He was posthumously honored with the award on April 30, 1892. Gilligan joined the Army from Philadelphia in October 1861. He was commissioned as an officer in October 1864, and mustered out with his regiment in June 1865.
Gilligan was buried in Oxford, Pennsylvania.
Gilligan received his country"s highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor. Gilligan"s medal was won after he assisted in the capture of a Confederate flag. The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to First Sergeant Edward Lyons Gilligan, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 1 July 1863, while serving with Company East, 88th Pennsylvania Infantry, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
