Thomas Horan

Thomas Horan (c. 1839 – January 1, 1902) was an Irish-American soldier who fought with the Union Army in the American Civil War. Horan received his country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for actions taken on July 2, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Early years

Horan was born in about 1839, the first of seven children to Michael and Mary Horan of Ireland. When Horan was around 8–10 years old, the family moved to America, likely to escape the Great Famine. They settled in Dunkirk, New York where Thomas worked as a laborer alongside his father.

Civil War service

Horan enlisted in the Union army on May 14, 1861, as a private. By November he was promoted to corporal, and again to sergeant in September 1862. In 1863, he was at the Battle of Gettysburg where he captured the flag of the 8th Florida Infantry. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on April 5, 1898.

Horan also fought in the Battle of the Wilderness where he was wounded on May 7, 1864.

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Thomas Horan, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 2 July 1863, while serving with Company E, 72d New York Infantry, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In a charge of his regiment Sergeant Horan captured the regimental flag of the 8th Florida Infantry (Confederate States of America).