His private memorial in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery reads:Colonel, 2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry
Quartermaster, 7th United States Infantry
Killed In Action At Grovetown, Virginia, August 28, 1862, aged 29 years
Erected By Survivors Of The Regiment
The Iron Brigade
The battle of Gainesville, Virginia, August 28, 1862. It was in this battle that Col. Edgar O'Connor, a Regular Army Lieutenant from Beloit, who had been promoted to Colonel of the Second, was killed. All but two of the field officers of the brigade were wounded.
Graduate of the United States Military Academy, Class of 1854
A variant of this photo hangs in the Grand Army of the Republic Hall, Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison. It is dated July 18, 1862, camp opposite Fredericksburg, Virginia, and the officers are identified as follows; Left to right: Q. M. J. D. Ruggles, Dr. A. J. Ward, Major J. S. Allen (standing), Lt. Col. Lucius Fairchild, Adjutant C. K. Dean, Col. Edgar O'Connor.
Group including foreground (L to R): Mrs. Hathaway, Capt. Hathaway (standing), Lucius Fairchild, Mary Howe, Col. Edgar O'Connor, Maj. Allen
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard