Thomas Montgomery was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1839. After immigrating to the United States, the family settled on a farm near Baltimore, Maryland. On November 2, 1860 he was enlisted into Company F, 1st U.S. Dragoons by Lieutenant David Bell. His enlistment documents describe him as 5’4″ tall, with blue eyes, brown hair and a ruddy complexion.

After his initial training at Carlisle Barracks, PA, he joined his company in California, serving there until the regiment was recalled to Washington after the start of the Civil War. Company F left San Francisco on board the steamship Sonora on November 30, 1861. After arriving in Panama on December 4th, the company disembarked and traveled across the isthmus. The company embarked on board the steamship North Star and arrived in New York on December 24, 1861. They departed New York by train on Christmas day and arrived the next day in Washington, D.C., where they established the regiment’s camp. Camp Sprague served as the regiment’s home for the remainder of the winter, drilling with the other regular regiments.

Company F, along with companies A, B and K, departed Camp Sprague on March 10, 1862 to join the Army of the Potomac in the field. They were followed a few days later by the remainder of the regiment. They moved to a new camp in Alexandria until the 29th, when they embarked on schooners for the peninsula. They reached Hampton, Virginia on April 3rd. They disembarked on the 4th and went into camp at Kentucky Farm. All eight companies shifted camp to Ship Point on the 11th and to Camp Winfield Scott on the 24th.

Following the evacuation of Yorktown, Montgomery and the rest of the regiment were part of the pursuit of the Confederate army. He fought in the regiment’s first eastern theater engagement of the war on May 4th at Williamsburg, escaping unscathed. He survived the remainder of the campaign on the peninsula and the Maryland campaign without incident.

Private Montgomery remained with Company F until August 6, 1862, when it was deactivated and consolidated with Company C. He left Harrison Landing with his new company two days later, arriving at Yorktown, Virginia on August 20th. He was promoted rather quickly in his new company to corporal and then sergeant.

Following the battle of Fredericksburg, the regiment went into winter camp at Camp Allen, near Falmouth, Virginia. They spent the winter rotating picket duty on Rappahannock fords with the other regular regiments. Company C was one of the companies from the 1st and 5th U.S. Cavalry regiments which fought at the battle of Kelly’s Ford on March 17, 1863, losing one man killed and three horses.

The regiment joined the Reserve Brigade the same month, and accompanied them on the Stoneman Raid in late April and early May 1863. A few weeks later the regiment particpated in the battle of Brandy Station on June 9th. Assigned to picket duty on river fords initially, the were recalled after the battle started and arrived in the early afternoon. During the movements which culimnated at Gettysburg, he participated in the regiment’s heavy fighting at Upperville, Virginia on June 21st, one of the few who escaped unscathed.

161 years ago today, Sergeant Montgomery’s luck ran out at Gettysburg. He was shot and mortally wounded during the Reserve Brigade’s fight on what is now South Cavalry Field. Thomas Montgomery died of his wounds on July 15, 1863.