Biographical Note

Michael H. Leary, a resident of Boston, joined the Ninth Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in June 1861, at the age of 22. The regiment, composed almost entirely of men of Irish birth, fought in many Civil War battles between 1861 and 1864 including: Second Battle of Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness Campaign, Spotsylvania, and the Siege of Petersburg and was part of the pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox. Leary received final discharge papers from the Army on July 11, 1865.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Michael H. Leary letters

 Collection

Abstract Michael H. Leary was an Irish-American from Boston, Massachusetts and soldier in Union Army during the Civil War. This collection is composed of correspondence from Leary to Ellen (Nellie) Desmond, mostly written from Virginia. The collection begins in 1861 while Leary was stationed in Washington D.C. and continues through 1863. The final letters Leary wrote from a hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The letters provide accounts of Leary's life in the Ninth Regiment of the Massachusetts...

Access Note

Collection is open for research; also available digitally.

Dates: 1861-1863