[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 13, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S2236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING CAPTAIN JOHN LONERGAN

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, it is with great pride that I bring to the 
attention of the Senate the bravery and sacrifice of a great American, 
CPT John Lonergan, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry at 
the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. His memory will be 
commemorated on May 8, 2010, with the dedication of a monument in his 
hometown of Carrick on Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland.
  Amid severe famine and the 1848 rebellion against British rule, the 
Lonergan family was forced to flee Ireland and made their way to 
Vermont. In 1862, as the American Civil War erupted, John Lonergan 
mobilized Company A of the 13th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 
the so-called ``Irish Company.'' His unit served 9 months of active 
duty in Virginia as part of the 2nd Vermont Brigade guarding the outer 
defenses of Washington, DC. As General Lee and General Grant maneuvered 
the armies of the South and North during the summer of 1863, Lonergan's 
Company A was sent on a forced march to Pennsylvania for what would be 
the Battle of Gettysburg.
  On July 2, 1863, at Gettysburg, Lonergan, now a captain, and his 
company successfully recaptured a Union cannon lost to the rebels and 
took prisoner more than 80 Confederate soldiers. Captain Lonergan was 
later awarded the Medal of Honor for his leadership and gallantry 
during this battle. The next day, he led his company of Vermont 
soldiers in an attack against the right flank of a massive Confederate 
assault on Cemetery Ridge. Company A made an invaluable contribution to 
drive back the Confederate charge at a crucial moment in the Battle of 
Gettysburg.
  After the War, Captain Lonergan worked to overcome existing prejudice 
against Americans of Irish descent by organizing the first public 
celebrations of St. Patrick's Day in Vermont. He never lost his love 
for Ireland, and he was apparently a passionate advocate for liberation 
from British rule. Captain Lonergan continued serving his new country 
as a U.S. Customs officer, assigned to duty in Montreal, Canada. He 
died in 1902 and was buried in Burlington, VT.
  We Vermonters are proud to recognize the bravery of Captain Lonergan, 
those of Irish descent who fought alongside him, and the thousands of 
other Vermonters who fought in the Civil War. Vermont, per capita, had 
more of its sons die fighting in the Civil War than any other State.
  For their service, bravery and sacrifice, we thank all of them, and 
all those who continue this proud tradition as they serve the Nation 
today in Afghanistan, Iraq and other outposts across the globe.

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