Michael Dougherty
13th PA Cavalry
1844-1930
Michael Dougherty was born in Ireland. He emigrated to the United States in 1859. He joined the cavalry at the age of 18 in August 1862. He was captured on Fishers Hill when they fought a large amount of rebels. 108 of the men were either killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. He was later exchanged and reunited with his cavalry in Winchester on May 1863. He later fought in the Second Battle of Winchester. He was responsible for carrying dispatches, he was rewarded with the gold medal for bravery. Later he joined the Army of the Potomac and was stationed at Virginia. Confederates attacked them and Dougherty defended Jefferson, Virginia. They fought skirmishes throughout the day until the 4th Pennsylvania Cavalry came to help. They eventually forced out the rebels from one of their fortresses in an old abandoned house. The cavalry took it and held up in there. Later the rebels came back with a larger force and pushed back the cavalrys. Some were cut off and taken prisoner or killed. Dougherty and others were taken prisoner and lived out the rest of the war in Confederate prison. When the war was over he was the only survivor from the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry.
Michael Dougherty also kept a dairy. Here is an entry:
July 20, 1864, One hundred and thirty prisoners died yesterday; it is so hot we are almost roasted. There were 127 of my regiment captured the day I was, and of that number eighty-one have since died, and the rest are more dead than alive; exposure and long confinement is doing its work among us.
