Michael Dougherty, charter member, was the 1st Secretary of Division 1. He was born on May 10, 1844 in Falcrah, County Downe Call, in the North of Ireland. He was the youngest of seven children.
In 1859, at the age of 15, he came to the United States. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Union Army and joined the Second Irish Dragons. The Dragons were a calvary battalion composed entirely of Irishmen. The battalion was assigned to the 13th PA Calvary and were later captured during the Battle at Fishers Hill on February 26, 1863 and were sent to Libby Prison.
Dougherty's courage in warfare and humanitarian efforts were said to have saved the lives of 2,500 men. Dougherty was captured and held in many confederate camps, including the notorious Andersonville Prison Camp in Georgia. The union soldiers were subjected to inhumane treatment that contributed to the deaths of thousands of soldiers. Sadly, Dougherty was the sole survivor of 127 of his regiment that were captured. 122 of his men died in the Andersonville Prison.
Afer release from the prison camp, Dougherty was being shipped home on the overcrowded transport ship, Sultanna, when the ship's boiler blew, setting the ship on fire and causing it to sink. Michael was credited with rescuing many of his fellow passengers.
While incarcerated, Dougherty wrote about life in Confederate prison camps where union soldiers suffered from malnourishment, starvation and disease. His book, The Prison Diary of Michael Dougherty documented the abuses and hardships that the union soldiers experienced in the camps.
After the war, he returned to Bristol, PA on June 27, 1865 at the age of 21. He now weighed less than 100 lbs. Later, he married the former Rose Magee at St. Mark's Church. He fathered 12 children, three died when they were infants. He worked at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia and never missed a Memorial Day Parade.
He served as Bristol Council Member from 1880-1882. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on January 23, 1897. Michael stayed active until his death in 1930.
A.O.H. Division 1 officially changed its name to the Michael Dougherty Division in 1988 to honor their most famous charter member.
On Memorial Day 1989, more than 300 people attended a commemorative Mass and a ceremony with men representing every war from 1861 to the present in full uniform. A plaque was placed on Dougherty's grave in the small cemetary behind St. Mark's Church.
