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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Private · U.S. Army

William Downey

Private William Downey, 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 William Downey 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 B, 4th Massachusetts Cavalry. Downey was about 32 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.

Downey was born in 1832 in Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Fall River, Bristol County, Massachusetts. Downey died on June 30, 1909 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, at the age of about 77. He is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Downey 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 boatcrew 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.

How he died

  • Manner of death: natural causes
  • Cause of death: heart failure
  • Age at death: about 77
  • Resting place: St. Mary's Cemetery

Cause and manner of death: Wikidata.

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Life beyond the battlefield

  • Occupations: railway worker

Source: Wikidata.

Places

  • Born: Limerick — map
  • Died: New Bedford — map
  • Buried: Saint Mary's Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Massachusetts →

Timeline

  1. 1832
    Born in Ireland
  2. May 24, 1864
    Act of valor — Ashepoo River, South Carolina
    Age about 32. Company B, 4th Massachusetts Cavalry
  3. January 21, 1897
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. June 30, 1909
    Died in New Bedford, Massachusetts
    Age about 77.
  5. Resting place
    St. Mary's Cemetery
    New Bedford, Massachusetts

Biography

William Downey (c. 1832 – June 30, 1909) was an Irish soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Downey received the United States' highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action at Ashepoo River, South Carolina, on May 24, 1864. He was honored with the award on January 21, 1897.

From the Wikipedia article “William Downey (Medal of Honor)”, 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 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 PS Patrick Scanlan Private · Army Civil War · 1864

More Civil War recipients from Massachusetts

JM James Miller Quartermaster · Navy Civil War · 1863 Rufus Saxton Jr. Brigadier General · Army Civil War · 1862 PB Philip Baybutt Private · Army Civil War · 1864 JS Joseph Alton Sladen Private · Army Civil War · 1864 WM William Moore Boatswain's Mate · Navy Civil War · 1862 JR Jeremiah Regan Quartermaster · Navy 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.