Patrick Highland

The Color Bearer Who Stormed Fort Gregg

Patrick Highland was an Irish-born Union Army soldier whose extraordinary courage during the final days of the American Civil War earned him the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration for valor. On April 2, 1865, while serving as a corporal in Company D of the 23rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Highland carried his regiment's colors during the assault on Fort Gregg at Petersburg, Virginia. His bravery distinguished him in one of the fierce engagements that preceded the Confederate evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond.

Born around 1842 in County Tipperary, Ireland, Patrick Highland eventually immigrated to the United States and settled in Chicago, Illinois. The surviving historical records provide little information about his childhood, family background, education, or early occupation. By the time he entered military service, he had become part of the growing Irish-American community whose members contributed significantly to the Union Army during the Civil War.

The 23rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry was popularly known as Mulligan's Irish Brigade, after its original commander, Colonel James A. Mulligan. Organized in Chicago in 1861, the regiment included many Irish-American volunteers. Its early military history featured the defense of Lexington, Missouri, where Union soldiers resisted Confederate forces before being compelled to surrender in September 1861.

Following its reorganization, the regiment resumed active service and participated in operations across the eastern theater. Its assignments included protecting important transportation routes in western Virginia and participating in campaigns that challenged Confederate control of the region.

Highland's documented service in the consolidated Company D roster dates from February 26, 1864, when he entered the regiment from Chicago with the rank of corporal. Earlier Company I records also contain the name Patrick Highland, but the surviving entries do not establish a completely consistent chronology of his earlier service. His confirmed military record places him with the 23rd Illinois Infantry during the final phase of the Civil War.

During 1864, the 23rd Illinois continued operating in the Shenandoah Valley and surrounding areas. Its regimental history includes engagements at Kernstown, Winchester, and Fisher's Hill. These campaigns formed part of the Union effort to defeat Confederate forces threatening the Shenandoah Valley and the approaches to Washington.

In December 1864, the regiment was transferred to the Army of the James and assigned to operations near Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia. By this stage of the war, Union forces under Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant had maintained sustained pressure on Confederate General Robert E. Lee's army for several months.

Petersburg was strategically important because its railroads supplied Confederate forces defending Richmond, the Confederate capital. Union commanders sought to break through the extensive defensive positions surrounding the city and destroy the transportation network supporting Lee's army.

By March 1865, Confederate resources were increasingly strained. The Union Army prepared a major offensive intended to force Lee from his fortified positions. The 23rd Illinois Infantry moved toward the Petersburg front and became involved in operations associated with the final assault against Confederate defenses.

On April 1, 1865, Union forces achieved a significant victory at the Battle of Five Forks, threatening the remaining Confederate supply lines. Following this success, Grant ordered a general assault against Petersburg's defenses for the following morning.

One of the important Confederate positions was Fort Gregg, a fortified earthwork located west of Petersburg. The fort formed part of a defensive system intended to protect the city and delay the advancing Union Army. Its defenders occupied prepared positions protected by substantial earthworks and artillery.

On April 2, 1865, Union troops of the Twenty-fourth Army Corps advanced against Fort Gregg. Approximately 5,000 Federal soldiers participated in the assault, facing determined resistance from a much smaller Confederate garrison.

The Confederate defenders used rifle and artillery fire to disrupt the advancing Union formations. Their resistance was particularly effective as the attackers approached the defensive ditch and earthworks surrounding the fort. The fighting became a desperate struggle in which Union soldiers repeatedly attempted to overcome the Confederate position.

Patrick Highland participated in this assault as the color bearer of the 23rd Illinois Infantry. Carrying the regimental colors placed him in an especially exposed position because the flag identified his unit and remained visible to soldiers on both sides of the battlefield.

During the Civil War, regimental colors held considerable military and symbolic importance. They represented the identity and honor of a regiment while serving as rallying points during advances, withdrawals, and the confusion of combat. Color bearers were frequently exposed to enemy fire because their flags made them prominent targets.

Despite the danger, Highland carried the colors forward during the attack on Fort Gregg. His official Medal of Honor citation recognized his conspicuous gallantry as color bearer during the assault.

The Illinois Adjutant-General's regimental history provides an additional account of his conduct. Identifying him under the alternative spelling Patrick Hyland, the history records that he was the first soldier to scale the Confederate works at Fort Gregg. This account offers further evidence of the courage attributed to him during the engagement.

The struggle for Fort Gregg continued as Union soldiers attempted to cross the defensive obstacles and enter the Confederate fortification. Confederate troops resisted fiercely, inflicting substantial casualties before the attackers finally overwhelmed the position.

After repeated attempts, Union soldiers succeeded in gaining control of the fort. The Confederate defenders had delayed the advance for nearly two hours, allowing Lee additional time to organize the withdrawal of his army from Petersburg.

The capture of Fort Gregg formed part of the final Union breakthrough against the Confederate defenses. By the evening of April 2, Lee had determined that Petersburg and Richmond could no longer be held. Confederate forces began evacuating both cities, ending a prolonged campaign that had occupied Union and Confederate armies for much of the preceding year.

Highland's conduct during the assault distinguished him among the soldiers who participated in the decisive fighting. His willingness to carry the regimental colors forward under heavy enemy fire demonstrated exceptional courage at a moment when maintaining the advance required considerable determination.

On May 12, 1865, Patrick Highland received the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary actions at Fort Gregg. His award recognized his bravery during the assault on April 2, just days before the surrender of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

The Medal of Honor had been established during the Civil War to recognize exceptional military conduct. Congress authorized the Army decoration in 1862, creating a national award for soldiers whose bravery distinguished them during combat. Highland received the original Civil War-era Army Medal of Honor, becoming one of the members of the 23rd Illinois Infantry honored for extraordinary battlefield service.

Following the fall of Petersburg, Union forces pursued Lee's retreating army across Virginia. The campaign concluded on April 9, 1865, when Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House. The 23rd Illinois Infantry was among the Union regiments participating in the final operations associated with the Confederate surrender.

Highland remained in military service after the end of major hostilities. On July 24, 1865, he was officially mustered out with his regiment at Richmond, Virginia. His military roster records that he left the Army with the rank of sergeant, representing an advancement beyond the corporal's rank he held during his Medal of Honor action.

His discharge marked the conclusion of his documented wartime military career. The 23rd Illinois subsequently returned to Chicago, where its remaining soldiers completed the process of returning to civilian life.

The surviving historical record provides very limited information about Highland's life after the Civil War. His later occupation, marriage, family relationships, and place of residence have not been reliably established. Similarly, no confirmed date or place of death has been identified, and his burial location remains unknown.

Although these details of his later life remain uncertain, Highland's military achievement is preserved in official records and the history of the 23rd Illinois Infantry. His Medal of Honor citation identifies the bravery he displayed as a color bearer, while the regiment's historical account commemorates his conduct during the assault on the Confederate fortifications.

Patrick Highland's legacy rests upon his courage at Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865. As Union soldiers advanced against heavily defended earthworks, he carried his regiment's colors into battle and distinguished himself during the final offensive against Petersburg.

From his origins in County Tipperary to his military service with Mulligan's Irish Brigade, Highland's story reflects the important contribution of Irish-born soldiers to the Union Army. His actions during the assault on Fort Gregg earned him the Medal of Honor and secured his place in the history of the American Civil War.

Though much of his personal life remains undocumented, Patrick Highland continues to be remembered for the extraordinary bravery he demonstrated during one of the conflict's final major engagements. His service stands as an enduring example of courage, determination, and devotion to duty under enemy fire.