ECW NEWS: UK Ceremony to Honor Last British American Civil War Veteran and His Friend
On October 4, Monuments for UK Veterans of the American Civil War Association will host another dedication in Nottingham Road Cemetery, Derby. We will honour The Last British American Civil War Veteran and his Friend, Henry McGuinness.
Sam Hough: Derby’s Forgotten Civil War Veteran
Born on Ford Street, Derby, Sam Hough saw his life dramatically changed when his family emigrated to America in 1850. Just a teenager, Sam enlisted in the 2nd New Jersey Cavalry at age 16 on September 8, 1864. For his $100 enlistment bounty (worth more than $2,000 today), he was issued the cutting-edge Spencer repeating carbine.
Sam saw action in Mississippi, where his regiment disrupted Confederate railroads in late 1864. On Christmas Day, fires that the Yankees set lit up the countryside. Days later at Egypt Station, they captured hundreds of Confederates, including more than 100 Union turncoats who had defected while prisoners of war.
After the war, Sam returned to England, working in Derby as a cooper and serving as vice president of the Derby Imperial Veterans Association. He later joined the London branch, paid for the funeral of fellow veteran Henry McGuinness, and in 1921 met King George V at the Royal Show.
When his comrade Charles Wright died in 1933, Sam became the last surviving American Civil War veteran in the United Kingdom. He passed away in 1940, his unique story largely forgotten.
History remembers the “last general,” the “last Confederate,” and the “last Medal of Honor recipient,” but not the last Englishman to die a veteran of America’s Civil War. That man was Sam Hough of Derby, and his legacy deserves to be told.
The Extraordinary Journey of Henry McGuinness
Born in Finsbury, London, in 1839, Henry McGuinness lived a life shaped by hardship and resilience. After losing his mother as a child and enduring a turbulent home life, he left for New York in 1857. Life there was tough — he even spent time in an almshouse — before he found work as a tailor in Connecticut.
When the American Civil War broke out, Henry enlisted in the 65th New York Infantry Regiment. He fought in many of the war’s bloodiest battles, including Gettysburg, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor. At Cedar Creek in 1864, where the regiment suffered devastating losses, Henry was badly wounded. He served until his honorable discharge in 1865.
Though he later claimed to have returned to England in 1867, records show him living in Massachusetts before eventually resettling in England. By the 1880s, Henry was in Derby, working as a tailor and becoming active in civic life, especially with the Liberal Association. He was remembered as an eloquent speaker and a man opposed to war, despite his military past.
He would become friends with Samuel in 1916 when they both attended a Fouth of July celebration in 1916 in London that was organised by The London Branch of US Civil War Veterans.
Henry died in November 1916 and was buried with full military honours, his funeral expenses covered by his friend Sam Hough. His life — stretching from London to New York, across Civil War battlefields, and back to the civic halls in Derby — remains a vivid reminder of how ordinary lives intersect with great events in history.
If you would like to keep up to date on all of #TheMonumentalProject projects or attend any of our dedications, then, please, contact us please also check out our social media pages the link is available here .
And for a more in-depth look at Samuel’s and Henry’s life check out a podcast that Darren and Gina did together:
Just for the exercise, went onto NPS Soldier and Sailor System online, to confirm the service of the two British citizens’ in the American Civil War. Using input “Private Samuel Hough of 2nd Regiment, New Jersey Cavalry” his service comes back as “Company G of 2nd New Jersey Cavalry; mustered in as Private and mustered out as Private; and his records were originally filed as ‘Samuel Huff.’” This ‘Samuel Huff’ may indicate how Samuel pronounced his last name; or it may have been a “change in spelling” deemed necessary during “service with the Confederacy” mentioned in the podcast.
“Private Henry McGuinness of 65th Regiment, New York Infantry” does not return a viable veteran on the NPS Soldier and Sailor site. But based on information from the podcast, “Henry Manges” served with the 65th New York, Company K; Private in, Private out.”
Readers can investigate the NPS Soldier and Sailor System https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm for themselves.