The Irish Brigade in the Civil War: the 69th New York and other Irish regiments of the Army of the Potomac

474 Pages·1998·11.17 MB·English

by  Joseph G. Bilby

The Irish Brigade in the Civil War : The
title: 69th New York and Other Irish Regiments
of the Army of the Potomac
author: Bilby, Joseph G.
publisher: Combined Publishing
isbn10 | asin: 0938289977
print isbn13: 9780938289975
ebook isbn13: 9780585113135
language: English
United States.--Army of the Potomac.--Irish
Brigade, United States.--Army.--New York
Infantry Regiment, 69th (1861-1865) ,
subject United States--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865--Participation, Irish American, Irish
Americans--History--19th century, United
States--
publication date: 1998
lcc: E493.5.I683B553 1998eb
ddc: 973.7
United States.--Army of the Potomac.--Irish
Brigade, United States.--Army.--New York
Infantry Regiment, 69th (1861-1865) ,
subject: United States--History--Civil War, 1861-
1865--Participation, Irish American, Irish
Americans--History--19th century, United
States--
The Irish Brigade in the Civil War
Thomas Francis Meagher as Captain of the 69th New York Militia's
Company of "Irish Zouaves" (Company K) appeared in the Irish
American on August 17, 1861. (Lt. Col. Kenneth H. Powers Collection)
Page i
The Irish Brigade in the Civil War
The 69th New York and Other Irish Regiments of the
Army of the Potomac
Joseph G. Bilby
COMBINED PUBLISHING
Pennsylvania
Combined Publishing paperback edition, 1998.
Originally published in cloth edition under the title Remember Fontenoy!
published by arrangement with Longstreet House, New Jersey.
©1995, 1997 by Joseph G. Bilby
All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce in any form must be secured from the publisher.
For information, address:
COMBINED PUBLISHING
P.O. Box 307
Conshohocken, PA 19428
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.dca.net/combinedbooks
Orders: 1-800-418-6065
ISBN 0-938289-97-7
Cataloging-in-Publication Data available from the Library of Congress.
Printed in The United States of America.
Page iii
Contents
List of Illustrations iv
List of Maps vii
Introduction ix
Acknowledgements xi
1 3
"Remember Ireland and Fontenoy"
2 31
"Like Brothers in a Fight"
3 49
"Sorrow Hangs as a Shroud"
4 73
"There They Are!"
5 95
"We Run This Machine Now!"
6 113
"Veteran Soldiers Wept Like Children"
Epilog, "Where Are the Others" 129
Recessional, "The Work is Finished" 133
Appendix I, Meagher of the Sword 135
Appendix II, The "Wild Geese" 145
Appendix III, Small Arms and the Irish Brigade 147
Photo Gallery 167
Notes 239
Bibliography 253
Index 261
Author Biography 270
Page iv
Illustrations
Illustration Page
Thomas Francis Meagher as Captain of the "Irish Front
Zouaves"
Letter of Colonel Corcoran refusing tickets to the Prince 2
of Wales Ball
The 69th N.Y.S.M. leaves for War in 1861 4
View from Fort Corcoran 6
Father Thomas Mooney 7
Colonel Michael J. Corcoran 10
The 69th Militia at Bull Run 14
James M. Rorty and Peter Kelly escape across the 15
Potomac River
The Return of the New York 69th Regiment 16
Broadway from Broome Street 19
Generals Thomas F. Meagher and Robert Nugent 20
General Meagher 24
Irish Brigade officers at Harrison's Landing 26
Maurice A. Scully Jr. with a smoothbore musket 32
Soldiers completing work on the Grapevine Bridge 36
Peter F. Rafferty at Malvern Hill 46
(Top) Southeastern stretch of the Sunken Road 56
(Bottom) Confederate dead of D. H. Hill's Division 56
Dead of the Irish Brigade at Antietam 58
St. Patrick's Day Celebration in Camp, 1863 75
Dragging the guns of the Fifth Maine off the Battlefield 80
of Chancellorsville
Lieutenant Colonel St. Clair Mulholland 82
Colonel Patrick Kelly 83
Father Corby statue at Gettysburg 85
Absolution under fire by Father Corby at Gettysburg 86
Brigadier General Thomas A. Smyth 99
Breastworks of Hancock's Corps on the Brock Road 103
Colonel Richard Byrnes 108
Model 1858 forage cap 112
Colonel Robert Nugent 118
Return of the Flags of the Irish Brigade 126
Gettysburg Monument to the Irish Brigade 128
Postwar medals of Lieutenant Thomas McGrath 130