Bernard John Dowling Irwin | |
|---|---|
 Bernard J. D. Irwin, Medal of Honor recipient | |
| Born | June 24, 1830 County Roscommon, Ireland |
| Died | December 15, 1917 (aged 87) Cobourg, Canada |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1856–1894 |
| Rank |  Brigadier general |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
| Relations | George LeRoy Irwin (son) Stafford LeRoy Irwin (grandson) |
Bernard John Dowling Irwin (June 24, 1830 – December 15, 1917) was an assistant army surgeon during the Apache Wars and the first (chronologically by action) Medal of Honor recipient. His actions on February 13, 1861, are the earliest for which the Medal of Honor was awarded.[1]
Irwin had an interest in natural history and while at Fort Buchanan, Arizona, in 1858–1860 he collected reptile specimens for the Smithsonian Institution.[2] In 1857 Irwin donated a meteorite to the Smithsonian Institution that came to be known as the Irwin-Ainsa (Tucson) meteorite.[3]
A collection of his papers is held at the National Library of Medicine [4]
- ^ HISTORY OF THE MEDAL
- ^ Mearns, Edgar A. (Jan 1902). "Correspondence: A Biographical and Autobiographical Letter" (PDF). Auk. 19: 116–117. doi:10.2307/4069254. JSTOR 4069254. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ^ McGough, P.J. (1943). "References on the Early History of the Tucson, Arizona Meteorites". Popular Astronomy. 51: 563–567. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ^ "Bernard John Dowling Irwin Papers ca.1850-19--". National Library of Medicine.