LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN G. HEALY

Born in New Haven on Feb. 12, 1841, he was the son of Thomas and Mary (Gray) Healy and the oldest of eight children. After learning the trade of a marble cutter, he joined the Emmett Guard of New Haven. He enlisted in Company C of the Ninth Regiment in August of 1861 and became a Captain in April of 1862. Captain Healy and three men from the Ninth captured a sloop laden with supplies and correspondence for the rebels, on Lake Ponchartrain, New Orleans on the night of February 8, 1862. After arriving at the Canal area, Captain John Healy and Lt Patrick Clafee led a handpicked detachment of 20 men across the river under the cover of darkness and remained in the swamps directly under the guns of Vicksburg for eight days gathering information. Later in the war, the Ninth under the command of then Capt. Healy were the first to plant their colors on the recaptured works at Cedar Creek and were the first to advance the charge.
In 1866 he went to Ireland with Capt. Lawrence O’Brien and Lieut. Joseph Lawlor, in connection with the Fenian movement, was arrested in Limerick and imprisoned for six months. He was a later an alderman in New Haven, held a number of post war offices in veteran organizations and was the Assistant Adjutant General of the State of Connecticut.
In his later years Col John Healy tried unsuccessfully to assemble and enlist an Irish Regiment for the Spanish American War in New Haven despite his “advanced” age. He died in New Haven June 6, 1909.