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George Croghan (soldier)

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George Croghan
George Croghan
Born(1791-11-15)November 15, 1791
Louisville, Kentucky
DiedJanuary 8, 1849(1849-01-08) (aged 57)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Allegiance United States of America
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1811–1817, 1825–1849
Rank Colonel
CommandsInspector General of the U. S. Army
Battles / warsWar of 1812

Mexican–American War

Spouse(s)Serena Eliza Livingston
Congressional medal presented by Congress February 13, 1835. Obverse: Presented by Congress to Colonel George Croghan, 1835. Bust of Colonel Croghan Reverse: Pars Magna Fuit (His share was great.) Ft. Stephenson with three gunboats on Lake Erie in background

George Croghan (November 15, 1791 – January 8, 1849) was an American soldier who was a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal.

Early life

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Croghan was born at the Locust Grove farm in what is now Louisville, Kentucky. He was a son of Lucy (née Clark) Croghan (1765–1838) and William Croghan (1752–1822), from Dublin, Ireland who he had served in the Revolutionary War at the battles of Brandywine and Monmouth.[1] Among his maternal uncles were Capt. William Clark and Gen. George Rogers Clark.

Croghan studied at the College of William and Mary, graduating in 1810.

Career

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After he graduated from William and Mary, Croghan joined the U.S. Army. He fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He also served at Fort Meigs (modern Perrysburg, Ohio) with distinction. For his defense with a small garrison against a British attack during the Battle of Fort Stephenson, Ohio, in 1813 during the War of 1812, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He later led a troop that was defeated in the Battle of Mackinac Island.

Following the war, Croghan resigned from the army during a reduction in force and was appointed as a postmaster in New Orleans. In 1825, he became one of the two inspector generals in the army. During the Mexican–American War Croghan fought as a colonel at Monterrey.[2]

Personal life

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Croghan married Serena Eliza Livingston (1795–1884), a daughter of John R. Livingston and Margaret (née Sheafe) Livingston. Serena was a granddaughter of Robert Livingston (1718–1775) of Clermont Manor in New York.[3] Together, they were the parents of:

  • Mary Angelica Croghan (1819–1906), who married the Rev. Christopher Billop Wyatt, a grandson of Christopher Billop, in 1848.[4]
  • St. George Louis Livingston Croghan (1823–1861), who married Cornelia Adelaide Ridgely,[5] daughter of Commodore Charles C. Ridgely (son of Gov. Charles C. Ridgely) and Cornelia Louisiana (née Livingston) Ridgely (daughter of Robert L. Livingston and granddaughter of Walter Livingston), in 1846.[4]
  • Serena Livingston Croghan (1833–1926), who married Augustus Frederick Rodgers.[4]

Croghan died in New Orleans, Louisiana during the cholera epidemic of 1849, which had high mortality rates. He was buried at the site of Fort Stephenson, in what is now Fremont, Ohio.[4]

Legacy and honors

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Croghan's tomb and a soldiers' memorial to the war installed by the DAR in 1903 are both located on the library grounds near Croghan Street, which was renamed in his honor.[5]

The village and town of Croghan, New York are also named after him.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Meek, Basil. Twentieth Century History of Sandusky County, Ohio. Chicago: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., 1909.
  2. ^ Sandusky County Soldiers' Monument Association (1885). Proceedings at the Unveiling of the Soldiers' Monument on the Site of Fort Stephenson, Fremont, Ohio. Fremont, Ohio: The Democratic Messenger. pp. 102–103.
  3. ^ Browning, Charles Henry (1891). Americans of Royal Descent: A Collection of Genealogies of American Families Whose Lineage is Traced to the Legitimate Issue of Kings. Porter & Costes. p. 167. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Rogers: Some of the Descendants of Giles Rogers, an Immigrant to Virginia in 1664, Including the Family Names of Barksdale, Croghan, Gatewood, George, Gwathmey, O'Fallon, Temple, Thruston, Tyler, Underwood, Etc. 1940. p. B-1903. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  5. ^ a b Revolution, Daughters of the American (1922). Lineage Book - National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Daughters of the American Revolution. p. 3. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  6. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 96.
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