On the recordApril 13, 2010
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.
