Robert Nugent (officer)

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Robert Nugent
New York Draft Riots
American Indian Wars

Brigadier General Robert Nugent (June 27, 1824 – June 20, 1901) was an Irish-born American

Indian Wars
.

Civil War Service

He served with the

militia unit and into its incorporation into the Union Army at the start of the war, and was one of its senior officers at the First Battle of Bull Run
.

When the unit was originally mustered out of service, the 90-day enlistment terms having expired, Nugent accepted a commission as a captain in the regular army. He was immediately assigned to the

Gaines Mill, Savage Station, White Oak Swamp, Glendale, and Malvern Hill
.

Nugent was shot in the stomach at the

provost marshal general Colonel James Fry
, that conscription efforts were "nearing completion without serious incident".

New York enrollment poster June 23, 1863, a mere twenty days before the Draft Riots broke out.

Understanding the seriousness of the situation, he attempted to keep the draft selections quiet and in isolated parts of the city. In Manhattan, however, lotteries were held in the heart of Irish tenement and shanty neighborhoods where the draft was most opposed.[1]

In the ensuing

New York Draft Riots, Nugent took command of troops and attempted to defend the city against the rioters. Despite the cancellation of the draft, the riots continued for almost a week. His home on West 86th Street was looted and burned by the rioters during that time,[2] his wife and children barely escaping from their home. Rioters broke into his house, destroyed furniture, and slashed paintings of Nugent and Meagher, although Brigadier General Michael Corcoran's was left untouched.[3][4]

On October 28, he was relieved of his post and succeeded by General

Appomattox Campaigns. As its last commanding officer, he and the Irish Brigade also marched in the victory parade held in Washington, D.C. following Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.[5]

Later years

Nugent was

The Old Guard
.

Death

He became ill in his old age owing to complications arising from his wounds suffered at Fredericksburg, and remained bedridden for two months before his death at the age of 76 on June 20, 1901, at his McDonough Street home in Brooklyn. In accordance with his last wishes, he was buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery.[6]

References

  1. ISBN 0-19-507130-1
  2. ISBN 1-56025-275-8
  3. ISBN 0-8147-9940-X
  4. ISBN 0-8018-5764-3
  5. ISBN 1-57488-523-5
  6. ^ "Gen. Robert Nugent Dead; He Was One of the First to Respond to President Lincoln's Call". New York Times.June 21, 1901

Further reading

  • Cook, Adrian. The Armies of the Streets: The New York City Draft Riots of 1863. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1974.
  • Wylie, Paul R. The Irish General: Thomas Francis Meagher. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007.
    ISBN 0-8061-3847-5

External links
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