right|thumb|350px|Congressional medal presented by Congress February 13, 1835. Obverse: Presented by Congress to Colonel George Croghan, 1835. Bust of Colonel Croghan Reverse: Pars Magna Fuit (His share was great.) Ft. Stephenson with three gunboats on Lake Erie in background
George Croghan (November 15, 1791 – January 8, 1849) was an American soldier who was a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal.
Early life
Croghan was born at the Locust Grove farm in what is now Louisville, Kentucky. He was a son of Lucy ( Clark) Croghan (1765–1838) and William Croghan (1752–1822), from Dublin, Ireland who he had served in the Revolutionary War at the battles of Brandywine and Monmouth. Among his maternal uncles were Capt. William Clark and Gen. George Rogers Clark.
Croghan studied at the College of William and Mary, graduating in 1810.
Career
After he graduated from William and Mary, Croghan joined the U.S. Army. He fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He also served at Fort Meigs (modern Perrysburg, Ohio) with distinction. For his defense with a small garrison against a British attack during the Battle of Fort Stephenson, Ohio, in 1813 during the War of 1812, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He later led a troop that was defeated in the Battle of Mackinac Island.
Following the war, Croghan resigned from the army during a reduction in force and was appointed as a postmaster in New Orleans. In 1825, he became one of the two inspector generals in the army. During the Mexican–American War Croghan fought as a colonel at Monterrey.
Personal life
Croghan married Serena Eliza Livingston (1795–1884), a daughter of John R. Livingston and Margaret ( Sheafe) Livingston. Serena was a granddaughter of Robert Livingston (1718–1775) of Clermont Manor in New York. Together, they were the parents of:
- Mary Angelica Croghan (1819–1906), who married the Rev. Christopher Billop Wyatt, a grandson of Christopher Billop, in 1848.
- St. George Louis Livingston Croghan (1823–1861), who married Cornelia Adelaide Ridgely, daughter of Commodore Charles C. Ridgely (son of Gov. Charles C. Ridgely) and Cornelia Louisiana ( Livingston) Ridgely (daughter of Robert L. Livingston and granddaughter of Walter Livingston), in 1846.