BORN IN TULLAMORE, CO. OFFALY IN 1835.

ENLISTED AS A MEMBER OF THE 2ND CALIFORNIA INFANTRY REGIMENT.

Its unusual to see an exact Irish town name mentioned in enlistment documents related to any US Civil War soldier but that is the case for the documents available for Michael Dooling. On April 7th 1864 Michael joined the 2nd California Infantry at San Francisco Presidio and confirmed that he was born in Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland. Only a short few weeks later Michael decided he had made a mistake and so, on the 24th April, he abandoned his regiment. Michael was apprehended in San Francisco a month later for the crime of desertion and locked up in the notorious Alcatraz Island while awaiting trial.

During the US Civil War desertion was a problem for both armies. It was considered a high crime and punishments for desertion could include a sentence of hard labor, dishonorable discharge, or even death by firing squad or hanging. As he sat in confinement on Alcatraz Island Michael Dooling was completely in the hands of his commanding officers as to what his sentence would be.

Civil War-Era Military Facility – Alcatraz Island

Luckily for Michael he was eventually given a custodial sentence and for the following 8 months remained on Alcatraz Island forfeiting any pay due to him for his period of imprisonment. In February 1865 he was transferred to Camp Reynolds, which was situated on Angel Island, also in San Francisco Bay. The available army records confirm that Michael was put to work as a cook during his time on the Island before being finally released back to his regiment in 10th August 1865. But there was one one final punishment for his desertion before his release. Michael had to agree to pay $30 for the cost of his apprehension effectively paying the costs for his own imprisonment.

Angel Island, 1846 – 1876 – Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)

Michael and his regiment left San Francisco on the 19th August 1865 spending periods of time at Drum Barracks, Los Angeles and Fort Yuma while enroute to Arizona. They eventually settled into their main camp at Fort Grant on the 31st December 1865. Here they would remain stationed until March 1866 when they were recalled to San Francisco and where Michael and his company were released from service on the 10th May 1866. His brief 26 months of years of military service had been almost equally divided between time as a soldier and as a prisoner !

Drum Barracks – Wikipedia

The life of Michael Dooling is difficult to fully trace after his period in the army but we do know he was living in St. Louis, Missouri in 1885 and that he was unmarried. We also know that he worked as a baker which is ironic considering the work he undertook while incarcerated on Angel Island. The records also show that Michael had no family of any description in the USA. In 1888, when 53 years old, Michael was placed in the Old Soldiers Home in Leavenworth, Kansas and it was here he remained for the rest of his days. Michael Dooling died in the soldiers home at 2:30am on the morning of the 9th August 1915 at 80 years of age and once again the records confirm that he had no next of kin.

The story of Michael Dooling’s short but eventful period of service is one the more unusual we have chronicled here on americasoffalyheroes.com.

13th May 2026

**Thanks to Liam McAllister for his assistance on details of this Offaly soldier**