Midleton’s Most Famous Forgotten Son? General John Joseph Coppinger

Damian Shiels:

I am involved in a number of other blogs aside from the Irish in the American Civil War. One of these is the Midleton Archaeology & Heritage Project, based around the area where I live. Sometimes I can combine interests; the most recent post to the Midleton Heritage site is a piece on local man John Joseph Coppinger, who served in the Papal Wars, American Civil War, Indian Wars and Spanish-American War, ending his career as a General.

Originally posted on The Midleton Archaeology & Heritage Project:

Many of Midleton’s men and women have emigrated down through the years, settling all over the globe and becoming part of the Irish diaspora. Some went on to become relatively famous abroad- for example Nellie Cashman- a woman who will be the topic a future post. However one man, although his family name remains closely associated with Midleton, is not well-known in the town of his birth. This is despite the fact that he is undoubtedly one of the town’s most successful and colourful emigrants. His name was John Joseph Coppinger.

Coppinger was born in Midleton on 11th October 1834, into the powerful Catholic landowning family. He was one of six children of William Joseph Coppinger and Margaret O’Brien. We don’t know much about John’s early life, until he begins his first associations with the military- associations that would continue across more than half a century. He first tested out the military…

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Filed under: Cork Tagged: Cork American Civil War, Cork History, Indian Wars, Irish American Civil War, John Joseph Coppinger, Midleton History, Rubicon Heritage Services, Spanish-American War