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HIGHLIGHTS OF MICHEAL DOUGHERTY'S LIFE
As a fifteen year old teenager, he immigrated from Ireland. He got to see and listen to Abraham Lincoln on February 21, 1861, as Lincoln's train stopped in his new home town of Bristol, PA, while en route to his March 4th inauguration.
Born May 10, 1844 in Falcrrah, County Downe Gall, Ireland, youngest of seven children. Ireland at the time was suffering from the famine, caused by a potato fungus and persecution of the British.
He arrived in June 1, 1859 found a job as a hotel busboy in Philadelphia. On August 6, 1861, a seventeen year old Dougherty marched off to war. " Kissed his mother and two sisters good-bye and boarded a train to Philadelphia. He joined the Second Irish Dragoons, a cavalry battalion comprised entirely of Irishmen. The battalion was then assigned to the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry.
CAPTURED DURING THE BATTLE AT FISHER'S HILL, FEBRUARY 26, 1863 AND SENT TO LIBBY PRISON
( SEE DIARY )
"PRISON DIARY OF MICHAEL DOUGHERTY, Late Co. B, 13th, Pa., Cavalry. While Confined in Pemberton, Barrett's, Libby, Andersonville and other Southern Prisons. SOLE SURVIVOR OF 127 OF HIS REGIMENT CAPTURED THE SAME TIME, 122 DYING IN ANDERSONVILLE." 1908 Chas. A. Dougherty, Printer, Bristol, PA. "Civil War Unit Histories Part 3 The Union-Mid-Atlantic: Regimental Histories and Personal Narratives." Microfiche Editor Robert E. Lester. University Publications of America., Bethesda, MD. 1992.
Excerpts From….
"This book is essentially different from any other that has been published concerning the Civil War or any of its incidents. Those who have any such experience as the writer will see its truthfulness, at once, and to all other readers it is commended as a statement of actual happenings by one who experienced them to the fullest.
In the following pages is given an account of the daily life of the writer while confined in Pemberton, Barrett's, Libby, Andersonville and other Southern Prisons. This was my second experience of Southern Prison life. When captured the first time we were not treated as badly as the second time, and no detailed account was kept of each day's doings. An account of my first capture, however, may be of interest.
On February 26, 1863, my regiment, the 13th PA. Cavalry, then encamped at Winchester, VA., was ordered out on a scouting expedition up the Shenandoah Valley and to rout out what was thought to be a band of Rebel foragers or raiders. We captured eight or ten of them and drove the remainder into the camp of the 11th VA. Rebel regiment at Woodstock, some twenty miles from Winchester. We then started for camp, our horses almost played out. On our return, at Fisher's Hill, we were met by a large force of the enemy, who were lined up on both flanks, and who opened fire on us. Of course, it was a decoy to lead us on and capture the regiment. We had a hand to hand fight for over half an hour, but their force and position were too much for us and we were forced to retreat. Our loss in killed, wounded and captured was 108. I had my horse shot under me at Strawsburg and along with fifty others were taken prisoners and conveyed to Richmond and put in Libby prison. We were confined there until May 26th, when we were exchanged and rejoined our regiment at Winchester.
We had fighting almost every day while in the Shenandoah Valley. In June we were transferred to the Army of the Potomac and put in the Cavalry Corps, General D. Mc Greggs, 2nd Division, and General I. P. Greggs, 2nd Brigade."
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