseph C. Hibson Private · Army Civil War · 1863 AR Alexander Robinson Boatswain's Mate · Navy Civil War · 1864 CM Charles W. McKay Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1864 MM Michael C. Murphy Lieutenant Colonel · Army Civil War · 1864 JL James H. Lee Seaman · Navy Civil War · 1864

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.