Summary:
Learn about the role of Irish Brigade as they fought for the Union during American Civil War. Why did they did they fight and die for the United States? Learn about their valor in battle and their contribution to the ultimate victory of the Union.

Details or Sample:
In his report of the battle of Antietam, Brigadier General Thomas Meagher, said of his men, "Never did men with such alacrity and generosity of heart press forward and encounter the perils of battle." These were not the first words of praise for the valor of the men of the 69th New York State Volunteers as they served the Union Army during the American Civil War. They wouldn"t be the last. They were, however, neither spoken by an American, nor directed at Americans. Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher, born in County Waterford Ireland, was referring to the Irish born and Irish American soldiers known as the Irish Brigade.

Of the 2,000,000 men who served in the Union Army, the Irish with 150,000 Irish and Irish-American men comprised the second largest ethnic group behind the Germans, who were represented by about 175,000 men. From the beginning of the Civil War through to its end, the arrival of the green regimental flag with its harp and shamrocks signaled the presence of the Irish Brigade.

Many of the Irish volunteers were immigrants who had fled the famine in Ireland. Their reasons for fighting were as varied and mixed as those of any other group. For some, the American Civil War was seen as a training ground to prepare to free Ireland from the British. General Meagher, prior to forming the Irish Brigade said, "… I hold that if only one in ten of us came back when this war is over, the military experience gained by that one will be of more service in a fight for Ireland"s freedom than would that of the entire ten as they are now."

Others wished to prove their loyalty to the Union and make a place for themselves in the United States. Prejudice against immigrants was rampant in the country. Immigrants were accused of creating whatever woes existed at the moment. The Irish Catholics were on the next to the lowest rung on the economic and social ladder, ahead only of slaves. Accused of owing total allegiance to the Pope, they felt volunteering for service to the United States would prove their loyalty and help diffuse the anti-Irish sentiment that prevented them from getting the work needed to achieve a better lot in life.

The first assignment of the Irish Brigade, which was formed prior to the start of war, served to underscore the anti-Irish sentiment in the country. Yet it also foreshadowed the reasons the Irish Brigade would gain the admiration and respect of both sides of the conflict.

Although the Irish Brigade was ultimately comprised of many different regiments representing New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, it began as the 69th of New York. In October of 1858 the 69th under the leadership of Irish born Captain Michael Corcoran, was assigned the task of guarding a hospital filled with immigrants suffering from yellow fever. The hospital was under quarantine. Hatred and suspicion of immigrants led to attempts by the locals to burn the hospital down. In guarding the hospital, the 69th found itself on the receiving end of ethnic epithets from other militia units and local residents. When the task was done, the governor praised them for a job well done.

In 1860 Corcoran, who attained the rank of colonel, refused to let his regiment parade for the visiting Edward, Prince of Wales. The Irish in America cheered and sent him gifts for refusing to bow to England. A group of ladies in New York gave Corcoran and his regiment a hand embroidered green flag adorned with a harp and shamrocks, which they later carried into the first battle of Bull Run. Outside of the Irish community, Corcoran"s action was met with outrage and seen as proof that the Irish were not loyal to the United States. Colonel Corcoran was arrested and relieved of his command. On April 12, 1861, while he awaited his court marital, Fort Sumter was fired on. The American Civil War had begun.

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Written by: Christina Coruth
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