The Beau Ideal of a Soldier and a Gentleman

by Brian A. Bennett

Irishman. Scholar. West Point Valedictorian. Army Engineer. Husband. Colonel, 140th N.Y. Volunteers. Gettysburg Hero. The beau ideal of a soldier and a gentleman. Soft cover, 6 x 8 1/4. 222 pages, 12 photos, six maps, index, bibliography. On July 2, 1863, on a boulder-strewn hill outside of the Pennsylvania village of Gettysburg, a Federal colonel made an instantaneous decision that helped turn the tide of battle. The successful defense of Little Round Top was a critical component in the Union victory. A monument on the crest bears the likeness of the young commander, yet the exploits of Patrick Henry O Rorke have been overshadowed on the pages of history by the actions of others on that rocky slope. O Rorke sacrificed his life in the battle, at the head of his regiment. Still the sum of his life was much more than his courageous action at Gettysburg. A native of Ireland, his temperament and ability transcended the stereotypes of his day. O Rorke s obvious intellect secured an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He finished first in his class, earning a spot in the prestigious Corps of Engineers. Exemplary work along the South Carolina coast gained him a colonel s commission in the infantry, commanding the 140th N.Y. Volunteers, a regiment raised in his hometown of Rochester. His friends, classmates and admirers felt he would climb to the very highest ranks of the army. et it says much about O Rorke that his peers reminisced as much about his character as his military talents. He was, remembered one, the beau ideal of a soldier and a gentleman. This is the first full-length biography of O Rorke, written by Brian A. Bennett, author of Sons of Old A Regimental History of Patrick O Rorke s 140th New York Volunteer Infantry. It examines O Rorke s childhood days, his tenure at West Point, his service as an army engineer along the South Carolina/Georgia coast, as well as his tenure in the Army of the Potomac.

222 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published June 28, 2012