Irish Americans in the American Civil War
Pre-1861 Irish immigration
Irish immigration to the United States has taken place since colonial times (such as
An Irish immigrant, having suffered through an arduous overseas journey,[2] would have been thrust into a difficult and unfamiliar situation, as many were poor and unused to American customs.
Soon, however, the number of Irish-Americans in some cities grew so great that immigrant Patrick Murphy stated "New York is a grand handsome city. But you would hardly know you had left Ireland."[2] American customs, once utterly foreign to the immigrants, became blended with traditional ones, forming a distinct Irish-American culture.
The American Civil War
Most Irish-Americans were settled in the northern American states[2] and were thus called up to serve in the union army by the time the southern states seceded and formed the Confederacy in 1861. Many Irish-Americans formed their own units which embraced Irish customs, such as Catholic masses and priests.
The 1863 draft riots
On March 3, 1863,
A few days after the Enrollment Act was passed, on March 6, 1863, the
The city police were unable to halt a crowd which was ten times more numerous, and the rioting continued. Two days after the riot started, word came that the draft had been suspended. Federal troops returning from the Battle of Gettysburg were sent to the city to quell the riot and peace was finally restored in the streets of New York City more than a day later. An estimated 120 people are thought to have died in the draft riots in New York City, which makes this the most deadly civil insurrection in American history.
Irish service to the Union
The Northern states remained loyal to the United States government, which was led by President Abraham Lincoln. Seven Union generals were Irish-born while an estimated 150,000 Irish-Americans fought for the Union during the war.
The Irish involvement in the war was prevalent from its very beginning, as the two first recorded combat deaths (suffered at Fort Sumter in April 1861) were Irish born. Danial Hough and Edward Galloway (born in Tipperary and Cork respectively) were mortally wounded in the unfortunate explosion of one of the forts 100 guns magazines, that were set to end the siege and mark the Unions withdrawal with a 100 gun salute (a salute which was cut to 50 as a result of the accident). Hough died soon after and was buried in the parade ground, whilst Galloway died five days later.[3]
Irish-Americans living in the Union states often formed their own regiments, notably the 69th New York State Volunteers and 90th Illinois Infantry Regiment. The 69th New York Volunteers flew a green flag with a golden harp on it, symbolizing Ireland. The green flag was carried in addition to the normal regimental and national colours, making the 69th probably the only regiment to carry five colors into battle during the American Civil War.
After the
The Irish Brigade was the subject of the original version of a song, "Kelly's Irish Brigade", after its commander, Patrick Kelly. This has caused a dispute, with those who attribute the song to a known Confederate song of the same name (even sung to the same tune) though both are seen as of the time.[5]
Though the most prevalent and recognised of the 'Irish regiments', several other notable regiments that were largely composed of Irish immigrants also distinguished themselves in the field. For example, the
Even at the war's end, the Irish presence was felt during the tragedy of
Initial enthusiasm to fight for the union was lessened by both spiraling casualties, the seemingly never-ending war, and crucially, the alignment between the war and the abolition of slavery, which produced large amounts of anger in Irish communities, due to a fear that freed slaves would take the jobs often held by poor immigrants in the North (particularly seen in the
Irish-Americans in Confederate service
Although significantly fewer Irish lived in the
Company E, Emerald Guard,
See also
- Irish Brigade (U.S.)Civil War
- 1st Virginia Infantry Battalion C.S. - Civil War
- 69th Infantry Regiment U.S. – Civil War, "The fighting Irish"
- Irish military diaspora units and individuals
- Irish American
- List of Americans of Irish descent
- African Americans in the American Civil War
- German Americans in the American Civil War
- Hispanics in the American Civil War
- Italian Americans in the Civil War
- Native Americans in the American Civil War
- Foreign enlistment in the American Civil War
References
- ^ Kratz, Jessie (2021-03-25). "Celebrating Irish Americans: The Fenian Brotherhood". Pieces of History. U.S. National Archives. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ a b c d Irish Americans – Google Books
- ISBN 1845887689
- ^ The Irish Brigade Fought in America's Civil War » HistoryNet
- ^ Kincaid, David (January 19, 2013). "The Stories Behind the Songs: 'Kelly's Irish Brigade'". The Wild Geese Today. GAR Media.
- ^ "9th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment". The Civil War in the East. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
- ISBN 1845887689
- ^ "Hunting John Wilkes Booth: The Man Who Led the Search for Lincoln's Killer". 5 November 2010.
- ^ "Irish American History - A Community Website For Irish Americans & Other Welcome Visitors -IrishAmericanHistory.com". Archived from the original on 2021-05-09. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
- ^ Irish Fighting Irish By Brian McGinn
- ^ "Kelly's Irish Brigade". Big Canoe Records. 1995. Archived from the original on 2012-06-17.
- ISBN 978-0-292-78246-4. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
Further reading
- Gleeson, David T. The Green and the Gray: The Irish and the Confederate States of America (2013)
- Samito, Christian G. Becoming American under fire: Irish Americans, African Americans, and the politics of citizenship during the Civil War era (2009)
- Ural, Susanna J. The heart and the Eagle: Irish-American volunteers and the Union army, 1861-1865 (2006)
- Corrigan, Michael, Mulligan: a Celtic Romance, about, in part, the Irish in the Civil War.
External links
- Irish in the American Civil War, by Damian Shiels