Damian Shiels's Blog, page 18

A Visual Journey through North Donegal’s American Civil War Landscape

I am fascinating by the physical remnants of the past that survive in the contemporary landscape. When we think of landscapes of the American Civil War, the images conjured in our minds are often of vast battlefields, such as the monument encrusted fields and hills of Gettysburg. But they also encompass many other areas– places like the towns, cities and countryside that once made up the Union and Confederate home fronts, or the rivers and seas where ironclads and blockade runners once cut the waves. The beauty of viewing the past through landscapes is that they are multi-layered, offering us an opportunity to read their story from different perspectives, and from different points in history. It also allows us to engage with landscapes in unconventional ways, including one of my favourite pastimes–examining Irish landscapes of the American Civil War. 

The narrative of the men and women who were involved in the American Civil War were much more than their experiences between 1861 and 1865. Their life-tale stretched many years before Fort Sumter, and–if they were fortunate–often many years after Appomattox. Their personal narratives extended beyond themselves as individuals, encompassing a web of friends and relatives on both sides of the Atlantic, all of whom were impacted by their experiences. As such, it becomes possible to extend our view of what constitutes an “American Civil War” landscape, looking beyond the great battlefields of the war and even beyond the United States itself to examine the physical remains that played a role in these peoples’ lives. The photographs in this post relate to sites in North Donegal (where I have family connections) which I visited specifically because of their links to individuals impacted by the conflagration between North and South. They serve as an added reminder of how the course of pre-1861 Irish history impacted those in America, and how the course of post-1861 American history impacted those still in Ireland. 

THE FORMATIVE YEARS OF GENERAL MICHAEL CORCORAN, CREESLOUGH, CO. DONEGAL

Brigadier-General Michael Corcoran was one of the most famed Irish leaders of the American Civil War. A dedicated Fenian, as Colonel of the 69th New York State Militia he had refused to parade the regiment on the visit of the Prince of Wales to New York in 1860. Captured at First Bull Run, his national fame increased as he was held under threat of reciprocal execution by the Confederate Government. Released to great fanfare, he formed Corcoran’s Irish Legion, one of only two brigade-level ethnic Irish formations to serve in the American Civil War. His brigade were decimated in 1864, but Corcoran did not live to see it- he had died in a fall from his horse in late 1863. A young Michael Corcoran had served in the Revenue Police in Creeslough, Co. Donegal, a force that was largely charged with clamping down on illegal distilling. His experiences during his time in the police are believed to have been partially responsible for his radicalisation.

 

ORIGINS OF A TENNESSEAN COLOR BEARER, DRUMABODEN, RAMELTON, CO. DONEGAL

In 1839 Joe L. Campbell was born into an Ulster-Scots Presbyterian family in Drumaboden House near Ramelton, Co. Donegal. Shortly before the war his family had left their home to join relatives in Tennessee, making their home in Franklin. During the Civil War Joe enlisted in the 1st Tennessee Infantry, and was severely wounded and captured at the Battle of Stones River. He was exchanged and promoted to Sergeant in time to take part in the 1863 Battle of Chickamauga, where he carried the regimental colors. He was shot in the face and killed during the unit’s attack of 19th September 1863– his brothers later erected a monument to him near the spot where he fell (a more detailed post on Joe Campbell will follow in the future).

 

A ZOUAVE’S JOURNEY BEGINS, MASSMOUNT, FANAD, CO. DONEGAL

On 3rd December 1850 James McFadden married Anna Duffy at Massmount on the Fanad Peninsula. They later emigrated to Philadelphia, where in 1861 James became a member of the 23rd Pennsylvania Infantry, a Zouave unit. He marched through Virginia and Pennsylvania over the next three years, being wounded at Cold Harbor. When the 23rd mustered out, James transferred to the 82nd Pennsylvania Infantry. He was with them on 6th April 1865 when they helped to win the major Union victory at the Battle of Sailor’s Creek, but he did not live through the engagement. You can read more about James’s story here.

 

THE LONG REACH OF GETTYSBURG, CORCREGGAN, DUNFANAGHY, CO. DONEGAL

In the late summer of 1863 news arrived in the townland of Corcreggan to the home of Ann and Thomas McKinley. It brought devastating tidings. Their son James had emigrated to America in 1859, joining others from his local area in Pennsylvania. Initially working in an iron foundry, James regularly remitted money home to his ageing parents in Ireland. In Pittsburgh on 25th July 1861 he enlisted into what became the 62nd Pennsylvania Infantry. Two years later, on Gettysburg’s Second Day he was involved in the savage fighting around the Wheatfield, where he received a gunshot wound to the right thigh. The following day James was taken to a local field hospital, where he died on 15th July. The devastating news came back to Corcreggan, where his mother received a military pension based on her son’s service into the 1880s.

 

A CIVIL WAR SAILOR, ARRYHEERNABIN, FANID, CO. DONEGAL

Irish immigrant communities in the mid-nineteenth century United States were extremely tight-knit. The Irish usually married among their own, and it was not unknown for women to travel to America to wed someone from their local area who was already there. Fanad peninsula native William Sweeney had emigrated prior to the Civil War, and during the conflict served in the Navy as a First-Class Boy and later a Landsman aboard USS Juanita, USS Rhode Island, USS Powhatan and USS Nereus. After the conflict he married a fellow Fanad native, Hannah Sweeney of Arryheernabin, born and raised in the shadow of Fanad Lighthouse. Hannah will be the subject of a more detailed post at a later date, but remarkably we are able to identify the very houses which were once home to her family in Donegal. After her emigration, Hannah lived out her days in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she died in the early twentieth century (Special thanks to the Friel family for permission to visit the Sweeney houses).

 

A RETURNED GETTYSBURG VETERAN, GLENINEENY, GLEN, CO. DONEGAL

Charly Gallagher emigrated from Donegal and enlisted in the 69th Pennsylvania Infantry in 1861. Through the years that followed he fought at some of the most famous engagements of the war, including the repulse of Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg. Charly also served in the 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery, and the 16th, 18th and 25th United States Infantry. He spent time after the war in the National Home, but eventually returned to Ireland, where he was included in the 1901 Census living in Glenineeny townland, part of Glen, Co. Donegal. When he passed away he would have been buried in Old Carrigart Cemetery, Umlagh.

 

EVICTION OF BEREAVED PARENTS, MUINEAGH, FANAD, CO. DONEGAL

Hugh Coyle enlisted in the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry on 1 October 1861. While he and his comrades fell upon retreating Confederates at Monterey Pass, Pennsylvania on 4 July 1863 Hugh was captured. Sent to Andersonville, he died there on 24 June 1864 and is interred in Grave 2399. Hugh may well have been born in the townland of Tully, where his father or one of his close relatives once held land. By the time of his death his parents John and Eunice were living in Muineagh townland. When Eunice applied for a pension, she included an eviction notice from her landlord, the Third Earl of Leitrim. Leitrim wanted their land “to graze black cattle.” A few years after Eunice sent this letter, three Fanad men rowed across the Mulroy and assassinated Leitrim in retribution for his treatment of his tenants. A monument was erected to them from where they began their journey in Fanad.

 

REMEMBERING A MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT, FALCARRAGH, CO. DONEGAL

Perhaps the best known soldier from North Donegal was Michael Dougherty from Falcarragh. Michael received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the conflict, and afterwards wrote a memoir of his time both at the front and while a prisoner of war at Andersonville. You can read about him in posts on the site here and here. Michael is remembered with a small display in Falcarragh Visitor Centre (the former RIC Barracks). Nearby is Droichead na nDeor, the “Bridge of Tears”, where traditionally emigrants from the area parted from their families for the last time before heading to Derry and their departure. Michael Dougherty may well have been one of those to say their final farewells there.

 

If you have enjoyed this and other posts and resources on the website, please consider supporting my work on Patreon. You can do so for as little as $1 per month, and gain access to exclusive content. You can find out more by clicking here or visiting https://www.patreon.com/irishacw.

The post A Visual Journey through North Donegal’s American Civil War Landscape appeared first on Irish in the American Civil War.

Exploring the Stories of American Civil War Widows in Scandinavia

A number of previous posts have explored the impact of loss during the American Civil War on ordinary people in Europe (See Mapping Mainland Europe’s American Civil War Widows). Many of them had never–and would never–set foot in the United States. The new post explores the stories of three Scandinavian women (one each from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) and the events of their youth which forever linked their experiences to the 1860s conflagration fought so far away. 

In May 1861 the American Civil War was just a few weeks old. While the eyes of much of Europe were cast anxiously across the Atlantic, the erupting fratricidal struggle was far from the minds of Per Erik Berg and Karin Woxell. That was hardly surprising, given that more than four and a half thousand miles separated their home in rural Sweden from the seat of war. In anycase, their priorities that month were firmly on their own impending union. On 21st May the young miller and his bride wed in the parish church of Ilsbo, Gävleborg County, Hälsingland, a province in the middle of the country that fronted onto the Gulf of Bothnia. While the conflict in America ebbed and flowed in the months that followed, the Berg family went about their lives in Sweden. Karin became pregnant, and on 14th May 1863 the couple celebrated the birth of a son, Samuel. But the family’s life was one of constant struggle to stave off poverty. Per decided to try to change that. Gathering together as much money as he could, he set off for the United States. Undoubtedly his plan was to secure employment and gather enough funds to send for his wife and son. It was a well-worn emigrant strategy. Per headed to Massachusetts, an area where he already knew some Swedes – men like Christian R. Durback, who was a cabinet-maker in East Boston. While he sought out work as a laborer in his new home, back in Sweden Karin and Samuel moved in with Karin’s mother, and waited for news.

[image error]

Ilsbo Church in Sweden, where Per Erik Berg and Karin Woxell were married in 1861 (Photo: Y-näsmannen)

While Karin awaited developments in Sweden, on the other side of the Scandinavian Peninsula another wife and mother anxiously sought news from across the Atlantic. Gurine Nastaas made her home with her six children in the Norwegian city of Bergen, on that country’s south-west coast. Her husband had left for America sometime before 1862. His name was Knut Johannes Nastaas, and he and Gurine (née Ellingsen) had married in Bergen’s Korskirken on 12th May 1845. At the time, Knut was serving as a Vice-Corporal in the Norwegian army. Their wedding may have had more than a hint of social necessity about it, as Gurine had already given birth to their first son–Johan Christian–on 20th March. Indeed, their baby boy was christened in the Korskirken on the same day the couple wed. In the years that followed the family grew: Christine Gurine (b. 1847), Erik (b. 1849), Knut Christian (b. 1854), Sigtrud (b. 1857) and Moilde (b. 1859). Perhaps it was Knut’s military background that led him to embrace the opportunity that the American Civil War offered. On 22nd July 1862, he enlisted in the 82nd Illinois Infantry–an ethnic German regiment–in Chicago. In the years ahead he would march with them to famed battlefields like Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and Atlanta.

[image error]

The Korskirken in Bergen, where Knut Johannes Nastaas and Gurine Ellingsen wed in 1845, and where their baby boy was christened the same day (Photo:Nina Aldin Thune)

By the time Knut Nastaas was in the early weeks of his American military career, and perhaps even before Per Erik Berg had landed in the United States, bad news from the Civil War battlefields was already winging its way to Scandinavia. Its target was Thrine Margarethe Rasmussen. Thrine lived in Klusetgaard, Lumby, on Denmark’s Fyn Island. Niels Christian Rasmussen and Thrine Margarete Jeppesdotter had tied the knot in Denmark’s Østrup parish on 7th Feb 1858. The official record of their marriage read as follows:

Young man, carpenter Niels Chr. Rasmussen, residing with his father, Rasmus Rasmussen in Lumby, 22 2/12 years of age, and the girl, Thrine Magarethe Jeppesdotter, residing with her bro in law, farmer Niels Hansen of Østrup parish plains married in Østrup church. The bride, a short time after the wedding moved to her husband in Lumby.

Like Karin and Gurine, Thrine’s husband had not been an immigrant long, leaving for America sometime between 1859 and 1861. He enlisted in Hudson City, New Jersey in September 1861 in the 54th New York Infantry, another largely German unit. With them he fought Stonewall Jackson at the Battle of Cross Keys in the Shenandoah Valley, but met his end at the Second Battle of Bull Run, Virginia on 30th August 1862. Thrine–who had no children–would never marry again.

[image error]

Østrup Church in Denmark, where Neils Christian Rasmussen and Thrine Margarethe Jeppesdotter married in 1858 (Photo: Søren Møller)

In Massachusetts, Swedish emigrant Per Erik Berg was finding employment difficult to come by, or perhaps saw in the military bounties on offer an opportunity to fast-track his plans to bring Karin and Samuel to America. Either way, on 29th February 1864 he enlisted in the 59th Massachusetts Infantry in Stoneham. Per decided not to use his real name, instead entering the army under the alias of Charles Peterson. He was described as 5 feet 6 inches in height, with blue eyes, brown hair and a light complexion. Assigned to Company G, he fought with the regiment through the Overland Campaign. Outside Petersburg, Virginia on 24th June 1864 he was struck by a Rebel bullet near his right elbow. Evacuated first to City Point, he was ultimately moved back to the U.S. General Hospital in Readville, Massachusetts. His friend Christian Durback visited him there, and presumably wrote to Karin in Sweden to inform her of the news. As was so common during the war, Per contracted a secondary disease while weakened by his wound. He was unable to recover. On 23rd October 1864 he died, officially succumbing to chronic diarrhoea. Per Erik Berg was buried under his alias in the Old Village Cemetery, Dedham, Massachusetts.

[image error]

The Hospital Card of Per Erik Berg (Charles Peterson) after his wounding (National Archives)

In the Western Theater, old Norwegian soldier Knut Nastaas survived the worst the Confederate Army of Tennessee had thrown at him. But it was to be the March to the Sea that did him in. Like Per he contracted chronic diarrhoea, which ended his life at Dalton, Georgia on 16th February 1865.

All three Scandinavian women ended the American Civil War as widows. None had ever been to the United States, and none ever seem to have travelled there. Neither would any of them ever remarry. With the help of their respective American Consuls, as well as family and friends in Europe and America, they all successfully secured a pension. In 1865 each of them had decades left to live; Thrine, Gurine and Karin all survived well into the twentieth century. Thrine died in Østrup, Denmark around 1910. Gurine passed away in Os, Norway on 30th January 1914. Karin’s last day came in Östanå, Sweden on 15th March 1917. There had been bumps along the road with respect to their American pensions–for example all were affected by the crisis which impacted European pensioners in 1893 (You can read my piece about that here). Nonetheless, the finances the pensions brought must have made a great difference to their lives, though at an awful price. All had lost not just their husbands, but their chance for a new life in America for themselves and their children. Ultimately each of them successfully navigated the challenges placed before them. Today, their lived experiences are a further testament to the global impact of the American Civil War, an impact which stretched even to the remote farms and villages of Europe’s Northern extremes.

If you have enjoyed this and other posts and resources on the website, please consider supporting my work on Patreon. You can do so for as little as $1 per month, and gain access to exclusive content. You can find out more by clicking here or visiting https://www.patreon.com/irishacw.

[image error]

Lumby Mølle (Mill) in Denmark, a local landmark that Thrine (and Niels) Rasmussen would have been familiar with (Photo: Malene Thyssen)

*None of my work on pensions would be possible without the exceptional effort in the National Archives to digitize this material and make it available online. A team of archivists from NARA supported by volunteers have enabled access to this treasure trove of historical information. To learn more about their work you can watch a video by clicking here.

References

1870 Federal Census.

1883 List of Pensioners on the Roll.

Charles Peterson Military Service Record.

Widow’s Pension File of Karin Berg.

Widow’s Pension File of Gurine Nastaas.

Widow’s Pension File of Thrine Rasmussen.

The post Exploring the Stories of American Civil War Widows in Scandinavia appeared first on Irish in the American Civil War.

Irish Examiner: Researching the 200,000 Irish-born Soldiers who fought in the American Civil War

As many readers are aware, I am currently at Northumbria University in Newcastle working on PhD research into the letters of Irish soldiers and sailors who served in the Union military. Forming the basis of this work is a database of well over 1000 contemporary letters relating to Irish American servicemen that I have spent more than six years compiling through the Widows and Dependent Pension Files. A recent report in the Irish Examiner, one of Ireland’s national newspapers, highlighted some of my work. If you would like to read it you can do so by clicking here.

The post Irish Examiner: Researching the 200,000 Irish-born Soldiers who fought in the American Civil War appeared first on Irish in the American Civil War.

Illiterate Letters to the Clachan: Revealing One Family’s Emigration Story in 1870s Donegal

James McDevitt was born into a large Irish family around the year 1845. His home was in a small cluster of houses– known as a clachan– which operated an infield and outfield farming system known as rundale (see here). James grew up cheek by jowl with not only his own siblings but a number of other children from the Harkin, Toner, Quinn and McCormack houses which surrounded his own. The small settlement they inhabited was on the south bank of the River Swilly in the townland of Drumenan, near Glenswilly, Co. Donegal. Drumenan was marginal land, with only a few well-drained fields in a locality dominated by bog. Prospects were few and far between for the McDevitt children, and it was inevitable that the family sundered on the rock of emigration. While some of the McDevitts remained in Donegal, others set out for New York. James was 21 when his turn to leave came round in 1866. Through his life, he had enjoyed an especially close relationship with his father Patrick. As he was about to set off, Patrick took his son “out between the buildings” of the clachan to impart some final advice. Neither knew if they would every see each other again. James left for the emigrant boat with the words still ringing in his ears. There were many he was sorry to leave behind, but perhaps none more so than his niece. The girl he had always referred to fondly as “little Grace”–even though she was only a few years his junior– was one of those to tearfully wave him off.

[image error]

The Griffith’s Valuation map showing the clachan where James McDevitt grew up in Drumenan, Co. Donegal. His father’s house is the building marked 2f (askaboutireland.ie)

It is not clear what James chose to do in his first years in America, but his first port of call was certainly with family, probably his brother. By the 1870s he had determined on the military life. He became a member of the United States Marines, and was soon deployed on long voyages to far flung destinations. His profession made it difficult for him to keep in touch with home, as he would often be at sea for months or even years at a time. Even so, James wrote when he could. This was despite the fact that, like nearly all his family, he was illiterate. But as we have seen countless times before, literacy was no barrier to either writing or reading letters. James had different comrades pen his correspondence home for him during his service. His letters imparted news about the McDevitt family in America, and sought it from the McDevitt family in Ireland. The topics he covered were typical of those covered by American emigrants when writing to rural Ireland in this period. James often specifically addressed multiple family members in a single letter, a tell-tale sign that the correspondence was communal. After it arrived in the Drumenan clachan, family and friends gathered around as it was read aloud by a literate relative or neighbour. Another feature of James’s letters was his feeling of responsibility to those left behind, also common in emigrant correspondence. While in America he sought to fulfil these obligations by remitting money and by paying the passage of other family members to the United States. The McDevitt story is typical of the working-class experience of nineteenth century Irish emigration. What makes it special is that we have some of the detail which helps bring that story to life.

The location of the McDevitt home as it appears today. The Clachan no longer exists.Of the 13 family names recorded in the townland in the mid-nineteenth century, only six were left in 1901.The McDevitts were not among them.

When James first joined the Marines they physically described him. He was said to be 5 feet 7 inches tall, with grey eyes, brown hair and a ruddy complexion. By 1877, he had been assigned to a new vessel, the USS Huron. An iron-hulled screw steamer with a full-rig auxiliary sail, she had only been launched at the end of 1875. On the night of 23rd November 1877 James left Hampton Roads, Virginia aboard the Huron, bound for Cuba. They had barely left before they were truck by a deadly storm, gusting from the south-east. At around 1.30 in the morning Huron ran aground at Nag’s Head, North Carolina, just 200 yards from the beach. Although they were almost within touching distance of safety, the dreadful conditions prevented most of the more than 130 men aboard from reaching shore. As waves lashed the ship, they desperately clung to the wreckage and waited for help to come. It never did. The lifestations along the coast were closed that November. As the hours passed, some men reportedly lashed themselves to the hull to prevent themselves from being swept overboard. But the strength of more and more of the men failed, and they were gradually washed overboard to their deaths. One wave alone cast at least 12 of them to their doom. In the end, 98 men perished– one of them Private James McDevitt. The remains of those men who were identified were taken to the United States Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, Maryland, but unfortunately James’s body was not among them. Today his name is remembered on the rear of the Huron memorial in the cemetery.

[image error]

The rear of the USS Huron memorial at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. James’s name is second from bottom on the right (US Naval Academy)

Perhaps mercifully, James’s father Patrick had not lived to hear of his son’s premature death. He had passed away in Donegal on 14th March 1875 after a long illness. James’s mother Mary was still alive, and she attempted to secure an American military pension, an effort that ultimately proved unsuccessful. In her appeal she recorded that she owned only a “piece of mountain land” that was valued at £2 annually. Her home was described as a “small cabin.” Because James was no longer remitting money from America, she was “now in debt to my neighbours for foods and money…” Some of those neighbours gave evidence on her behalf, remarking how she only had 2 acres of arable land. Mary McDevitt also enlisted the help of her family in America. There to coordinate those efforts was “little Grace.” James’s favourite niece had emigrated to New York, and it seems it may have been James who paid her passage. In fact, he had spent his last three days leave with her before heading off for what proved the final time. The 1880 Census records Grave at 260 4th Avenue in New York, where the 28-year-old was working as a chamber maid. She was living with 15 other Irish chamber maids and an Irish-born cook, and was one of the few who could neither read nor write. Even so, she went to great lengths to secure the documentation her grandmother in Ireland needed. This included statements from other members of their Donegal clachan who now lived in America. But the Pension Bureau remained unsatisfied, and eventually asked Mary McDevitt if she had any letters from James. She duly sent them to Washington D.C. from Donegal, where they remain preserved in the National Archives. Unfortunately she never received a pension. The five letters, which offer such an intriguing insight into the emotional toll of emigration, are reproduced in full below.

The wreck site of the USS Huron is now a popular diving spot. The Town of Nags Head tells her story here.

August 19th 1874

Dear Father and Mother I now take this favourable opportunity of writing to you to let you know that I am in good health thank God for it. Hoping you are all enjoying the same great blessing. Dear Father and mOther you must excuse my not writing before this. Dear Mother I am just after making a three years and a half cruise through Southern America. Dear Mother I am only here at this post one month and I will perhaps remain here the remainder of my enlistment unless there is some chance offered for a transfer to some other post. My time will be out in September 1875. Dear Father and Mother I have not forgotten you yet. Dear Father and Mother I never knew about what it was to want a Father and Mother until I cam to this Country. You must let me know in your answer to this letter how you are getting along. Dear Mother I wish to know how sister Mary and husband are getting along because I know that she is raising a large family and I know it must be pretty hard on her. Give my love to her and tell her that I have not forgotten her yet and I will do something for her and also let little Grace know that her Uncle has not forgotten her yet. Tell her if she wants anything from her Uncle to not be backward in asking for it. Tell her if she wants to come to America to just let me know, let her know that I will pay all expenses. Dear Mother I ave thought of going home and if she would wait until my time was out I would bring her back to America along with me. Dear Father and Mother I will never die until I see you and put my arms around your necks. I never lie down at night but I think oy you for I know you are the same way about me and especially every set night for I feel bad myself you may be sure. I will send you a present for Hallow Eve Night and I am sure it will make you laugh. I have got two letters from brother Patrick since I came here and he is in good health. I was also in brother Daniel’s some time ago and himself and wife were well he was a very kind brother to me. Give my love to brotherJohn and Edward and wife tell them I have not forgotten them either. Give my love to aunt Mary and husband and tell cousin Alice and Mary and Mary’s husband and let them know I have not forgotten my boy yet. Dear brother Edward let me know what became of your daughter Ann as the poor little thing has got no mother. Give my love to all my uncles and aunts and my best respects to all inquiring friends.

[image error]

Marine Barracks

Norfolk Va. Sep 27th 1874

Dear Father and Mother I now take the present opportunity of writing you these few lines to let you know that these leave me in good health hoping this will find you all enjoying the same blessing. Dear Father and Mother I received your kind and welcome letter on the 18th of September and was sorry to hear that my poor Father was so bad. I have not felt well since I heard of him being so bad and I asked the Commanding Officer if he would recommend me for a special discharge and he said he would not because he was too short handed and when he refused me I did not know what to do. I had made up my mind to desert and go home but the boys tell me that I would lose a great deal by deserting and that I had better stop and I think it is better for me to wait until I get another letter from you to see what you advise me to do and if you would advise me to come home I will leave the Marine Corps. Dear Father and Mother you must excuse me for not sending you some money in this letter I have not received no pay as yet except when I am going on liberty but I will get my pay on the 10th of October and then I will send you 20 pounds. Dear Father let me know how much you are in debt. Dear Father don’t think I am leaving myself poor by sending you the money for I could send you 60 pounds as well as 20 after pay day. Dear Father and Mother do not shed a tear for me for I am all right. Dear Mother I want you to handle the old man as if you were handling eggs and give him everything he wants and all expenses will be paid by me. Dear Father you stated in your letter that you though you would not be able to pay your debts before you die well you need not be afraid of that for I will pay all your debts. Dear Father if you be dead I never will come home for I can’t it would break my heart. You may be waiting for the money on the 26th of October. Dear Father I heard that brother John is not doing right. Dear brother John if you don’t like to stop with your Father and mother if you are not satisfied with them write to me and I will bring you out. Dear brother John I want you to take good care of my poor Father and if you want anything at all I will send it to you. Give my love to all my brothers and sisters and my best respects to all my friends and well wishes.

No more at present,

I remain your affectionate son,

James McDevitt

Dear mother you talked about selling your land do not sell for your life for it will come good some day I will take care of you.

Write as quick as this comes home.

[image error]

Marine Barracks

Norfolk, Va., Oct 11th 1874

Dear Father and Mother I now take this favourable opportunity of writing you these few lines to let you know that I am in good health hoping this will find you all enjoying the same blessing. Dear Father and Mother I have sent you £20 Pound Sterling this letter is to see if you have received the money. I sent it on the 12th I want you to write at once and let me know if you have received it yet. Dear Father I was very sorry to hear of your being so bad I feel sorry being so far away that I could not see you.

Dear Father I do not forget the words you told me between the buildings yet. Dear Mother I felt good when you said that you had stored it so well yourself. I receive a letter most every day from my cousins they are all well and told me to send you their best respects. I must now bring my short letter to a close by sending my love to my brother and sisters uncles and aunts and my best respects to all inquiring friends.

No more at present. I remain your affection son,

James McDevitt

write as soon as this comes to hand.

[image error]

Phila Marine Barracks

April 5th ’75

My Dear Mother I received your letter yesterday with a sorrowful heart when I heard of my poor Father being dead for there was nothing on this world I would put before him. Dear Mother it took me by surprise for I was not thinking of such a thing it gave me a shock that I don’t feel the better of it since. I wrote to Paddy this morning and informed him of the full circumstance. I blame you Dear Mother for not writing to me sooner and letting me know that he was in that state. I wrote a letter to you some time ago and told you if he was in any danger that you should let me know and that I would go home and you wrote to me that he was getting better. So you can’t blame me for not seeing him before he died. Dear Mother I thought I would be at home to put the green sod on him myself but it can’t be helped for it was God’s will to have it so. Dear Mother don’t worry yourself now for it is too late all the good we can do him now is to pray for him. I here dear brother John ask you to take good care of my mother for my and my father’s sake and all the help I can I will give you and if it was a thing that you could not get alone I will pay your passage out here and give the land to my sister and her take [care] of mother and keep her and I will help her in it all thats in my power. I am not advising you to come but you can choose between the two come or stay. I here dear Sister ask of you to write me a letter and give me full particulars so don’t forget it or I will never forgive you. I had got a letter from your daughter Grace and she sent me her picture and she is well. I seen Paddy some time ago and he was well. Dear Mother I will send you some money in a couple of months so try and get along the best way you can until then. I here must come to a close with a sorrowful heart. I send my love to you all so no more from your loving son and brother,

James McDevitt

Write soon. Address James McDevitt, Marine Barracks, Philadelphia Navy Yard, Penna.

[image error]

Port Royal South Carolina

United States Steamer Huron Jan 24th 1877

My Dear Mother

I take this opportunity of writing you a few lines, to let you know, that I am in good health, hoping this will find you the same. Dear Mother you must excuse me for not writing to you sooner when I heard of my poor Father’s death. I left off the notion of writing home as I lost the only friend I had in the World. I know that he thought more of me than the whole family. Dear Mother, I am satisfied that is better off when he had the rites of the Church. In the next letter I send I will send you enough to have a High Mass said for him. Do not heed what anybody says of me, I am independent of them all. I never wanted a 10 or 20 in my pocket since I have been in the Country, and if you ever nee it I have it for you also. Dear Mother do not think that your son James has forgotten you. My feelings are more tender towards you now than they were when I left home.

You must not think that soldiering here is the same as home for a soldier here makes more in one month that an English one would make in a year. The pay is equal to £5 or 25 dollars per month here and we get our clothes & board. Also, on account of the hard times here I thank God where I am. Many a poor man would be glad to have the same chance if they could for there are plenty of our Country men and women starving in the streets. There was never known such times in America before. My brother Patrick and Daniel are well. I have got little Grace’s likeness and she is well and she said that she wanted to see her Uncle James very bad, because I called her little Grace, and she told me to not call her little Grace, that she was big Grace now, and said that she was counted as good a looking girl as was in New York.

I send my love to my brothers and sisters and tell sister Mary that I have not forgotten her yet, sister Mary do not forget and look out for my mother, give my Aunt Mary husband and family my best respects. I have been in her son James’ before I came on board of ship and his wife and family are well. Give my best respects to all the Cannon? family. Dear mother I will surprise you some night I will ship in some night when you will not be thinking about me. Write as soon as you receive this letter and let me know how you are getting along. I remain Dear Mother your ever affct. & loving son,

James McDevitt

P.S. Direct your letter to James McDevitt, U.S.M. Corps, U.S.S. Huron, Port Royal, South Carolina, U.S. America, or elsewhere.

If you have enjoyed this and other posts and resources on the website, please consider supporting my work on Patreon. You can do so for as little as $1 per month, and gain access to exclusive content. You can find out more by clicking here or visiting https://www.patreon.com/irishacw.

*None of my work on pensions would be possible without the exceptional effort in the National Archives to digitize this material and make it available online. A team of archivists from NARA supported by volunteers have enabled access to this treasure trove of historical information. To learn more about their work you can watch a video by clicking here.

References

Griffith’s Valuation.

1880 Federal Census.

James McDevitt Dependent Mother’s Application (Disapproved).

State of North Carolina. USS Huron Shipwreck Preserve. 

United States Naval Academy.

The post Illiterate Letters to the Clachan: Revealing One Family’s Emigration Story in 1870s Donegal appeared first on Irish in the American Civil War.

My Adopted Soldier: Irish Students Research the American Civil War

A number of years ago, Donegal teacher Gerry Moore launched the fantastic My Adopted Soldier project. The cornerstone of his efforts saw 32 Irish school students–one from every county in Ireland–research an Irish soldier from their area who died during the First World War, tell their story, and then undertake a trip to visit the graves and memorials on the battlefields where they fell. This innovative educational project was a tremendous success, garnering praise not only within Ireland but also from bodies such as The Council of Europe. Now Gerry has turned his attention to the American Civil War, and hopes to replicate the event for the Irishmen of that conflict in 2020– asking me to come on board to assist him with it. If we succeed in making it a reality, it offers not only a major teaching opportunity, but also the prospect of raising awareness of the immense numbers of Irish emigrants who fought and died in 1860s America.

The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, addressing the 32 students of the “My Adopted Soldier” Project prior to their visit to the First World War battlefields in 2015.

Following the format of the First World War My Adopted Soldier programme, students studying history in 5th Year (for American readers, the equivalent of Junior Year in High School) will be invited to submit a short proposal outlining why he/she wishes to be chosen to represent their county. The applications will be assessed, and the 32 students chosen will then be provided with the names of three soldiers from their county who died in the Civil War. They will research their stories, and then select one of the individuals to “adopt.” I will assist each of the students during the research process. That research will be uploaded to the www.myadoptedsoldier.com website, and subsequently the trip will take place. Provisionally we are intending to feature the battlefields of Fredericksburg, Antietam and Gettysburg. The primary aims for the project are set out below.

The Irish Times coverage of the My Adopted Soldier Project (Click image to read article).

 

Project Aims

Students from each county on the island of Ireland will commemorate a soldier from his/her county who died in the American Civil War.


Each student will undertake research on an individual soldier in the battle by “adopting” a soldier who died.


Students will conduct their research and create their archive using their account at myadoptedsoldier.com.


Students will visit the graves of their individual soldiers in the battlefield region.


Students will organise a special wreath-laying ceremony at Gettysburg.


Students will produce learning resources that can then be used by other students in their study of the American Civil War, including their soldiers archive and their own story and experience. They will do this prior to and during the trip by creating digital content such as blogs and video diaries.

Student Anna Blair tells the story of her Adopted Soldier, Edward Kiernan from Co. Limerick.

The project is just commencing and is currently in the fund-raising stage, with a number of approaches being made to prospective supporters. I would be very eager to hear from readers–particularly those in the United States–of any potential funding streams that they may feel may be worth pursuing, or indeed any Irish American organisations or links that we should consider contacting with respect to it. If you have any thoughts in this direction you can email me the details at irishamericancivilwar@gmail.com and I will pass them on to My Adopted Soldier. Also, please feel free to share this with anyone you think may be interested!

The post My Adopted Soldier: Irish Students Research the American Civil War appeared first on Irish in the American Civil War.

Podcast: Catherine Garvin & The Search For Her Disabled Son in 1860s America

The new Forgotten Irish Podcast is now live. It is a story that may be familiar to some of you, that of Catherine Garvin and her son Con, which also features as the first chapter of my latest book. In late 1863, details of the sensational case in which they were involved began to emerge in the newspapers of the Union. At its centre was Con, an intellectually disabled boy from Co. Limerick, stolen from home and sold into the Federal Army, and his mother Catherine’s desperate efforts to recover him. Among those to become involved were none other than Abraham Lincoln himself. The podcast, which you can listen to below, tells their story. If you enjoy it, be sure to subscribe to the Podcast here.

If you have enjoyed this and other posts and resources on the website, please consider supporting my work on Patreon. You can do so for as little as $1 per month, and gain access to exclusive content. You can find out more by clicking here or visiting https://www.patreon.com/irishacw.

The post Podcast: Catherine Garvin & The Search For Her Disabled Son in 1860s America appeared first on Irish in the American Civil War.

Looking into the Face of A Pre-Famine, Working Class Irish Emigrant

The striking, weather-beaten and feature-filled face that gazes intently back at us from this image does so across more than 150 years of history. A product of the 1860s, the photograph was created as a result of the American Civil War, but the story of the man it captured extends far beyond that bloody struggle. Indeed, perhaps it’s most remarkable aspect is what the subject represents. Not only has it captured in vivid detail a working-class Irish emigrant, but this is also a rare likeness of an ordinary man who we know departed his homeland before the onset of the Great Famine, and the mass exodus that ensued. His name was Martin Kelly.

Martin Kelly (sometimes Kelley), whose image forms part of The John Paul Getty Collection, was born in Co. Roscommon on 19th April 1819. He was in his forties by the time this albumen print was created, captured in order to record a wound Martin had received to his left arm during the Civil War. Along with his injury, Martin’s features betray a life of toil, hard graft, and exposure. Examination of his story quickly uncovers the cause. Though we do not know what year Martin emigrated to the United States, we do know he was there by the late summer of 1841. On 16th August that year the laborer presented himself to a recruiting officer in New York, from where he was assigned as a private to Company K of the 2nd United States Infantry. So began a long association with the American military that would be a recurring feature of his life.

Martin may have had his first taste of action not long after his enlistment, as at the time he joined up his regiment was engaged in actions against the Native American Seminoles of Florida. But by June 1842 Company K were back in New York, where Martin was stationed at Buffalo Barracks on Lake Erie. They stayed there for most of his five-year-term of enlistment, before moving to Fort Wilkins, on Lake Superior’s Michigan shoreline. Before Martin had left Buffalo, he had tied the knot. On the 23rd January 1844 he wed English-born Susannah F. Prior at the city’s First Presbyterian Church. It is not clear if this had been Martin’s original religion, or if he had converted from Catholicism. Susannah likely went with Martin to Fort Wilkins, and it was there on 20th June 1846 that the Roscommon native elected to extend his stay in the army, re-enlisting for a further five years. It proved a momentous decision. Within weeks Company K–and Martin– were heading South to participate in the Mexican-American War.

Reaching the Rio Grande in late September 1846, the first major engagement in which Martin participated was the March 1847 Siege of Veracruz. This was followed by actions such as those at Cerro Gordo and Contreras, and Martin and his comrades were among those who entered Mexico City that September. With the war over, he and Company K left Mexico in March 1848 for New York (and likely Susannah), but within months they were on the move again– this time for California. It was here that Martin’s second term came to a close. After ten years service, he was discharged on 20th June 1851, while stationed at Fort Miller on California’s San Joaquin River. The links Martin and Susannah had in Buffalo no doubt drove their decision to make their home there afterwards, and in 1855 their daughter Irene was born in the state. Whether Irene was their only child, or the only one who survived to adulthood, is unclear.

[image error]

The full albumen silver print of Martin Kelly. He was described as 5 feet 7 inches in height, with a sallow complexion, blue eyes and light hair. (The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles)

In 1858, more than seven years after he had last served, Martin decided to return to the army. He made sure to rejoin his old regiment, the 2nd United States Infantry, joining up once more with Company K at Fort Abercrombie in modern-day North Dakota. Reassigned to Company C in 1859, the start of 1861 found Martin at Fort Ripley in Minnesota, before the growing crisis in the East led to their redeployment. By the time he got to Washington D.C. Martin had to to be admitted to hospital, suffering from haemorrhoids, an ailment that caused him to miss the Bull Run campaign. He soon departed his old regiment, being reassigned as a steadying hand to the newly formed 16th United States Infantry, where he became a private in Company B of the 2nd Battalion in November 1861 and then Company A of the 1st Battalion at the end of 1862. Martin spent most of his Civil War Service in the Western Theater. It was to be at the Battle of Stones River, Tennessee on 31st December 1862 that his luck ran out (you can read about the experiences of Irish Regulars at Stones River here). During the fighting there Martin was struck in the left arm by a Rebel bullet, which entered his shoulder from the front left, before passing out through the lower part of his shoulder blade. In an effort to save his arm, surgeons removed the head and upper third of his humerus, though his limb would be permanently useless. It was while recovering from this wound that the medical image of Martin was taken, in which the scar tissue on the Roscommon’s native’s left arm ins clearly visible. He was discharged at Nashville, Tennessee on 7th March 1863, having been supplied with an artificial apparatus to help him to move his arm around.

Martin received a pension of $8 per month dated from 17th August 1863. Returning to his wife and daughter in Buffalo, the family soon took the decision to make their lives permanently in Washington D.C. The reason for this seems to have been based on Martin’s long military service and the excellent opinion of him held by former officers. This was surely instrumental in his securing a position as a Clerk in the Treasury; he worked there at the time of the 1870 Federal Census, with the family living in Washington’s First Ward. Ten years later the family were at 1008 New Hampshire Avenue North West, with Martin still in the Treasury Department, now working as a messenger. Martin’s change of roles may well have been due to increased problems he was having with his Civil War wound, problems that would haunt him until his dying day.

The army’s high regard for Martin Kelly, and their acknowledgement of their debt to him, were also surely behind their acceptance of the old soldier for a remarkable fourth term of service. The Army Register of Enlistments notes that on 1st March 1881 the 61-year-old was enrolled as a messenger for general service in the Adjutant General’s Office. He was discharged on 11th August 1882 by order of the Secretary of War, with his character being described as “very good.” The support did not end there. In 1882 a new Chairman of the House Military Affairs Committee was appointed– a certain Congressman William Rosecrans, who also happened to be Martin’s old commanding General. Rosecrans put forward a special bill to have Kelly’s pension increased, which was approved in 1884 (Though Martin’a arm was useless, because it had not been amputated he had not been receiving the level of monies he might otherwise have been entitled to).

Unfortunately these interventions would not be enough. In 1875 Martin’s Doctor had reported how his wound was witnessing the formation of recurring abscesses, for which he had been treated a number of times. On one occasion the abscess had remained open for weeks. By 1885 the situation had worsened considerably. Dr. James T. Sothoron treated the Irishman in July, August and September of that year for insomnia, the wound to his left arm, neuralgia of the left arm, and gastric cattarh. Despite his efforts, on 24th October 1885 Martin died. The official cause of death provided was “old gunshot wound of shoulder”, together with gastric cattarh, albuminuria, uremia, and exhaustion.

Ultimately the wound which caused Martin Kelly’s image to be preserved for us contributed directly to his death, almost 23 years after he was shot. The story of his life adds greatly to the visual impact that his photograph imparts; by the time it was taken, those eyes had already seen and experienced so much in life, and borne witness to some of the most momentous times, moments and locations in Nineteenth Century American history. Martin Kelly was laid to rest in Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington D.C., where his headstone can still be seen. Inscribed underneath is the line ‘We Shall Meet Again.” His wife Susannah was interred with him following her own death on 1st July 1904.

If you have enjoyed this and other posts and resources on the website, please consider supporting my work on Patreon. You can do so for as little as $1 per month, and gain access to exclusive content. You can find out more by clicking here or visiting https://www.patreon.com/irishacw.

[image error]

The grave of Martin and Susannah Kelly, Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington D.C. (Photo: Loretta Castaldi, Find A Grave)

References

U.S. Army Register of Enlistments

U.S. Army Returns from Military Posts

U.S. Federal Census 1870, 1880

Martin Kelley Pension File

U.S. Army Center of Military History: Second Regiment of Infantry

The J. Paul Getty Trust

The post Looking into the Face of A Pre-Famine, Working Class Irish Emigrant appeared first on Irish in the American Civil War.

Talking History Show: The Battle of Gettysburg

I have been fortunate over the years to contribute on a number of occasions to both of Ireland’s major national radio history shows, RTE’s The History Show and Newstalk’s Talking History. For the recent 155th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, last Sunday’s Talking History was a special on that engagement, with a stellar panel of American historians assembled to discuss it– Professor Allen Guelzo, Professor Jane Schultz, Professor Robert Bonner and famed National Park Service historian D. Scott Hartwig. I was asked to make a small contribution on Irish participation at the Battle. Newstalk have now made the show available as a podcast, so you can listen to it below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

The post Talking History Show: The Battle of Gettysburg appeared first on Irish in the American Civil War.

“He Went Home to Ireland to Die”: Hearing the Voices of 19th Century Roscommon Emigrants

I recently attended the excellent 2018 Famine Summer School held at the National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park House in Co. Roscommon. I was speaking on what pension files can reveal about the remittance of money from America to Ireland, and the maintenance of local community links across the Atlantic. Not far from Strokestown Park House is the townland of Cargin’s Demesne near Tulsk. On my journey home, I took a few minutes to swing by the area, to see the fields where a former Union sailor returned home to die in the 1870s. His death led to a series of remarkable interviews with nineteenth century Roscommon emigrants, recorded in the first-person, which offer us insight into both their lives and the importance of place of origin for those in the United States. They are reproduced for the first time below.

On 9th February 1863 John Dolan enlisted in the United States Navy. During the three years that followed he spent the majority of his service aboard the sidewheel steamer gunboat USS Tioga. The Second Class Fireman’s war was mainly one of chasing blockade runners as part of forces such as the East Gulf Blockading Squadron, before yellow fever forced the vessel north in mid-1864. John left the Navy on 12th February 1866. A decade later, suffering from a lung complaint, he was advised by his Physician to return to Ireland. Many in New York were aware they would never see him again. He died just three days after arriving at his father’s farm in Co. Roscommon, and was laid to rest in his local cemetery. The choices John had made on 9th February 1863 caused considerable problems for his widow Ann. In order to claim a pension based on his service, Ann had to prove her relationship to the sailor. But she had not been married to John Dolan, but rather to one John Tierney– her husband had enlisted under an alias.

[image error]

USS Tioga in the Civil War. John may well be one of the men in this image. (NavSource Naval History)

Using affidavits, Ann successfully proved her relationship with John, but doubts about the veracity of her claim led to the appointment of a Special Examiner to her case by the Pension Bureau in 1892. Though a terrible experience for the pensioner (their pensions were stopped until the examination was complete), the detailed interviews they elicited represent an incredible historical resource. Leon Turner was the Examiner appointed to Ann’s case, and he conducted all his interviews in November 1892. In his report he explained that the “claimant is a respectable woman, but very ignorant, living in a large tenement house at No. 494, 9th Ave”, further elaborating that the “claimant and all the witnesses are natives of the same locality in Ireland and were acquainted to some extent with each other over there. They are of the same class of society…poor working people.” Thankfully Turner quickly recommended reinstatement of the pension, which Ann continued to receive until her death on 15th August 1895. The interviews are largely reproduced below.

Turner interviewed Ann Tierney on 2nd November 1892:

My name is Ann Tierney. My age is 49 years, occupation washing and ironing and my post office address is 494 Ninth Avenue, New York City, N.Y. I am the widow of John Tierney who was a sailor on the U.S. Steamer Tioga during the war. He died in Ireland Jan 3, 1876. I have not married since his death. The Navy is the only service he was ever in. I first met John Tierney about two years before he enlisted. He was courting me when he went in the Navy. I corresponded with him during the war and I always addressed my letters to James Dolan. He enlisted under the name of James Dolan, because he said he did not want his people to know where he was. His mother’s maiden name was Dolan. His father’s name was James Tierney or James Tiernan. I married to John Tierney shortly after his discharge by the Rev. Mr. McAleer at St. Columba’s Church in this city. He never went by the name of Dolan after he came out of the Navy. I had four children by John Tierney but they are all dead but one, a girl around twenty two years old, her name is Mary Tierney. After we were married we went to housekeeping on Christopher Street, near the ferry. I lived there about a year when I moved to West Tenth Street near Waverly Place, where I lived about a year and I then moved to West 18th Street near 7th Avenue. I don’t remember the number of the houses I lived in. I lived in West 48th Street, I forget the number, in May 1876 when he (my husband) went to Ireland. His health had been poor and he went to his father’s house at Cargin’s Demesne, Strokestown, Roscommon County, Ireland. He had only been there a few days when he died of some trouble with his lungs. He died at his father’s house. his father’s name is James Tierney, but in the Old Country Tierney is called Tiernan. He has a brother also at Cargin’s Demesne by the name of Michael Tiernan. My husband had been sick some time with something like consumption, and went to Ireland on the advice of his physician, and it was his intention to return to me upon his recovery or in case he got better. He contracted his disease in the Navy. Before he went in the service he was a stout hearty man. Shortly after his return his health began to fail and he got worse gradually until he went to Ireland. Three days after he got to his old home he died. I claim pension as the dependent widow of John Tierney who enlisted in the Navy under the name of James Dolan. In the Old Country the name is Tiernan…I do not know the name of my husband’s shipmates, I have none of his old letters or papers.

[image error]

Cargin’s Demesne, Co. Roscommon (Damian Shiels)

Ann’s interview provides much interesting detail. Of the many reasons for enlisting under an alias, John seems to have done so so as not to be easily found by family and friends. Ann and John had courted prior to John’s enlistment, and were from the same place in Ireland, i.e. that part of Roscommon near Tulsk and Strokestown. They suffered the loss of three of their four children, a mortality rate all too familiar to Irish immigrants in New York, and also moved frequently within their New York community, again something regularly seen among the Irish, who overwhelmingly lived in rented accommodation. Ann also adds the interesting detail that the family, who were Tiernans in Ireland, were known as Tierneys in America– a demonstration of how surnames could be altered from one side of the Atlantic to the other. The next interview Leon Turner conducted was with Catherine Burns, Ann’s sister:

Catherine Burns, 47, 409 West 24th Street.

I knew John Tierney in the Old Country over forty years ago. We were children together in County Roscommon, Ireland. His father’s name was James Tierney and he had a brother by the name of Michael. His mother’s name was Ann Dolan. I knew the family very well. In the Old Country (Ireland) they are called Tiernan. I came to this Country some time before he did. He came over just about the beginning of the War. He had been well to do in Ireland. His father was a farmer and in comfortable circumstances. He got knocking around here and as he had not been accustomed to hard work he enlisted in the Navy. I saw him about a week before he enlisted. He called ay my house on Twenty-third Street. He did not tell me then that he was going to enlist, but a short while after, I don’t remember how long, I received a letter from him and in that letter he told me to write to him and address my letter to James Dolan, U.S. Steamer Tioga. The reason he took his mother’s name was he did not want his people to know where he was. When he returned from the Navy I don’t remember the date, but it was the same month he married my sister…They lived together until about 1876 or up the the very day he left for Ireland…

Although Leon Turner had remarked that these Roscommon emigrants were “poor working people”, Catherine’s statement demonstrates that John’s father had been a well to do farmer in Ireland, and John had grown up in a privileged setting that didn’t require him to do hard work. This tallies with the fact that many Irish emigrants, though poor by American standards, were not among the poorest in Ireland (who could rarely afford to leave). Catherine’s testimony indicates the close links that people from the same locality sought to maintain in cities like New York, something common to the Irish emigrant experience across the United States. Our next interviewee is Mary Carley:

Mary Carley, about 60, 539 West 29th Street.

I have known John Tierney from the first day he landed in this city. He came from Tulsk, Co. Roscommon, Ireland. I don’t remember the date. I came from that place myself and when he came here he came to my house. I knew his people well in Ireland. I lived about two miles from them…I don’t remember the date he enlisted but sometime in the early part of the War I missed Tierney. He was boarding with me at the time. My husband heard that he had enlisted and went out to look for him. I don’t remember where he went but it seems to be now that he went down to Castle Garden, they were recruiting there at the time, and to all the recruiting offices but he could find no trace of him, because it seems he had enlisted under another name. He afterwards heard that he had taken the name of Dolan, which was his mother’s name…He left New York on the 20th of May and died at his father’s house June 4th, 1876 or rather he was buried June 4/76. I was one of the friends who went to the steamer to see him off, because he was in poor health and we never expected to see him again alive…His name properly is Tiernan, but in this Country people shorten it by calling it Tierney. I knew his brother in the Old Country they are all dead but Michael.

[image error]

John’s death certificate from 1876 (NARA)

Mary Carley had never met John until he landed in New York, but she came to know him there because they were from the same place in Roscommon. This is significant, as it demonstrates not only the maintained links between locals in Ireland and America, but how those networks were vital to help “bed in” new arrivals from those communities. Many married Irish emigrant women supplemented their income by taking in boarders, usually young unmarried Irish men. Again, Mary’s testimony indicates that these boarders were often either relations or young men from their former localities in Ireland. The next interview was with Peter Burns, the husband of Catherine Burns, and brother-in-law of Ann:

Peter Burns, 51, Laborer, 409 West 24th Street.

I first met John Tierney at Strokestown, County of Roscommon, Ireland. I can’t give you the date but we were both boys together. I knew his mother and father well. I lived about two miles and half from them…I came to this Country, April 20th, 1861. John Tierney came over before me. Soon after I got here I again met John Tierney. We were both young men, unmarried, and were very friendly having known each other in the Old Country. It was about the beginning of the war. He was out of work and had told me if he did not get something to do soon he would enlisted on a Man-of-War. He had been pretty well to do in the Old Country and was not used to hard work. He told me at the time that if he enlisted he would take his mother’s name, Dolan, and that when I heard from him again it would be from James Dolan. Shortly after that I shipped as a Coal Passer on the “Star of the South.” I did not see Tierney again until he had served his time in the Navy and had come home, but I heard from him occasionally when he was in the Navy, through Ann Collins, who used to receive letters from him and whom he afterwards married…After he came out of the Navy he married Ann Collins. I was present at the marriage. He lived with her up to the time he went home to Ireland to die…I knew the whole family well at home, knew his brothers and sisters, but I can only recall one of his brothers now, his name is Michael. I think he is there yet. It has been so long since I was there I have forgotten the names of most of them. In the Old Country the family name is Tiernan.

Peter was also from the same part of Roscommon. In America the two Roscommon men had married two Roscommon sisters from the same locality. Irish emigrants were extremely cohesive in the nineteenth century United States, and rarely married people outside of the Irish American community. Such detail as this suggests that many of them also chose to take that one step further, and marry explicitly within their local emigrant community. Evidence in the files also suggests that brides were occasionally sent for, travelling from Ireland to America with the pre-arranged purpose of marrying a man from their locality. The next interview was with Nora Carroll:

Nora Carroll, 45, Cook, 1730 Broadway.

I knew John Tierney when he was a boy in the Old Country. He lived at Cargin’s, Roscommon County, Ireland. They lived four or five miles from me…He left Ireland long before I did. I was in Ireland during the War. I did not come to this Country until 1872. I met him a few days after I arrived here. I know his wife very well. Her name is Ann Tierney but before she married her name was Ann Collins. I knew her home in Ireland. From the time I first met him he lived with Ann as her husband…

Irish American cohesiveness and maintained links with Ireland enabled a constant stream of new arrivals to join their fellow Roscommon emigrants in New York. The importance of that network in their new homes is again demonstrated here; Nora met with her fellow locals shortly after she arrived, and stayed in constant contact with them in the years that followed. So did Catherine Brady:

Catherine Brady, 53, Housekeeper, 450 De Kalb Avenue, Brooklyn.

I knew John Tierney from the day of his birth. He was my cousin. He lived in Cargins, Roscommon County, Ireland…He has only one brother living now. The family name is Tiernan, although they call it Tierney here. I don’t know why they call it so. I lived in the same Parish with the family. John Tierney came to this Country long before I did. I came here about April 1889. I did not see him during the War. I never knew him by any other name than John Tierney or Tiernan. I was home at Cargins when he came to his father’s house sick. I can’t remember the date but it was in the Summer of 1876. I was present when he died and I attended his funeral. He was buried in the burying ground called Killcooly County of Roscommon in Ireland. I knew Ann Tierney when she was a girl in the Old Country. She lived near me. Her name then was Ann Collins…I did hear while in the Old Country that he had gone by the name of Dolan, but I never asked him anything about that for when he came home he was too sick to talk much. He died three days after he got to his father’s house. I know what I have stated to be facts because I know the family in Ireland and Tierney’s family here. My maiden name was Tiernan.

[image error]

The majority of these Roscommon emigrants were illiterate. This is Catherine Brady’s mark, appended to her statement (NARA)

By 1892, there were Roscommon people in the Empire City who had been in Ireland when Ann’s husband died, and remembered it. Indeed Catherine Brady had even seen him sick in his father’s house, and attended his funeral at Kilcooly Graveyard. Catherine also spoke of what she had heard about John’s service while still in Ireland, testament to the constant correspondence between this part of Roscommon and New York. Another who remembered the veteran’s death in Ireland was Thomas Byrne:

Thomas Byrne, 25, Laborer, 356 East 13th Street.

I was at home at Cargins, Ireland when James [sic.] Tiernan died. I attended his funeral. I don’t remember the date of his death but it was about fifteen years ago. I did not know him very long before he died. I have known his father and mother since my childhood…I don’t know the cause of James [sic.] Tiernan’s death but he came home from America very sick and died shortly after he arrived at his father’s house. He was buried at Killcooly. The family are called Tiernan at home but over here they call it Tierney.

[image error]

Cargin’s Demesne, Roscommon, where John came home to die (Damian Shiels)

The final interview is with James Connolly, who provided evidence that indicates how men from the same locality maintained close friendships in their new homes, and often worked together:

James Connolly, 48, Sailor, 310 West 42nd Street.

I first met John Tierney at home in Roscommon, Ireland about 1858 or 1859 also knew him when he lived at Cargins, Ireland, sometime before he emigrated to this Country. I knew his parents…I landed in this City from Ireland in September 1863. I don’t know when John Tierney came over. I did not see [him] again until after the close of the War, in the Fall of 1866. We were friendly. I lived then [at] 409 West 24th Street. He used to visit there and I met him out often…We were working together for the same firm here in New York in 1866, weighing logs for Flandran and Hardy. We were quite intimate. He got me the job. Being from the same place at home and working in the same place, we were often together. I did not know Ann Tierney before she married although I knew her people in the Old Country. Her father’s name was Martin Collins.

The series of interviews recorded as part of the Examination into Ann Tiernan’s case are a perfect example of the incredible value of Civil War pension files for the study of Irish emigration. They firmly indicate the key importance of locality of origin, and how maintained links across decades led to a continual relationship between these intertwined communities on both sides of the Atlantic. Aside from describing an extremely poignant story of a veteran going home to die, they allow us a rare opportunity to “hear” the voices of these poor people, the majority of whom were illiterate. That alone makes them an invaluable resource.

If you have enjoyed this and other posts and resources on the website, please consider supporting my work on Patreon. You can do so for as little as $1 per month, and gain access to exclusive content. You can find out more by clicking here or visiting https://www.patreon.com/irishacw.

[image error]

Kilcooley Graveyard, where John Tiernan was laid to rest (Image Courtesy of Historic Graves)

*None of my work on pensions would be possible without the exceptional effort in the National Archives to digitize this material and make it available online. A team of archivists from NARA supported by volunteers have enabled access to this treasure trove of historical information. To learn more about their work you can watch a video by clicking here.

References

Ann Tiernan Naval Widow’s Pension Certificate, National Archives.

Historic Graves: Kilcooley Graveyard, Co. Roscommon.

The post “He Went Home to Ireland to Die”: Hearing the Voices of 19th Century Roscommon Emigrants appeared first on Irish in the American Civil War.

Photography Focus: An Irish Brigade Husband & Wife– Can You Help Identify Them?

The Irish in the American Civil War website has benefited greatly over the years from the expertise, generosity and friendship of Joe Maghe. Joe is one of the foremost collectors of Irish-associated material from the American Civil War, and dedicates a great amount of his time both to telling the story of the Irish experience and seeking to reform dispersed collections associated with Irish servicemen and their families. Joe kindly granted permission for the use of some of his images in my first book, and parts of his collection have also featured on the website in the Witnesses to History series (e.g. see here). Quite a while back, Joe alerted me to the existence of an image that instantly captivated me. Given that I spend most of my time working on the impact of the conflict on Irish families, I have always had an affection for images that show servicemen with their wives and/or children. Among them, this one immediately became my favourite. Depicting a soldier and his wife, it draws the viewer in like few depictions of Irish American couples from the war I have seen. There is so much to see in the image. The soldier is immaculately groomed and turned out, while his wife has dressed in what was undoubtedly her “sunday best”, replete with fine bonnet.

The creation, exchange and possession of “likenesses” was an extremely important aspect of how loved ones maintained connections with each other during the war. They were constantly referenced by Irish Americans in contemporary correspondence. Individuals did their best to look good in them, exchanged them as often as they could, and always kept them close at hand– both at the front and at home. This image exudes the importance the photograph held for both the man and woman featured in it, and they evidently went to some effort to have it created. I am delighted that Joe has now acquired it as part of his collection. One of the most exciting aspects of it is that we can have some confidence the couple are Irish American. The soldier’s hat betrays the fact that he is a member of Company H of the 63rd New York Infantry, Irish Brigade. Unfortunately, we know no more than that, so cannot at present hope to uncover more of their story. Although a long-shot, we would love to hear if anyone has any thoughts as to the identify of this man and woman. It would be fantastic to put a name to them, particularly as I personally believe it is one of the most powerful Irish American images from the American Civil War. Many thanks to Joe for allowing me to share this very special image, and if you have any thoughts, please drop me a line!

[image error]

The image of the Irish Brigade soldier and his wife (Joe Maghe Collection)

The post Photography Focus: An Irish Brigade Husband & Wife– Can You Help Identify Them? appeared first on Irish in the American Civil War.