William B. McGrorty| Name:
William B. McGrorty Company: Field & Staff Resigned. |
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Birth
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Mustered In
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Death
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Mustered Out
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William B. McGrorty Biography and Civil
War Narrative| Capt. McGrorty was a true-blue
Irishman, and yet an American. He was a good-sized man with sandy hair
and whiskers, retaining all the impulsiveness of his nationality and
yet so schooled by experience as to be calm and self-possessed in times
of emergency. He was bold and aggressive in his character, self-
reliant, insinuating, yet positive when necessary, courageous, a man of
considerable force of character, and who always inspired confidence in
those about him. He was in command of the Minnesota company that went
to visit Gen. Gorman at Helena—an incident noted in the history of the
Governor's life. He never forgot the green old sod of his fatherland,
for, in connection with the late Gen. Shields and others he sought to
do in 1854 what Bishop Ireland has since successfully accomplished,
viz.: to establish colonies of Irishmen on the soil of Minnesota and
Dakota. He was social in his nature, kind-hearted, and has left behind
him many pleasant memories. |
McGrorty enlisted in the 5th Minnesota Volunteer
Infantry Regiment on December 20, 1861, and served as the regimental
Quartermaster.| He had ridden down in the stage
from St. Paul to a point nearly opposite La Crosse, when it was found
unsafe to go over the ice in a vehicle and he concluded to walk, so in
company with a gentleman by the name of Temple, of this city, they
trudged on their way together, talking gaily of the war and of other
matters, when, all of a sudden, they broke through the ice or walked
directly into an air hole, (as it was in the evening and they could not
see very clearly,) and both disappeared out of sight. Search was made
and at last McGrorty's body was found and buried by the soldiers at La
Crosse. |
