b. 24/06/1844 Kilarney, County Kerry, Ireland. d. 01/01/1911 Cincinnati, Ohio.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 17/09/1862 Antietam, Maryland.
Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient, Attorney, Judge. A native of Ireland, he was born in the village of Killarney in County Kerry. He emigrated to America with his family when he was a child and settled briefly in Detroit, Michigan before arriving in La Porte, Indiana. He was orphaned in 1854 and later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to learn shoemaking.
When the Civil War began, he responded to President Lincoln’s first call for volunteers and enlisted for three months service with the 5th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was mustered into Company K as a Private. He reenlisted for three years service on June 19, 1861 and participated in major engagements at the Battles of Port Republic, Cedar Mountain, and the second Battle of Bull Run. At the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, he fought with distinction, captured the flag of a Confederate Regiment, and was severely wounded. For this act of bravery, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. His citation reads: “Capture of flag of 13th Alabama Infantry (C.S.A.).”
He was mustered out of service because of his wounds and was discharged in January, 1863. Murphy enlisted for service again on May 11, 1864 with the 137th Ohio National Guard Infantry and became a 1st Sergeant with Company C. After the war, he returned to Cincinnati and apprenticed as a machinist. He later attended Antioch College and studied law. In 1871, he became a deputy clerk in the Hamilton County Court System. Murphy was admitted to the bar in 1873 and practiced as an attorney in Cincinnati. Elected as Prosecuting Attorney of Hamilton County, he served from 1877 to 1881. He then became a state court judge and was also chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Executive Committee. He died at his residence in Bond Hill in 1911 when he was 66 years old. The flag that he captured was returned to Alabama by the U. S. War Department in 1905 and is now at the Alabama State Archives.
MOH CITATION:
Capture of flag of 13th Alabama Infantry (C.S.A.).
BURIAL LOCATION: SPRING GROVE CEMETERY, CINCINNATI, OHIO.
SECTION 103, LOT 110.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: BELIEVED TO BE FAMILY.
