St. Clair Augustine Mulholland
Encyclopedia
St. Clair Augustine Mulholland (April 1, 1839 – February 17, 1910) was a colonel in the Union Army
in the American Civil War
who later received the brevets
of brigadier general
of volunteers and major general
of volunteers and the Medal of Honor
for gallantry in action at the Battle of Chancellorsville
.
, County Antrim
, Ireland
(modern day Northern Ireland
). Emigrating to Philadelphia with his parents while a boy, his youthful tastes inclined him to military affairs and he became active in the ranks of the militia
. At the breaking out of the Civil War he was commissioned lieutenant colonel
of the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry
, which was attached to Meagher
's Irish Brigade. When the regiment's size was reduced to a battalion, he accepted a reduction in rank to major
.
He was wounded during the famous charge of the Irish Brigade up Marye's Heights at the Battle of Fredericksburg
on December 13, 1862. At the Battle of Chancellorsville
on May 3 and 4, 1863, he led his regiment
and distinguished himself by saving the guns of the 5th Maine Battery
that had been abandoned to the enemy. For this he was complimented in general orders and later received the Medal of Honor from Congress
. In this campaign he was given the command of the picket line by Maj. Gen.
Winfield Scott Hancock
and covered the retreat of the Army of the Potomac
across the Rappahannock River
.
Although Mulholland later claimed that at the Battle of Gettysburg
on July 2, 1863 he personally took command of the 140th Pennsylvania Infantry
and led it into action, this fact is mentioned in neither his own official report of the battle, nor that of the lieutenant colonel commanding the 140th. When the 116th was returned to full strength in early 1864, he was promoted to colonel
. He was wounded a second time at the Battle of the Wilderness
, May 5, 1864. At Po River
he was wounded a third time, but remained in hospital only ten days. Resuming his command, he was dangerously wounded again at the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek
. He recovered rapidly and commanded his brigade in all the actions around Petersburg
, particularly distinguishing himself by storming a fort on the Boydton Plank Road. Mulholland was mustered out of the volunteer service on June 3, 1865.
On May 4, 1866, President
Andrew Johnson
nominated Mulholland for the brevet
grade of brigadier general
of volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865 for his conduct at the Battle of the Wilderness and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on May 18, 1866. On January 13, 1869, President Johnson nominated Mulholland for appointment to the brevet grade of major general
of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865 for his actions on the Boydton Plank Road and the Senate confirmed the appointment on February 16, 1869. The brevet was issued February 20, 1869; it was the last brevet of major general issued for service during the Civil War.
appointed him United States Pension Agent, in which office he was continued by Presidents McKinley
and Roosevelt. He was considered an authority on the science of penology
, and also devoted much of his leisure time to art studies, and as a lecturer and writer on the Civil War and its records. He compiled a history of the 116th Regiment, and another of those to whom Congress voted the Medal of Honor. In the Catholic
affairs of Philadelphia, he was always active and a leader among the best known laymen.
St. Clair Augustin Mulholland died February 17, 1910 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was buried at Old Cathedral Cemetery, Philadelphia.
Citation:
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
who later received the brevets
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
of brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
of volunteers and major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
of volunteers and the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for gallantry in action at the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
.
Biography
Mulholland was born in LisburnLisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(modern day Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
). Emigrating to Philadelphia with his parents while a boy, his youthful tastes inclined him to military affairs and he became active in the ranks of the militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
. At the breaking out of the Civil War he was commissioned lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
of the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry
116th Pennsylvania Infantry
The 116th Pennsylvania Infantry was a volunteer infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It formed a part of the Irish Brigade.-History:...
, which was attached to Meagher
Thomas Francis Meagher
-Young Ireland:Meagher returned to Ireland in 1843, with undecided plans for a career in the Austrian army, a tradition among a number of Irish families. In 1844 he traveled to Dublin with the intention of studying for the bar. He became involved in the Repeal Association, which worked for repeal...
's Irish Brigade. When the regiment's size was reduced to a battalion, he accepted a reduction in rank to major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
.
He was wounded during the famous charge of the Irish Brigade up Marye's Heights at the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
on December 13, 1862. At the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
on May 3 and 4, 1863, he led his regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
and distinguished himself by saving the guns of the 5th Maine Battery
5th Maine Battery
5th Maine Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 5th Maine Battery was organized in Augusta, Maine and mustered in for three years' service on December 4, 1861....
that had been abandoned to the enemy. For this he was complimented in general orders and later received the Medal of Honor from Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. In this campaign he was given the command of the picket line by Maj. Gen.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War...
and covered the retreat of the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
across the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
.
Although Mulholland later claimed that at the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
on July 2, 1863 he personally took command of the 140th Pennsylvania Infantry
140th Pennsylvania Infantry
The 140th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was a Union Army regiment in the American Civil War, serving in the Eastern Theater. Recruited in late 1862, it fought from the Battle of Chancellorsville through the war until the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House...
and led it into action, this fact is mentioned in neither his own official report of the battle, nor that of the lieutenant colonel commanding the 140th. When the 116th was returned to full strength in early 1864, he was promoted to colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. He was wounded a second time at the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
, May 5, 1864. At Po River
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
he was wounded a third time, but remained in hospital only ten days. Resuming his command, he was dangerously wounded again at the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek
Battle of Totopotomoy Creek
The Battle of Totopotomoy Creek , also called the Battle of Bethesda Church, Crumps Creek, Shady Grove Road, and Hanovertown, was a battle fought May 28–30, 1864, in Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E...
. He recovered rapidly and commanded his brigade in all the actions around Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
, particularly distinguishing himself by storming a fort on the Boydton Plank Road. Mulholland was mustered out of the volunteer service on June 3, 1865.
On May 4, 1866, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
nominated Mulholland for the brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
grade of brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
of volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865 for his conduct at the Battle of the Wilderness and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on May 18, 1866. On January 13, 1869, President Johnson nominated Mulholland for appointment to the brevet grade of major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865 for his actions on the Boydton Plank Road and the Senate confirmed the appointment on February 16, 1869. The brevet was issued February 20, 1869; it was the last brevet of major general issued for service during the Civil War.
Postbellum
Returning to civil life after the war, he was appointed Chief of Police in Philadelphia in 1868, and signalized his administration by the good order in which he kept both the force and the city. President Grover ClevelandGrover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
appointed him United States Pension Agent, in which office he was continued by Presidents McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
and Roosevelt. He was considered an authority on the science of penology
Penology
Penology is a section of criminology that deals with the philosophy and practice of various societies in their attempts to repress criminal activities, and satisfy public opinion via an appropriate treatment regime for persons convicted of criminal offenses.The Oxford English Dictionary defines...
, and also devoted much of his leisure time to art studies, and as a lecturer and writer on the Civil War and its records. He compiled a history of the 116th Regiment, and another of those to whom Congress voted the Medal of Honor. In the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
affairs of Philadelphia, he was always active and a leader among the best known laymen.
St. Clair Augustin Mulholland died February 17, 1910 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was buried at Old Cathedral Cemetery, Philadelphia.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Major, 116th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Chancellorsville, Va., 4–5 May 1863. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Born: April 1, 1839, Ireland. Date of issue: March 26, 1895.Citation:
In command of the picket line held the enemy in check all night to cover the retreat of the Army.
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients
- List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: M–P
- List of American Civil War generals