HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE 86TH NEW YORK INFANTRY FOR ONLY 4 MONTHS

ExNew York, U.S., Town Clerks’ Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War, ca 1861-1865 – Ancestry.com

The register of men from New York who fought in the US Civil War has helped us uncover another Offaly born man who served the Union army during the conflict. The name of James Murray, who served in Company G of the 86th New York Infantry Regiment, is recorded there and luckily for us it confirms his birth place as being Philipstown, Kings County, Ireland. As many people will no doubt already know Philipstown was in fact once the county town of Offaly and has since been renamed. Today it is called Daingean and sits towards the eastern side of what is now County Offaly,

The available records also helpfully confirm the parents of James were Peter Murray and Rosanna O’Shaughnessy and additionally gives us his enlistment location as being at West Union, Steuben, New York. On checking the earlier 1860 Census records we can then find the James Murray from Daingean and his then young family. This record from July of 1860 adds another, albeit sad, layer to the story of James Murray. He is newly married to Elizabeth and they have a young son of only 4 months named John. This census record indicates that the baby had been born in Ireland which tells us that the young Murray family had only recently arrived into the USA. Elizabeth and James Murray no doubt felt that a whole new and exciting life lay ahead for them in this new world and could never have guessed how the outbreak of the US Civil War only a short few months later would change their lives forever.

1860 US Census Image | findmypast.ie – Steuben, New York

In January of 1864 James enlisted into the 86th New York Infantry at a time when this regiment was in winter camp near Brandy Station in Virginia. In May of that year Union General Ulysses S Grant & Confederate General Robert E. Lee became embroiled in a battel to gain control of a vital supply crossroads at Spotsylvania also in the state of Virginia. Lee’s Confederate forces had made it to the crossroads first and were entrenched in defensive positions as the Union army closed in. James Murray and his regiment were among the first to arrive as part of General Ulysses S Grants force and were early into the attacks on the defending Confederates on the 8th of May. This was more than likely James Murrays first taste of battle since enlisting. On the 10th of May General Grant ordered his forces to attack the Confederate defensive earthworks on an area that became known as The Mule Shoe. It was here at some stage during this assault that James Murray from Daingan was killed. He was 34 years of age.

Most of the dead from the fighting at Spotsylvania were buried at Fredericksburg National Cemetery and it is here that we suspect the remains of Patrick Murray were interred. We have made some enquiries as to some of the unmarked and unconfirmed graves within that cemetery and hopefully in the near future we will be able to confirm that Patrick Murray from Daingean in County Offaly is one of the thousands of soldiers buried in Fredericksburg. But for now we are delighted to add him to our list of Daingean men that fought in the US Civil War during the years 1861 to 1865.

Kevin Guing

17th October 2025

For more details of this soldier – James Murray – Americasoffalyheroes

** If anyone has more information in relation to this story please do let us know.