New Information Added To The Tragic Story of Patrick Derivan, A Union Soldier Born In Lusmagh, Co. Offaly, Ireland.

A newly discovered letter written 3 months before his death provides a poignant insight into the emotional and mental stress of the Civil War.

“I pity those poor fellows who are forced away from their homes and families to come to war to die and get killed like rotten sheep” – Patrick Derivan June 1863

Headline of the Fox Lake Representative newspaper, dated Thursday, October 6, 1927, stating volume 62, number 1, from Fox Lake, Dodge County, Wisconsin.

Headline announcing the discovery — Oct 06, 1927 – Fox Lake Representative at Newspapers.com™ – Newspapers.com™

By chance we recently came across a fascinating newspaper article published in Fox Lake, Minnesota in October 1927. The article in question makes reference to a then newly found letter written in June of 1863 by a Union soldier named Patrick Derivan. The reason for our interest with the contents of the letter is because that same Patrick Derivan was the subject of a post published on our site in December 2024. Our article was written at that time with the dual intention of revealing the forgotten story of this Offaly born soldier and also pointing out how Civil War soldiers were possibly the first to be affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder triggered by their horrific battle experiences.

The Tragic Effects Of War On A Soldier – Patrick Derivan From Lusmagh – Americasoffalyheroes

A faded portrait of Patrick Derivan, a musician in the Union Army, featured in an article discussing the effects of war on soldiers.

Patrick’s story tragically ended with his suicide close to his home at Fox Lake, Minnesota in August of 1863. His death occurred while he was on a short period of leave away from his regiment and reports at the time put his death down to “temporary insanity” brought on by the effects of alcohol. Those same reports also recount how Patrick Derivan had told anyone who would listen that he was

“never returning to the war even if it meant killing himself”.

A newspaper article titled 'Dodge County Citizen' dated August 27, 1863, reporting on the suicide of Patrick Derivan, a member of the 29th Regt. Wis. Vols., who shot himself at Fox Lake due to supposed insanity caused by whiskey. — Aug 27, 1863, – Dodge County Citizen at Newspapers.com™

This newly rediscovered letter, penned just 3 months before Patrick took his own life, was written at a time when Patrick had just taken part in the Battle Of Vicksburg and The Battle of Champions Hill. The revealing contents of what he wrote now add more details to his mindset and confirms what we earlier suspected. Patrick Derivan was indeed struggling mentally to fully comprehend the futility of the death and destruction all around him. What he had witnessed had irreparably damaged him and was, in no doubt, the single major factor leading to his sad demise in August 16th 1863.

The following are some of the more poignant words he wrote in June 1863:

An excerpt from a historical account describing the aftermath of a battle near Port Gibson, detailing the sight of dead and wounded soldiers on the battlefield and in hospitals. — Oct 06, 1927 – Fox Lake Representative at Newspapers.com™ – Newspapers.com™

Patrick goes on to further state :

A close-up of a vintage newspaper article discussing the aftermath of battles, mentioning casualties and the impact on families of the deceased. — Oct 06, 1927- Fox Lake Representative at Newspapers.com™

His bitterness at the treatment of the soldiers and of how the people in power seemed to be completely indifferent to the volume of death among the ranks is also evident in the following sections.

“I pity those poor fellows who are forced away from their homes and families to come to war to die and get killed like rotten sheep”

It is also this part of the letter that is particularly poignant considering what we now know of his eventual fate. Patrick makes reference to the terrible 3 years of service that then lay ahead of the men and of how that struggle required them to be strong both mentally and physically in order to survive the ordeal.

“a man must have a cast steel stomach and be iron clad that will stand the hardships and privations of a soldiers life for 3 years, particularly a private, he has got to stand everything in the shape of hardships”

A vintage newspaper excerpt discussing the hardships faced by soldiers during wartime, highlighting the emotional toll of being drafted and the challenges of military life. — Oct 06, 1927, page 1 – Fox Lake Representative at Newspapers.

Patrick Derivan likely kept what he had written in this letter to himself and did not share his thoughts with his fellow soldiers. Being able to write to a close friend, stating his view views on paper, was possibly helpful to his mental health in the short term but it would be only a short few weeks later when everything would change leading to his complete mental breakdown and sad death.

While it is historically interesting to add this letter and its detail to our previously recorded story of this Offaly man it still seems, even from this distant period of time, such a terrible tragedy that medical science had not discovered how PTSD affected a human being. This was a young man, along with many thousands of other young men, bearing witness to some of the most horrific scenes that had up to that point in history never been experienced before by any soldier.

Maybe today the life of Lusmagh’s Patrick Derivan could indeed have been saved but either way it is fitting that we leave the last words in this story with Patrick himself just as he wrote them in June of 1863..