This soldier was a member of Moody’s Madison Light Artillery . They fought at several major battles including Antietam and Gettysburg and surrendered as part of the Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox on 9th April 1865.

When Patrick, James, Michael and Denis Guilfoyle from Moneygall in County Offaly left Ireland in the early 1840’s they were, like thousands of other Irish, escaping a country ravaged by a famine that had brought its people close to the point of extinction. Their Father, Patrick Guilfoyle Snr, had died leaving their Mother, Hannah, to rear a young family alone. She took the decision to send her sons to America where they initially settled in New York. Hannah Guilfoyle would remain in Moneygall and eventually re-marry and live out the rest of her days. She couldn’t have known it at the time but, while she would stay in contact with them by letter, she would never see any her sons again.

Her second to youngest son was Patrick Guilfoyle and he would be the only Guilfoyle brother to remain in New York. He would set up in business as a Cooper which was then a busy trade which mainly involved the making of then vital wooden barrels, buckets and vats. He would get married and continue to run his business under the slightly revised surname of Gilfoil. Things would take a turn for the worst for Patrick when his wife would die suddenly which by all accounts left him so distraught that he was unable to continue to run his business. He obviously felt he needed to get away from New York and so he sold his business with the plan to use the money to travel and see the rest of the vast United States of America. It was possibly while on these travels that he encountered a widow name Catherine Gilchrist living in Louisville, Kentucky with her two daughters. Patrick Gilfoil moved to Kentucky and married Catherine Gilchrist in May of 1844 and those two daughters of Catherine Gilchrist would one day play an eventful role in the life of Patrick Gilfoil.

Patrick Gilfoil‘s tendency to stay “on the move” continued as he and his new family first moved to Indiana and then further onto Vicksburg in the state of Mississippi where he would again go into business. He would first become owner of a steam boat working on the Mississippi River before forming a contracting partnership called Gilfoil & Garvin. This company would engage in the building of levees and embankments along the great Mississippi River. Levee contractors would have a bad reputation during this period of time as most would use African American slaves and cheap immigrant labor who would have to endure extremely harsh and unfair conditions. Patrick would continue to move south along the route of the Mississippi over the next few years before eventually settling in an area called Madison in the state of Louisiana. It would be here that he would finally settle down and in 1848 he would purchase a large plantation close to the banks of the Mississippi River.

Levee Construction

By the year 1860 Patrick Gilfoil was farming on his plantation, which was named The Omega plantation. It had grown to 2000 acres in size which would be valued at $4 Million today. He is living with his wife Catherine, his two sons, Michael and James, two young daughters named Washington & Alice, and one of his two step daughters, Margaret. He also is the owner of sixteen slaves aged from 37 years old down to 2 years old.

But 1860 will also be the most momentous year in American history as the election of Abraham Lincoln will finally bring to a head tensions that had existed over the “institution of slavery” between the North & the South since the start of the century. During the final months of 1860 through to the beginning of 1861 one by one Southern states began to vote themselves out of the United States of America. Louisiana would be one of those states and Patrick Gilfoil from Moneygall would be present at the Louisiana Convention on January 26th 1861 as the representatives voted 113 to 17 in favor of leaving the Union. Mention is made later that Patrick was in fact one of the few who was against the motion and was “more of a Union Man”. Whatever the facts, the outcome of the vote at this convention meant that war was on the horizon for everyone in the state of Louisiana.

At the outbreak of hostilities in April of 1861 Patrick Gilfoil joined the local Madison Light Artillery Regiment, also called Moody’s Regiment, named after its founder, Captain George Moody. Records show that this regiment would see a huge amount of action throughout the war fighting for the Confederate cause and, as stated earlier, would even be present at the end of the war for the surrender by Robert E Lee at Appomattox. But this would not be the case for Patrick as he would become sick while serving and towards the end of 1864 he was back on his Omega plantation and completely bedridden. Plenty had happened in his absence. His eldest son Michael had joined the Confederate army and his younger son James had twice attempted to join but on both occasions he had been sent home due to his young age. Meanwhile his stepdaughters, while on an extended visit back to Louisville in Kentucky, had both married Union army officers and now were both living in the Northern states. Also while he was away the Union and Confederate Army had clashed in the Battle of Millikan’s bend which was an area very close to Patrick’s plantation. The Confederate Army were attempting to disrupt the Union army’s control of the vital Mississippi supply line in this area but were unable to break this dominance.

The Battle Of Millikan’s Bend – June 7th, 1863

As 1865 dawned the Union army were gaining the upper hand and slowly menacing the Southern states, including Louisiana. The Omega plantation was in its pathway and eventually was seized by the advancing Union army. Accounts tell us that the Union soldiers on arriving at the plantation asked Patrick to sign a declaration of allegiance to the United States and that his property would then be safe. Patrick refused to sign the oath meaning he was therefore not seen as a citizen of the United States and by extension not entitled to any rights or property. He was taken from his sick bed on a stretcher by soldiers and placed outside as they set the plantation house on fire and destroyed property. Just when it was likely that he could be shot for treason the officer in charge was made aware of the fact that Patrick Gilfoil was in fact his wife’s Step Father ! Patrick had completely by chance encountered his Step Son in Law and this amazing turn of events probably saved his life.

Tragic events would take place in Patrick’s life during this period. In 1864 he would lose his two daughter to sickness and in February of 1865 word would reach Patrick that his eldest son, Michael had been captured by the Union Army and while in prison at Camp Chase in Ohio had contracted a fever and died. He was only 22 years old. Camp Chase was a prison with a bad reputation among Confederate soldiers. The overcrowding at the camp coupled with small food rations for the inmates meant there was an extremely high death rate. At the end of the war it was estimated that over 2,000 Confederate solders died at Camp Chase. In another ironic twist the commander of Camp Chase at this time was the husband of Patrick Gilfoil’s second step daughter and she was said to have tried to get food to her step brother inside the prison but she was too late to save his life.

Death Record & Grave of Michael Gilfoil/findagrave.com

Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War Patrick Gilfoil had been a wealthy and major landowner in Madison Parish. He couldn’t possibly have guessed as he entered the Louisiana Conference in early 1861 just how much heartbreak and difficulties a war would bring to him and his family. By the close of hostilities in April 1865 he had lost his health, three of his children had died, and he was living on part of his now ruined property. As the reconstruction of the Southern states began so too was Patrick trying to reconstruct his life.

His wife Catherine would die in 1866 and by the time of the 1870 census Patrick is still living on a small part of his property in Madison. He handed over whatever land was left to his only surviving son James who over the next 30 years would once again build up the farm into a large and thriving business based around the local cotton industry. James Gilfoil would also go into a partnership, just like his Father had done, and also become a successful Merchant and Trader in the locality.

In late 1865 Patrick would make contact with his mother back in Ireland by letter and update her as to his now difficult predicament. Luckily we have a copy of the reply he received from his Mother, Hannah, and it verifies some of the details of not only Patrick’s circumstances but also those of his elderly Mother. While she expresses sympathy with her son she also makes it clear that she is now destitute and completely relying of the generosity of others. She writes :

“my dear son, never before did I stand in such need of assistance, but I see it is not your fault and I know it will make your trouble greater to hear how I am situated, but I cannot conceal my distress from you. I have been ejected from my last remaining portion of land. My dear Son, what will become of me ?“

She goes on to enquire about her other sons in the US and as to their welfare.

“I hope you will be able to send me some account of James and Dennis, but I fear for my poor Michael, for if he was alive I think he’d write me as he did continually until that most calamitous war broke out which left many a scalded heart which alas you but too well know.”

“My dear Son, I must again express the regret I feel for you and your loss. I can well conceive what your situation must be for I have also deeply felt, if not the loss, yet the perfect absence of all who are dear to me.

Hannah would live to the ripe age of 90 before passing away in 1873. Her death cert states she was then a “pauper” and it also confirms she was still living in Moneygall in County Offaly. She had in fact outlived her son Patrick. He had died the year before leaving his only son James as the last surviving Gilfoil left to carry on the family name in Madison Parish.

The “Guilfoyle” name which originated in Moneygall, County Offaly and morphed into the new spelling of “Gilfoil” has indeed somehow survived not only a Civil War, tragic family circumstances and economic ruin, to be still relevant to this day in Madison Parish where several descendants of Patrick Guilfoyle still reside.

By Kevin Guing

25/2/2025