THE EGAN FAMILY EMGRATED TO AMERICA IN 1850 AND SETTLED IN HARTFORD COUNTY , CONNECTICUT
At present our list of Offaly born men who fought in the US Civil War between the years of 1861 and 1865 has 33 sets of brothers confirmed as being involved in that bloody conflict. Its a truly amazing statistic and it accounts for 15% of our overall number. When allowing for the fact that we are only tracking emigrants from one of the lesser populated counties of Ireland it gives a clear indication of how Irish families that relocated to the United States during the Irish famine and prior to the US Civil War were affected by both these seismic events. Children of the Irish famine became soldiers in the American Civil War and in many cases those Irish born soldiers fought alongside fellow family members. The story of the Egan brothers from the Ballycommon area of Offaly is typical of this phenomenon. They went from the real possibility of starvation in their homeland to the bloody and violent battlefields of their adapted nation.
MICHAEL EGAN (Born 1821)
Michael Egan’s (Spelled Eagan) was the oldest of the Egan brothers and his baptism is registered in the parish records of Philipstown (Daingean) & Ballycommon in July of 1821. It confirms his parents as Thomas Egan and Anne Tracey. This record is a vital clue in putting together the story of the Egan boys. Records from this period in Irish history can be difficult to locate and not always available. Finding this single entry, as we shall see later, connected the Egan family of 1821 in Ballycommon, Co. Offaly to the Egan family that relocated to Hartford County, Connecticut in 1850.
The extended Egan family settled in Southington, Hartford County and the 1860 Census shows many of the family, including Michael, brothers William and John, and his parents Thomas and Ann then living close to each other and farming the land. That year of 1860 is significant to everyone then living in the United States as the Presidential election in November of that year will trigger the events that will eventually lead to the outbreak of Civil War in early 1861. Michael Egan was almost 40 at the beginning of the war and while he is on the draft list for the Union Army at that period its not clear if he ever actually fought in the Civil War and no mention is made of any involvement in newspaper reports from later on in his life.
1860 US Census Image | findmypast.ie = EGAN FAMILY IN HARTFORD
Michael Egan continued as a farmer while rearing a large family in the Southington area for the rest of his life and also became involved in the local politics of his community where he aligned himself with the Democratic party. He served on several committees and councils in the town and was a very respected member of that community. Michael Egan died suddenly in November of 1889 at 68 years of age and is buried in the Egan family plot in St. Thomas Cemetery in Southington, Connecticut. But even though he was the eldest brother William was not the first to pass away. His younger brother William Egan would be a sad casualty of the Civil War.
Michael Egan (1821-1889) – Find a Grave Memorial
WILLIAM EGAN (Born 1823)
William Egan also settled in Southington and the 1860 Census tells us he working as a Moulder. This likely meant he was working in one of the many foundries present in the area at that time. In September of 1861 William enlisted in Company C of the 9th Connecticut Infantry Regiment. November of that same year would see Williams regiment transferred by steamer boat to the remote Ship Island in Mississippi and be incorporated into General Benjamin Butler’s Expeditionary Corp. Butler was amassing an army on the island with a view to attacking, and occupying, the city of New Orleans which was seen as a vital location for the Confederate government.
The Union army would succeed in seizing control of New Orleans in late April of 1862 and William Egan’s regiment would be one of the units that would occupy the city under the command of Butler who also now became the overall Governor of the City. Residents of New Orleans, especially its women, did not readily accept the occupation force and were very hostile to Union officers and soldiers. When reports reached Butler of the women of the city resorting to emptying full chamber pots on Union soldiers as they passed under open windows he was incensed and issued a proclamation that would cause outrage. It would later be criticized domestically and overseas as an unacceptable insult to the women of the city of New Orleans and to women everywhere.
New Orleans, May 15, 1862.
As the officers and soldiers of the United States have been subject to repeated insults from the women (calling themselves ladies) of New Orleans in return for the most scrupulous non-interference and courtesy on our part, it is ordered that hereafter when any female shall by word, gesture, or movement insult or show contempt for any officer or soldier of the United States she shall be regarded and held liable to be treated as a woman of the town plying her avocation.
By command of Major-General Butler:
Butler’s controversial order would earn him the nickname “The Beast” and caused the Union government such significant public relations problems that Butler was eventually withdrawn from New Orleans in December 1862 just eight months after taking command of the city.
General Benjamin Butler Brady-Handy – Wikipedia
While stationed in the city William Egan became ill with Yellow Fever which was then a common but deadly disease prevalent in New Orleans at that time. Spread by mosquitos the fever claimed many soldiers stationed in the city and it also claimed the life of William Egan. He died in August of 1862 in New Orleans at only 39 years of age. William’s body was returned to his family in Connecticut and he is buried in the family plot in Southington Connecticut.
JOHN EGAN (Born 1839)
The youngest of the 3 Egan brothers was John. Born in 1839 he was 11 years old when his family emigrated to the US. By the outbreak of the US Civil War John Egan was 22 years old and enlisted into the 22nd Connecticut Infantry for 9 months and was assigned to Company H. John was quickly promoted to Corporal and the 22nd Connecticut were moved to Washington DC in October of 1862 and would spend the majority of their service in the defense of the capital city. Their most notable other involvement would be at The Siege Of Suffolk which took place from April 11 to May 4, 1863, near Suffolk, Virginia. The 22nd Connecticut moved to the town in April on 1863 just as 20,000 Confederate soldiers besieged the 25,000 defending Union soldiers entrenched in formidable fortifications. After almost a month the siege was lifted and the Union Army remained in control of Suffolk.
The 22nd Connecticut returned to their duties defending Washington DC until being mustered out of service in July of 1863. It was a short but valuable contribution made by the youngest Egan brother. On returning to life in Southington John Egan would also work as a moulder. His later pension records state that he was deemed an invalid by 1883 and unfit for work. Despite that John would live to the age of 74 before passing away in October of 1913. He is buried alongside his brothers in St. Thomas Cemetery in Southington, Connecticut.
Three Irish born brothers, two of which fought for the Union army, are buried alongside each other in one cemetery in Southington, Connecticut. Their parents, who brought them to America in 1850, are also buried close to their sons. Only one piece of information is left for us to reveal about the Egan family and their story. It ties us back to that difficult to read baptism record of Michael Egan mentioned at the beginning of this article and helps to confirm the role of just one set of Irish born brothers who fought in the US Civil War.
On the impressive Egan Family monument there is a section at the bottom of the stone that proudly acknowledges their previous life in Ireland. It confirms that the Egan family were indeed from the parish of Ballycommon in Kings County (Offaly), Ireland.
By Kevin Guing
27th June 2025
