He received the Medal of Honor for actions taken in service of the Union Army during the American Civil War.
He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Corinth, where he continued carrying his regiment's colors despite being wounded three times.
[6] Murphy had one final stint in the Union Army, when he was commissioned 1st lieutenant of Company D, 53rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment in April 1865.
Only four companies of the 53rd Wisconsin Infantry were organized, but the regiment was never officially mustered into federal service, as the bulk of Confederate forces had surrendered by this time.
This saber was kept and handed down by his descendants until it mysteriously disappeared into the hands of a thus-far anonymous collector (who later attempted to sell it to the Neville Public Museum) in the mid-1990s - as verified by descendant Michael Lee of Green Bay, from whose younger brother John the ceremonial saber was stolen.