Charles J. (Charles Joseph) Murphy

Born in Stockport, England, on June 3, 1832, Charles Joseph Murphy later made his life in New York. He is most clearly documented as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War, serving with the 38th New York Infantry. At the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, he was captured after staying behind to care for wounded soldiers, and he later received the Medal of Honor for that act.

Murphy lived a long life after the war, dying in New York on May 29, 1921. The records found for him center much more on his military career than on his literary life, so some details about his writing career remain hard to confirm. Still, he is remembered as a firsthand witness to a defining moment in American history, which gives his work a special immediacy.

For readers, that means writing shaped by experience rather than distance. Even when the surviving biographical record is sparse, Murphy stands out as someone whose words are linked to courage, endurance, and a remarkable life that crossed continents and eras.