Terrence Begley

He Seized the Enemy Colors Under Heavy Fire

Terrence Begley was born in Ireland and later made his way to New York, where he entered United States Army service during the American Civil War. On February 11, 1864, he enlisted at Albany and joined Company D of the 7th New York Heavy Artillery. His military career would last only a little more than six months, but during that brief period he took part in some of the most severe fighting of the war and performed the battlefield action for which he would receive the Medal of Honor.

The 7th New York Heavy Artillery had originally served in the defenses of Washington, D.C. In May 1864, however, the regiment was ordered into the field and began operating as infantry with the Army of the Potomac. Its transition from fortified garrison duty to frontline combat was sudden and costly. Within days the regiment was involved in the Overland Campaign, joining the fighting near Spotsylvania before continuing south with the Union army.

By early June, the regiment had reached Cold Harbor, Virginia, where Union and Confederate forces faced one another behind increasingly formidable fieldworks. The fighting around Cold Harbor became especially intense as Federal troops attempted to break Confederate defensive positions. It was during this campaign, on June 3, 1864, that Begley performed the act that would define his military legacy.

While serving with Company D, Begley encountered a Confederate color bearer during the fighting. He shot the man carrying the colors, then moved forward to seize the flag. Capturing an enemy battle flag was an exceptionally dangerous act because the colors served as a visible rallying point for the unit and were commonly positioned where fighting was most concentrated. A soldier attempting to take them could expect immediate enemy fire.

Begley nevertheless advanced, secured the Confederate colors, and returned safely to the Union lines despite being exposed to heavy fire. Later Medal of Honor records identify the captured colors with the 26th Virginia Infantry. His action was notable not because of an elaborate or prolonged sequence of events, but because of the direct and documented risk involved: he left the relative protection of his own line, seized an enemy standard during active combat, and brought it back under fire.

The Battle of Cold Harbor was part of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's continuing campaign against General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. For the 7th New York Heavy Artillery, the battle was particularly costly. The regiment, trained originally for heavy-artillery duty, had been committed to infantry combat only weeks earlier and suffered heavily during its first months in the field. Begley's Medal of Honor action therefore occurred during one of the most demanding periods in the regiment's service.

His survival at Cold Harbor did not mark the end of his combat service. Company D continued campaigning with the regiment as the Army of the Potomac moved toward Petersburg. Through the summer of 1864, the 7th New York Heavy Artillery remained engaged in operations around the Confederate capital's defensive approaches, enduring repeated fighting and substantial losses.

On August 25, 1864, less than three months after his action at Cold Harbor, Begley fought at Reams Station, Virginia. Confederate forces struck Union troops positioned near the Weldon Railroad, producing another violent engagement. Begley was killed in action during the battle. He had served in the Army for only a matter of months.

Recognition for his conduct at Cold Harbor came after his death. On December 1, 1864, the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously for his actions of June 3. The citation preserved the essential elements of his achievement: shooting the Confederate color bearer, rushing forward to seize the colors, and returning to the Union lines despite heavy enemy fire.

Begley's final resting place remains uncertain. His remains were not conclusively identified after the fighting at Reams Station. More than a century and a half later, his service was formally commemorated with a cenotaph at Albany Rural Cemetery in New York, providing a place where his military sacrifice and Medal of Honor action could be remembered even though his actual grave is unknown.

Terrence Begley's wartime story was remarkably brief. He entered service in early 1864, went into active field operations only months later, distinguished himself under fire at Cold Harbor, and was killed before the year ended. His Medal of Honor preserves the record of one decisive moment in that short career: advancing under enemy fire to capture a Confederate battle flag and carrying it safely back to his own lines.