George Croghan

Who was George Croghan?

George Croghan was born at the Locust Grove farm in what is now Louisville, Kentucky and died in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal.

Two of his famous uncles were Captain William Clark and General George Rogers Clark because his mother, Lucy Clark, was their sister. His father was William Croghan of Dublin, Ireland and served in the revolutionary war at the battles of Brandywine and Monmouth. His wife Serena Livingston was the granddaughter of Robert Livingston of Clermont Manor New York.

Croghan studied at the College of William and Mary and joined the army after he graduated in 1810. He fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He also served at Fort Meigs [modern Perrysburg, Ohio] with distinction. For his defense during the Battle of Fort Stephenson, Ohio during the War of 1812, he was promoted to the rank of colonel. He later led a troop that was defeated in the Battle of Mackinac Island.

Following the war, he resigned from the army during a reduction in force and served as a postmaster in New Orleans. In 1825, he became one of the two inspector generals in the army. During the Mexican-American War he fought as a colonel at Monterrey.