Tipperary-born John Lonergan escaped the Great Hunger in Ireland in 1849, brought by his parents to Burlington as a child. He commanded his Irish unit, Co. A, 13th VT, in the battle of Gettysburg, receiving a Medal of Honor for gallantry. As the head of the Fenian Brotherhood in Vermont, he organized “circles” throughout the state. In 1866 and 1870, Lonergan was involved in both Fenian attacks on Canada, blows struck for Ireland against British rule.