Peter F. Rafferty

Wounded and Ordered Back—He Refused to Stop Fighting

Peter F. Rafferty was an Irish-born American soldier whose extraordinary courage during the American Civil War earned him the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration for valor. On July 1, 1862, at the Battle of Malvern Hill in Virginia, Rafferty continued fighting after being wounded and ordered to withdraw for medical attention. His refusal to abandon the battlefield led to further devastating injuries and capture by Confederate forces. More than three decades later, his actions received national recognition.

Born on June 12, 1845, in County Tyrone, Ireland, Peter F. Rafferty was the son of Peter and Ann McKenna Rafferty and the fifth of six children. During his teenage years, his family immigrated to the United States, joining the growing Irish immigrant population that would make a significant contribution to the Union war effort. When the American Civil War erupted in April 1861, the country was divided over slavery, secession, and the future of the Union. For thousands of Irish immigrants, military service became part of their experience in their adopted homeland.

On October 22, 1861, at just sixteen years old, Rafferty enlisted in the Union Army in New York City. He joined Company B of the 69th New York Infantry, a regiment serving in the celebrated Irish Brigade. Composed largely of Irish American soldiers, the brigade became widely recognized for its determination in some of the Civil War's fiercest battles. Rafferty entered military service as a private and soon became part of the Army of the Potomac's campaign against Confederate forces in Virginia.

During the spring and summer of 1862, Union Major General George B. McClellan launched the Peninsula Campaign, an ambitious attempt to capture Richmond, the Confederate capital. As Union forces advanced toward the city, Confederate General Robert E. Lee organized a counteroffensive that developed into the Seven Days Battles. The fighting culminated on July 1, 1862, at Malvern Hill, where Union troops occupied strong defensive positions supported by powerful artillery.

At Malvern Hill, Rafferty and the 69th New York Infantry faced repeated Confederate assaults. The fighting was intense, with infantry formations advancing and withdrawing under sustained musket and artillery fire. During the battle, the 69th New York temporarily withdrew to replenish its ammunition while the 88th New York Infantry took its place. When Rafferty's regiment returned to the fighting, Confederate troops were threatening the Union position, and the Irish Brigade became involved in close combat with elements of the Louisiana Tigers.

Amid the battle, Rafferty suffered a gunshot wound to his right thigh. His injury made movement difficult, and he was directed to leave the battlefield with other wounded soldiers. Despite the order, he declined to withdraw and remained with his comrades. He continued participating in the defense as Confederate attacks persisted, demonstrating the determination that would eventually distinguish his military service.

As the fighting continued, Rafferty sustained additional wounds of extraordinary severity. He was struck in the mouth and jaw, suffering shattered bones and an injury to his tongue. Another bullet passed through his foot. By the end of the battle, he had suffered four wounds that day. His injuries left him unable to escape the battlefield, and he remained there until he was taken prisoner by Confederate forces.

Rafferty's ordeal did not end with the fighting. Following his capture, he was confined at Richmond's Libby Prison, a Confederate prison facility that held numerous Union military prisoners. His severe injuries and captivity added to the suffering he had already endured. He was eventually released through a prisoner exchange in March 1863. The lasting effects of his wounds were serious enough to bring his initial period of military service to an end.

Despite the injuries that had interrupted his military career, Rafferty returned to military service in 1864, joining the Sixth District of Columbia Volunteers as a lieutenant. His later military record identifies captain as his highest rank, reflecting his advancement beyond the private's position he held during the Battle of Malvern Hill. Nevertheless, it was his conduct as a young enlisted soldier in the summer of 1862 that established his enduring place in American military history.

Recognition for Rafferty's courage came decades after the Civil War. On August 2, 1897, he received the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism at Malvern Hill. The official citation recognized his decision to remain in action after being wounded and ordered to the rear, despite the additional wounds that ultimately resulted in his capture and severe disability. The award honored an act of battlefield determination performed when Rafferty was only seventeen years old.

The Medal of Honor had been established during the Civil War to recognize exceptional military conduct. By the time Rafferty received his decoration in 1897, it had become the nation's most distinguished award for military valor. His recognition illustrated how acts of bravery from the Civil War continued to be formally acknowledged long after the battles themselves had ended. His citation preserved the essential circumstances of his sacrifice without requiring exaggeration: wounded, ordered to withdraw, and facing continuing danger, he chose to remain in the fight.

Rafferty's military service also fell within the qualifying period of the Army Civil War Campaign Medal, established by the War Department in 1907 to recognize military service during the conflict. Created more than four decades after the war, the decoration commemorated the generation of soldiers who had served in the struggle to preserve the Union. Its design featured a portrait of President Abraham Lincoln and the dates 1861–1865, while its blue and gray ribbon reflected the opposing armies of the Civil War. This later recognition of wartime service formed part of the broader national effort to preserve the history of the conflict and acknowledge its surviving veterans.

Peter F. Rafferty lived to see the beginning of the twentieth century and the growing recognition of Civil War veterans' service. He died on April 30, 1910, at the age of sixty-four. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens, New York, where his final resting place preserves the memory of an Irish immigrant who served the United States during one of its most consequential conflicts.

Rafferty's legacy rests above all on his extraordinary conduct at Malvern Hill. His story is not simply one of military decoration or battlefield endurance, but of a young soldier who continued to serve despite suffering grave injuries. From his beginnings in County Tyrone to his service with the Irish Brigade, his wounds, imprisonment, return to military duty, and eventual Medal of Honor recognition, his life represents a remarkable chapter in the history of Irish American participation in the Civil War. His courage on July 1, 1862, remains permanently recorded among the actions honored by the Medal of Honor.