Damian Shiels's Blog, page 47

A New Date of Birth Discovered for General Thomas Sweeny?

Brigadier-General Thomas Sweeny from Dunmanway, Co. Cork is one of the best known Irish Generals of the American Civil War. His family emigrated to the United States around 1832 when Thomas was still a boy. He enjoyed a colorful career in the military; Sweeny lost an arm at the Battle of Churubusco during the Mexican war and later served in the West prior to 1861. The early part of the war saw him serving in St. Louis, Missouri, and he also participated in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. In January 1862 he became Colonel of the 52nd Illinois- he subsequently commanded a brigade at Shiloh and a division during the Atlanta Campaign. Arrested in 1864 for attacking his commanding officer, he was acquitted but never served at the front again. Thomas was heavily involved in the Fenian movement and was the commander of all Fenian troops during the ill-fated Fenian invasion of Canada in 1866. Placed on the army’s retired list in 1870, he died on 10th April 1892 at his home on Long Island and is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn. (1)

Brigadier-General Thomas Sweeny, Army of the Tennessee

I recently delivered a lecture on Cork people and the American Civil War to the Cork Genealogical Society when I was handed a fascinating document by Pat McCarthy of Dunmanway. Pat had scanned the local Catholic baptismal records for November and December 1817, which have an intriguing entry on the last line. It records the baptism of ‘Thomas of William Sweeny [and] Honora Sweeny’, along with the name of two witnesses and where the family were from, the ‘Green.’ The Green remains a well-known part of Dunmanway. William and Honora are known to be the Generals parents- it was Honora who would take her children across the Atlantic some five years after her husband’s death.

Dunmanway Baptismal records for November and December 1817, with Thomas Sweeny listed at bottom (Pat McCarthy)

What is most interesting about this document is its date. Thomas Sweeny’s date of birth is almost always recorded as 25th December 1820. This baptismal record suggests that Thomas may have been three years older than he said he was (or thought he was). Alternatively, could this be an older brother of the General who did not survive infancy, with the name being used again for a later son? Whatever the answer, Pat McCarthy’s discovery highlights the potential for revealing new detail about well-known Irish-American figures of the period through the close analysis of Irish records. I am deeply indebted to Pat for bringing this document to my attention and allowing me to reproduce it here.

Detail of the line recording Thomas Sweeny- ‘Thomas of William Sweeny Honora Sweeny…’ which also notes his parents are from the ‘Green’, a well known part of Dunmanway (Pat McCarthy)

References

Dunmanway Baptismal Records

Irish in the American Civil War: Generals

(1) Generals

Filed under: Cork, Generals Tagged: Atlanta Campaign, Battle of Churubusco, Cork Genealogical Society, Dunmanway History, Fenian Invasion of Canada, Irish American Civil War, Irish Generals, Thomas Sweeny

‘Flags of Old Ireland for One Cent!’ and ‘All’s right- Dad’s Sober’: New York’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, 1864

What was St. Patrick’s Day like 150 years ago? What type of groups marched in the Parade, and what types of imagery did they use? We are fortunate that the full line up of the 1864 New York Parade survives, together with detailed descriptions of the dress and banners of each Society. What emerges is an image of a Parade we would still recognise, down to street vendors selling cheap Irish imagery to revellers. However, just as today St. Patrick’s Day is often associated with the Irish love of a party, in 1864 the main focus of many of the groups was abstinence from alcohol. The post below provides a description of the event and also includes a full descriptive list of all the banners flown during the Parade, offering a unique insight into the imagery, motivations and agendas of New York’s Irish community during the period of the American Civil War. 

‘St. Patrick’s Day in America, 1874′ (Library of Congress)

All the newspapers agreed that New York’s 1864 St. Patrick’s Day parade was the most imposing they had ever seen. Attempts to commercialize the event were alive and well 150 years ago, with vendors at almost every street corner offering shamrock and miniature Irish flags to the expectant crowds. Cries of ‘The Flag of Old Ireland for one cent!’ were heard throughout the city. For those who embraced the occasion, the men could wear sprigs of shamrock or evergreen on their clothes, while women were decked out in green dresses or ribbons. The city did its bit as well- many of  the stage horses had the Irish national colors on their headgear, while the city railroad cars were similarly decked out. Everywhere from City Hall to ships in the harbor displayed flags and bunting to mark the occasion.

The morning of 17th March 1864 started out cloudy and overcast but the weather would clear up before noon. One reporter remarked that the streets were ‘wonderfully clean’ (before adding the caveat- ‘for New York streets’). As was usual the celebrations began with mass. A solemn High Mass took place in St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 10.30, with Carl Maria Von Weber’s Mass in G being selected and sung by the Choirs of St. Patrick’s and St. Peter’s. The Reverend Francis T. Boyle announced from the pulpit that the days collection was to be given to the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul for the relief of the poor. He then gave his sermon, which covered much of the history of religion on the island of Ireland, before touching on more recent times:

‘When famine came upon them [the Irish], if they were not a people of faith, they could never have upheld themselves in the hour of that dreadful calamity. Standing over the graves of their wives and children, their eyes streaming with tears, they still said, “The will of God be done;” they gave God the glory. In the land of the stranger they made monuments of the past which incited them to their duty in the present. The hardy pioneer of the West puts pictures of Christ and His Mother on the walls of his cabin, and tells their history on his humble beads.’

An example of a Von Weber Mass being sung in Church

Finally the time had arrived for the parade proper- the procession itself included no fewer than 20,000 participants. Assembling on East Broadway around 11.oo, the different groups began to arrange themselves into an order of march. Military contingents set out from their armories to the rendezvous. Some 600 men of the 69th New York were there, supported by 400 men of the 99th New York National Guard. The latter unit, which was led by Fenian John O’Mahony, had only received its colors the night before and had not yet been given uniforms. Other military contingents included men of the 1st New York National Guard Cavalry, the 70th New York National Guard, and the ‘Napper Tandy’ Light Artillery of Brooklyn. With everyone finally in some semblance of order, at 12.20 a signal gun was fired at the junction of East Broadway and Grand St. by command of Sergeant Major Mulqueen and men of the 4th Artillery. With that, the hordes of military and civic societies began their march. It would take them down East Broadway and Chatham Street to the City Hall Park and beyond. The order in which the military led the parade is set out in the table below.

MILITARY PROCESSION


Colonel James Bagley and staff


69th New York ‘Brigade Lancers’ Troop


70th New York State National Guard Troop C (Brooklyn), Captain McCarthy


1st New York State National Guard Cavalry, Colonel D.C. Minton


70th New York State National Guard ‘Napper Tandy Light Artillery’, Major Smith


69th New York Engineers


Drum Corps


Band


Lieutenant-Colonel James Cavanagh, 69th New York Infantry, and staff


69th New York in column by companies


Phoenix Zouaves


Band


Colonel John O’Mahony, 99th New York State National Guard, and staff


99th New York State National Guard (1st Phoenix Brigade) in column by companies

Table 1. Military Procession Order of March, St. Patrick’s Day 1864 (after New York Irish-American)

Statue of Father Theobald Mathew on Dublin’s O’Connell Street. He founded the Abstinence Movement in Cork in 1838 which spread to the United States. Members took ‘The Pledge’ to remain sober for life. (Image via Wikipedia)

Following the large military contingent came the Civic Procession, headed by the Grand Marshal. Their order of march was as follows:

CIVIC PROCESSION


Grand Marshal Mr. Denis Meagher, Greenpoint Ancient Order of Hibernians


Aids and Special Aids to the Grand Marshal


Judge Connolly and the Treasurer of the Convention of Irish Societies (in an open barouche)


FIRST DIVISION


Marshal Edward Milligan with Aids


Connell’s Band


Thomas Francis Meagher Club (c. 300 men)


SECOND DIVISION


Marshal Thomas Lalor and Aids


8th Regiment Band


Drum Corps


Temperance Cadets of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, South Brooklyn


Father Mathew T.A.B. Society No. 1 of South Brooklyn (1.077 men)


THIRD DIVISION


Marshal John J. Therry with Aids


Stewart’s Band


Temperance Cadets of the Immaculate Conception (c. 125 boys)


Immaculate Conception Total Abstience and Benevolent Society (c. 425 men)


FOURTH DIVISION


Marshal Daniel Hagerty and aids


Longshoremen’s Union Benevolent Society (c. 700 men)


FIFTH DIVISION


Marshal Charles Allen with Aids


Band


Quarrymen’s Union Protective Society (c. 1500 men)


SIXTH DIVISION


Marhsal John McCloskey and Aids


Muller’s Band


Temperance Cadets of Brooklyn E.D. (c. 50 boys)


Father Mathew T.A.B. Society, No. 3, Brooklyn E.D. (c. 500 men)


SEVENTH DIVISION


Marshal James Kavanagh and Aids


Union Brass Band


Dungannon Volunteers of 1782


Hibernian Benevolent Society (c. 300 members)


EIGHTH DIVISION


Marhsals James Sandford and John Tucker with Aids


Dodworth’s Band


Ancient Order of Hibernians of New York (c. 2,500 men)


Finley’s Band (marching with AOH NY Divisions)


Schinneller’s Band (marching with AOH NY Divisions)


Muller’s Band (marching with AOH NY Divisions)


Grafula’s Band (marching with AOH NY Divisions)


Drum Corps of 22nd New York (marching with AOH NY Divisions)


Whitworth’s Band (marching with AOH NY Divisions)


Strattonport Band (marching with AOH NY Divisions)


Ancient Order of Hibernians of Melrose and Morrisania


Marshal Michael Henry


Band


Ancient Order of Hibernians of Weehawken, New Jersey


Ancient Order of Hibernians of Long Island (c. 1,500 men)


NINTH DIVISION


Marshal Patrick Nyhan with Aids


Governor’s Island Band


St. Peter’s Temperance Cadets (c. 150 boys)


St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Total Abstinence Society (c. 250 members)


TENTH DIVISION


Marshal James Cavanagh with Aids


Connell’s’ Second Band


Temperance Cadets (c. 100 boys)


Father Mathew T.A.B. Society No. 2 of New York (c. 650 men)


ELEVENTH DIVISION


Marshal Thomas Brennan with Aids


Band


Father Mathew T.A.B. Society No. 3 of New York (c. 200 members)


TWELFTH DIVISION


Marshal Michael Daly with Aids


Cecilian Band


Barry Benevolent Society (c. 200 members)


THIRTEENTH DIVISION


Marshal James Cullen and Aid


Robertson’s Band


St. Bridget’s Mutual Benefit and Benevolent Society (c. 500 members)


FOURTEENTH DIVISION


Marshal Stephen Quin and Aids


Nolan’s Cornet Band


Father Mathew’s Total Abstinence Benevolent Society No. 2, of Brooklyn (c. 470 members)


FIFTEENTH DIVISION


Marshal Edward L. Carey with Aids


Schelble’s Band


Father Mathew U.B.T.A.B. Society of New York (Parent Society) (c. 1,100 men)


SIXTEENTH DIVISION


Marshal James Crumley with Aids


Father Mathew U.B.T.A.B. Society, Branch No. 1 (c. 300 members)


SEVENTEENTH DIVISION


Marshal Bernard Grogan with Aids


Noyer’s Band


St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Total Abstinence & Beneficial Society of Brooklyn (c. 250 members)


EIGHTEENTH DIVISION


Marshal Richard Halpin with Aid


Marine Guard Band


Shamrock Society No. 1 of Brooklyn (c. 150 men)


NINETEENTH DIVISION


Marshal John Dwyer with Aids


St. James’ Roman Catholic Total Abstinence and Benevolent Society (c. 350 members)


TWENTIETH DIVISION


Marshal Michael Kean with Aids


Collins’ Band


Hibernian National Greens


Benevolent Society of the United Sons of Erin (c. 225 members)


TWENTY-FIRST DIVISION


Marshal Michael Duffy with Aid


Hibernian Universal Benevolent Society (c. 100 men)


Cavalcade of mounted men and vehicles

Table 2. Civic Procession Order of March, St. Patrick’s Day 1864 (after New York Irish-American)

Throughout the parade the streets were thronged with spectators- it was remarked that there was a ‘total absence of cases of intoxication’ among them, a factor perhaps influenced by the large number of abstinence societies taking part. After the march passed through the Park they were reviewed by the Mayor, Common Council and heads of the Municipal government. A salute of 17 guns was fired under the command of Captain James McMahon, before the column moved up Broadway to Union Square. Here the huge parade saluted the statue of Washington before passing down 14th Street, 7th Avenue, 23rd Street, 1st Avenue, 9th Street and finally onto 4th Avenue where the marchers finally broke up. In total it took the procession an hour and a half to pass any given point.

Even New York’s Navy Yard had got in on the act that St. Patrick’s Day. The ships played national Irish airs that morning, while a procession of laborers and mechanics belonging to Brooklyn’s Hibernian Societies visited the Yard for a reception. Throughout the city that evening many of the groups had dinners to celebrate the feast day- the Sons of St. Patrick went to the Astor House, while the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick retired to Delmonicos. The New York Irish-American recorded the details of the parade in incredible detail. We are extremely fortunate in that they also described the uniforms, flags and banners of the participants. This offers us a unique social insight into the imagery of Irish emigrant groups in 1864 and their efforts to highlight their dual allegiances to both the United States and Ireland. These remarkable descriptions have been condensed for readers below, with the dress, banners and mottoes of each of the Society’s in the march described in turn.

A scarlet Phrygian Cap, similar to that worn by many Temperance Cadets on St. Patrick’s Day, 1864. (Image via Wikipedia).

The Uniforms, Banners, Flags and Mottos

THOMAS FRANCIS MEAGHER CLUB: The members all wore green and gold badges with the name of the society on them. They carried their banners on a truck drawn by eight grey horses. On the front of the truck was the inscription ‘The Union of States- One an inseparable-Now and Forever’, while on each side was ‘On our side is Virtue and Erin: On theirs is the Saxon and Guilt’ and ‘The Union and the Constitution- One and Inseparable.’ The end of the truck bore ‘The Green above the Red.’ The flags of Ireland and the United States were carried with the banner of the society, which on one side had the Maid of Erin below an Eagle which carried a scroll inscribed: ‘T.F. Meagher Club. Protection in Sickness- Sympathy in Death.’ The reverse of the banner showed a sick room with members of the club providing relief. A second banner had an image of Thomas Francis Meagher with the inscription: ‘We Honor the Patriot.’ and underneath ‘Presented to the T.F. Meagher Club, January 19, 1853, by a Committee of Ladies Favorable to their Cause.’

TEMPERANCE CADETS OF THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, SOUTH BROOKLYN: The boys wore a uniform of a green shirt and cap with black pants. Their drum corps wore white uniforms trimmed in green. They carried a white banner with the inscription: ‘Temerpance Cadets of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, South Brooklyn.’ A second banner was inscribed: ‘All’s right- Dad’s sober’, while other banners carried religious phrases. Also among their ranks was a green flag and the Stars and Stripes.

FATHER MATHEW TEMPERANCE AND BENEVOLENCE SOCIETY NO. 1, SOUTH BROOKLYN: Members wore green and gold regalia. Their banner had on the obverse a figure of Father Mathew with a sunburst and round tower. Over this was the name of the Society and it’s date of incorporation, December 1861. On the reverse was a representation of the Visitation and the inscription ‘We visit our sick and bury our dead.’ The staff of the banner was adorned with a wreath presented by the ladies of South Brooklyn. The banner was carried with an Irish flag displaying the harp and sunburst at its centre and the Union flag. Two other silk banners were also carried by members.

TEMPERANCE CADETS OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: They wore green and white shirts with crimson Phrygian caps trimmed with green. Their banner had an image of the Immaculate Conception, and they also carried the flags of Ireland and the United States.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION TEMPERANCE AND BENEVOLENCE SOCIETY: The men all wore regalia. Their banner, which was surmounted by a large gilt eagle and bore green streamers, was carried on a truck drawn by four grey horses. The obverse of the banner carried a picture of the Immaculate Conception and a scroll reading ‘Immaculate Conception Total Abstinence Benefit Society. Organized July 10, 1862.’ The reverse had a representation of the Reverend Dr. Morrow administering the temperance pledge to a group of people, with a view of the Church of the Immaculate Conception and parochial house. Underneath was the inscription: ‘Be sober and watch, for you adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour.’ Another banner bore two Irish wolfhounds supporting a shield quartered with the arms of Ireland and the United States. It also had the name of the Society on it and the motto: ‘Gentle when Stroked- Fierce when Provoked.’ Also among the ranks was a silk United States flag carrying the name of the society and an Irish tricolour of ‘green, white and yellow.’ Another Stars and Stripes and green flag made up the society’s banners.

LONGSHOREMEN’S UNION BENEVOLENT SOCIETY: Members wore green and gold regalia and rosettes. Their banner carried a representation of a ship receiving her load (lading) with the inscription: ‘Longshoremens’ Union Benevolent Society: Organised Oct.13 1844; Chartered March 13, 1853.’ The reserve showed members of the society visiting a sick man and the motto: ‘Union, Protection, and Benevolence.’ The Society’s second banner had on the obverse representations of Jackson and Lafayette and a shield emblazoned with the flags of all nations. Two clasped hands carried the motto ‘Unity’. Flags of Ireland and the United States were also carried. In the background was a view of the Battery (on Manhattan) with the inscription: ‘Longshoremens’ U.B. Society. We know no Distinction but that of Merit.’ On the reverse was Hope with a horn of plenty and holding two little children by the hands, together with members of the Society in procession. Over the scene was the inscription ‘Whatsoever you do unto one of those Little Ones, the same you do also to Me.’ The Stars and Stripes, green flag and more banners followed.

QUARRYMAN’S U.B. SOCIETY: Members wore green and silver regalia and carried two banners. The first bore figures of O’Connell and Washington on the obverse, with a scroll reading: ‘Quarrymen’s Union Protective Society; Chartered May 13, 1850.’ The reverse depicted Columbus landing with the motto: ‘United we stand- Divided we fall.’ The Society’s second banner had a good Samaritan on the obverse with the name of the society. The reverse showed members assisting a sick man, with the motto: ‘We visit the sick and bury the dead.’ The Society also carried a United States flag.

TEMPERANCE CADETS OF BROOKLYN E.D.: The cadets wore green shirts with black belts and pants and had crimson Phrygian caps. They had a white banner edged with green and crimson which bore the inscription:’ Total Abstinence Cadets. Presented by the Father Mathew T.A.B. Society of Brooklyn E.D., March 17, 1864.’ They also carried a green flag and the Stars and Stripes.

FATHER MATHEW TEMPERANCE AND BENEVOLENCE SOCIETY NO.3, BROOKLYN E.D.: Members wore green and gold regalia ornamented with harps and stars along with green, white and crimson rosettes. They wore their temperance medals on their left breast. Their banner was made of green silk and on the obverse had a depiction of Ireland (represented by a beautiful woman) mourning over a harp. In the background was a lake and ruined tower. There were fountains of water on each side, and over all was an inscription: ‘I saw, I signed, I conquered’ underneath which was written ‘Father Mathew, though dead, still lives in the hearts of his followers.’ The reverse of the banner had a representation of Father Mathew administering the temperance pledge, while the Maid of Erin played a harp surrounded by a blaze of glory. The inscription on that side read: ‘Father Mathew Total Abstinence Benefit Society, No. 3 Brooklyn, E.D. Organized July 6, 1863, Chartered Sept. 16, 1863.’ In addition to the banner the society carried two Irish and two United States flags. Interestingly the entire Society had been photographed on St. Patricks Day prior to taking part in the march. The image was exposed by Jackson at the corner of North 9th and 2nd Streets, Williamsburgh- it is unclear if any copies survive.

DUNGANNON VOLUNTEERS OF 1782: Members wore the 1782 uniform.

HIBERNIAN BENEVOLENT SOCIETY: Members wore green and gold regalia with rosettes. Their banner was carried on a truck drawn by six grey horses and it’s staff was decorated with crimson and green streamers, with a large gilt eagle on top. The staff also carried a wreath of flowers. On the obverse was depiction of O’Connell and Washington along with the harp and Eagle. It carried the motto: ‘United we stand- Divided we fall.’ The reverse had an image of Jackson with a Phoenix and the combined arms of the United States and Ireland, and was inscribed: ‘Our duty is to aid and protect the afflicted.’ In addition the Society carried two silk United States flags.

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.1: Their banner was carried on a car drawn by eight grey horses with plumed headgear. The front of the car had an image of Washington and Lafayette with an eagle and the combined arms of the United States and Ireland. The reverse of the car had O’Connell and Sarsfield, on either side of a harp draped in the American flag and the motto: ‘Faith, Hope and Charity; Under these we Conquer.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.2: Their banner had on the obverse a shamrock covered rock in the midst of waves, surmounted by an eagle and sunburst. It carried the motto: ‘United we stand-Divided we fall’, underneath which was written: ‘Ireland! vast is the ocean that divides us- But boundless the love that unites us.’ The reverse of the banner depicted Washington crossing the Delaware and the inscription ‘We relieve our sick and bury our dead.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.3: The banner carried on its obverse and image of St. Patrick and the Maid of Erin, with inscription ‘Let Friendship Flourish’ above, and ‘We visit the sick and bury the dead’ below. The reverse showed Brian Boru and the words ‘Let Erin Remember the Days of Brian the Brave.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.4: The banner carried an image of Patrick Sarsfield on the front, wearing full armour and destroying a serpent, along with the legend: ‘He was Ireland’s glory and the terror of her enemies.’ The reverse showed Charles Carroll of Carrollton signing the Declaration of Independence and the motto: ‘We honor the heroes of ’76.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.5: The front of the banner carried St. Patrick and ‘King Malachi’ in full armour. A scroll over them bore the name of the Society and a quotation from Moore: ‘Let Erin remember the days of old. Ere her faithless sons betrayed her, When Malachi wore the collar of gold, Which he won from the proud invader.’ The reverse carried the Maid of Erin weeping over a harp, along with Grattan in the uniform of the 1782 Volunteers. This side had a quotation from Davis: ‘When Grattan rose, none dared oppose The claim he made for Freedom.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.6: The banner carried St. Patrick on the front, preaching before the Royal assemblage of Ireland at Tara. It had the inscription ‘We support the sick, and bury the dead.’ The reverse had an image of Marshal McMahon with a harp and the legend: ‘Here I am, and here I shall remain.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.7: On the obverse the banner had a representation of St. Patrick and Robert Emmet with the couplet: ‘Oh, list ye the Joyful news that’s wafted o’er the sea; There’s life in Holy Ireland yet, and love of Liberty.’ The reverse carried General Jackson and the legend: ‘Ireland- the land of my forefathers.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.8: The Society’s banner had Daniel O’Connell standing on the steps of Derrynane on the front and the inscription ‘We support our sick and bury our dead.’ The reverse carried Brian Boru and the Maid of Erin.

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.9: One the obverse of the banner was an image of Hugh O’Neill in complete armour and on horseback. Across his shoulder he wore a green scarf with the red hand of Ulster emblazoned on it. The Maid of Erin appeared on the reverse with the inscription ‘We support our sick and bury our dead.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.10: The banner they carried had Thomas Francis Meagher on the front, along with a harp resting on a rock and entwined with wreaths of shamrocks. The reverse carried the Maid of Erin under the quotations: ‘This freedom now so seldom wakes, The only throb she gives, Is when some heart, indignant, breaks, To show that still she lives.’ The banner also carried a depiction of the surrender of Cornwallis and ‘In Union there is Strength.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.11: The banner depicted O’Connell and Washington on the obverse with Jackson and Montgomery on the reverse. The reverse also had the shields of America and Ireland and the mottos: ‘United we stand- Divided we fall’ and ‘We visit the sick and bury the dead.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.12: On the obverse of their banner was Lord Edward Fitzgerald and General Jackson along with the Irish harp and the quote ‘Let Erin Remember the Days of Brian the Brave.’ The reverse showed Columbus landing in American and the motto ‘United we stand- Divided we fall.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.13: The front of the Society’s banner depicted O’Connell and Washington with the motto ‘United we stand- Divided we fall.’ The reverse had a sick member of the society being given relief, with ‘We support our sick and bury our dead.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.14: On the obverse of the banner was O’Connell and Washington along with the motto ‘Let friendship Flourish.’ The reverse had Sarsfield and Jackson and the inscription: ‘Humanity, Fidelity, and Love.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.15: The front of the banner had representations of O’Connell and Washington with an Irish harp surmounted by an eagle. Between them and underneath the American shield was the motto ‘Let Friendship Flourish.’ The reverse carried Ireland (a beautiful woman) leaning on a harp, together with ‘Humanity, Fidelity, and Love.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.16: The Society’s banner had Hibernia and St, Patrick on the front with an allegorical representation of friendship between them. The reverse showed members of the Order helping a sick brother and the inscription ‘United we stand- Divided we fall’ and ‘We relieve the sick- We bury the dead.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.17: On the front of the banner was Washington and Patrick Henry with the inscription ‘We protect the Constitution and the Adopted Citizen.’ The reverse showed St. Patrick bestowing his benediction on the Maid of Erin underneath the inscription ‘We support out sick and bury our dead.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.18: Their banner was carried on a truck drawn by ten grey horses. Marching alongside were two pipers playing national airs. The banner itself had a figure of O’Connell on the obverse, with an Irish wolfhound by his side. The reverse had a large harp over a stag and tower, along with the motto: ‘Let the World be our Republic.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.19: The front of the banner showed the capture of Major Andre (during the War of Independence) with the quotation ‘We pledged our Lives, our Fortunes, and Sacred Honor’ underneath. The reverse depicted the Vale of Avoca and the words ‘On our side is Virtue and Erin; On theirs is the Saxon and Guilt.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.20: The banner showed Brian Boru defeating the Danes on the front, with the verse: ‘Long his loss shall Erin weep, Ne’er again his likeness see. Long her strains in sorrow steep- Strains of Immortality.’ The reverse of the flag showed St. Patrick.

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.21: The obverse of the banner had an armed depiction of Hugh O’Neill with the inscription: ‘O’Neill, the Pride of his Country, and the Terror of her Enemies.’ The reverse showed St. Patrick and the Maid of Erin along with the verse: ‘And as buried Saints have given perfume To shrines where they’ve been lying. So our hearts shall borrow a sweetening bloom From the image he left there in dying.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF NEW YORK, DIVISION NO.22: The Society carried a banner that showed the Maid of Erin playing a harp and a monk with a wolfhound crouching at his feet. Over both were a stag’s head and the sunburst. The reverse depicted O’Rourke, ‘Prince of Brefni’ in full armour, opposite Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Beside them was the inscription: ‘We have Sacrificed and Bled for Liberty’, while beneath them was: ‘We Hail the Land of our Birth: We Protect the Land of our Adoption.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF MELROSE AND MORRISANIA: The banner of the society had St. Patrick and Brian Boru on the front with the inscription ‘Se support our sick and bury our dead.’ The reverse showed Washington on horseback with the name of the Society: ‘Ancient Order of Hibernians of Melrose, Westchester Co.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF WEEHAWKEN, NEW JERSEY: Their banner was carried on a truck decorated with evergreens and drawn by two horses. The banner had the surrender of Cornwallis on the obverse with figures of O’Connell and Patrick Henry on the reverse and the inscription: ‘Let Liberty’s Spirit not rest, Till it moves like a breeze o’er the waves of the West.’ The Society also carried a United States flag.

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF LONG ISLAND, DIVISION NO.1: They carried their banner on a car drawn by six grey horses. On the front it had Hugh O’Neill with the depiction ‘The Pride of his Country, and the Terror of her Enemies.’ The reverse showed the Maid of Erin playing on a harp.

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF LONG ISLAND, DIVISION NO.2: Their banner had St. Patrick and the Irish harp on the front, with the motto: ‘Faith, Hope and Charity- By these we Conquer.’ The reverse depicted Washington and had the inscription ‘First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF LONG ISLAND, DIVISION NO.3: The front of the banner had St. Patrick and Washington with  the inscription: ‘Our Comet shines to chase foul mists away. And drive dark falsehood from our land to-day.’ The reverse showed Hugh O’Neill and Patrick Sarsfield with the quotation ‘Forget not the field where they perished, The truest, the last of the brave.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF LONG ISLAND, DIVISION NO.4: They carried their banner on a truck drawn by eight white horses all with plumed decorations on their heads. On either side of the truck was the Irish and American flags. In the truck itself a harper played tunes. The banner had St. Patrick and O’Connell on the front, along with a harp and eagle and the inscription ‘United we stand- Divided we fall.’ The reverse showed Brian Boru in his armour with the inscription ‘Remember the Days of Brian Boroimhe.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF LONG ISLAND, DIVISION NO.5: One the obverse of the banner were two woulfhounds supporting a shield and the motto: ‘Gentle when stroked- Fierce when provoked.’ The reverse showed St. Patrick preaching before the Royal Assembly of Tara.

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF LONG ISLAND, DIVISION NO.6: The frame of their banner was decorated with wreaths and streamers. On the front was a figure of Sarsfield, with a harp and round tower. Underneath them were the words: ‘Sarsfield is the word, and Sarsfield I am.’ The reverse had a figure of Marshal McMahon and the inscription: ‘Oh, Erin my Country, I weep for your fall. My sword and my shield await on your call.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF LONG ISLAND, DIVISION NO.8: Their banner had St. Patrick and the Maid of Erin on the front with the inscription ‘Strike the tuneful harp once more, There’s hope of Liberty on Erin’s shore.’ The reverse depicted Major O’Reillly and Lafayette with the motto ‘Union and Liberty.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF LONG ISLAND, DIVISION NO.9: On the front of the Society’s banner was O’Connell and Washington with the motto ‘Gentle when Stroked- Fierce when Provoked.’ The reverse had Marshal MacMahon and the Maid of Erin with the mottoes ‘For my Country I Mourn’ and ‘Friendship, Unity, and Love.’

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF LONG ISLAND, DIVISION NO.11: The obverse of their banner had St. Patrick and ‘King Malachi.’ A scroll over them had the name of the Society and the quotation: ‘Let Erin remember the days of old. Ere her faithless sons betrayed her; When Malachi wore the collar of gold, Which he won from the proud invader.’ The reverse bore the Maid of Erin  and Henry Grattan with a harp surmounted by an eagle. Over them was written ‘Let Friendship Flourish’ and underneath the quote ‘When Grattan rose, none dared oppose The claim he made for Freedom.’ The Society also carried and Irish flag.

ST. PETER’S TEMPERANCE CADETS: They wore small badges and had a banner of white with the inscription ‘St. Peter’s Temperance Cadets.’ The cadets also carried a wreath with a white cross at its centre. They carried a green flag with the harp and shamrock and also the flag of the United States.

ST. PETER’S ROMAN CATHOLIC TOTAL ABSTINENCE SOCIETY: Members wore a green badge with the name of their society in gilt letters on it, together with a green rosette. Their banner bore a figure of St. Patrick and the inscription ‘St. Peter’s Roman Catholic T.A. Society; Organized, March , 1860.’ The reverse had Christ and St. Peter walking on the water, with the name of the Society. Behind the banner was a harp device wreathed in flowers. The Society also carried a green flag and a United States flag.

FATHER MATHEW T.A.B. SOCIETY NO.2 OF NEW YORK: All the members wore regalia. Their banner was of green silk edged in gold and on the obverse had a representation of Father Mathew administering the pledge. A scroll over his head read: ‘Father Mathew T.A.B. Society, No. 2, of New York.’ The reverse had the Maid of Erin leaning on a harp with an angel hovering over her and a crown of laurel. The scroll bore the name of the Society and also: ‘There’s not, within this lovely land, A fairer sight to see, Than those who march beneath our flag, In sober dignity.’ The staff of the banner also bore a wreath. The Society also carried a second banner which had two wolfhounds supporting the united flags of Ireland and American and the motto: ‘Gentle when Stroked- Fierce when Provoked.’ The staff of this flag also had a wreath, upon which was written in gilt letters: ‘Noble cause, live for ever!’ Guide colours were also carried, which were red, white and blue and carried inscriptions such as ‘Unity, Harmony and Benevolence’ and ‘In Union there is Strength.’

FATHER MATHEW T.A.B. SOCIETY NO.3 OF NEW YORK: The members were dressed in green and gold regalia. They carried the flags of Ireland and the United States.

BARRY BENEVOLENT SOCIETY: Their banner had images of Commodore Barry and Washington along with the inscription: ‘Barry Benevolent Society: Organized October 30, 1861: Chartered, 1864.’ The reverse showed members of the Society helping a sick man, with the words: ‘I was sick, and you visited me.’ A wreath hung from the staff of the banner and the Society also carried the Irish and American flags.

ST. BRIDGET’S MUTUAL BENEFIT AND BENEVOLENT SOCIETY: They wore medals and rosettes of green, white and crimson. The front of their banner had a representation of St. Bridget with St. Bridget’s Parish Church and Schools in the background. Beneath this was a Committee of the Society making their report to the President and the inscription: ‘St. Bridget’s Mutual Benefit and Benevolent Society; Organized March 4, 1863.’ The reverse of the banner showed a sick member of the Society receiving the last rites, while his family receive assistance. In the background is the Angel of Mercy with the Cross and Scales of Justice, bearing the legend: ‘Faith, Hope, and Charity. We Comfort the Sick and Pray for the Dead.’ In addition the Society carried silk flags of Ireland and the United States.

FATHER MATHEW TOTAL ABSTINENCE B. SOCIETY NO.2 OF BROOKLYN: The members wore green and gold regalia. Their banner was of green silk edged with gold with a representation of Father Mathew administering the pledge on the front. Over this was a scroll carried in an eagle’s beak which read: ‘Father Mathew Total Abstinence Benevolent Society No, 2, of Brooklyn.’ Underneath this was written ‘Relief in Sickness or Distress.’ The reverse depicted a harp wreathed with shamrocks, together with a wolfhound and round tower. Under this was fountain of cold water. The flags of the United States and Ireland were depicted in the upper part of the image, along with a scroll reading: ‘Temperance-in hoc signo vinces.’ A wreath hung from the banner’s staff, and the Society also carried a United States and Irish flag.

FATHER MATHEW U.B.T.A.B. SOCIETY OF NEW YORK (PARENT SOCIETY): The members wore green and gold regalia ornamented with harps and shamrocks. Their banner was carried on a car drawn by twelve bay horses with plume headpieces. The sides were covered in green, white and blue drapery ornamented with mottoes, harps and shamrocks. On one side was written ‘Our object is Temperance and Unity’ and on the other ‘We follow in the footsteps of the Apostle of Temperance, the Rev. Theobald Mathew.’ The rear of the car had ‘We visit the Sick and bury the Dead’ with below ‘By the Pledge We Conquer.’ The banner had a full length portrait of Father Mathew administering the pledge, with a man and his family (the man having just signed the pledge). The inscription read: ‘Father Mathew United Temperance B. Society, Organized Dec. 2, 1851; Chartered July 8, 1855.’ The reverse had the Maid of Erin leaning on a harp with the quotation: ‘The Harp that once thro’ Tara’s Halls, The soul of Music shed.’ A wreath was placed on the banner’s staff. Cadets followed the car and carried small flags.

FATHER MATHEW U.B.T.A.B. SOCIETY, BRANCH NO.1: Members wore their Society’s regalia and carried a floral device presented by the Temperance ladies of the 9th Ward. The wreath of flowers was a circled by gilt oak leaves, surrounded by a harp and with the inscription in gold: ‘Father Mathew U.B.T.A.B. Society, Branch No. 1.’ They also carried two United States flags.

ST. ANNE’S R.C.T.A.B. SOCIETY, OF BROOKLYN: Members wore green and white rosettes with white badges fringed in gold and bearing the name of the Society. The banner was wreathed in gold shamrock with a figure of St. Anne on the front and the inscription ‘St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Total Abstinence and Beneficial Society, of Brooklyn. Organized April 5, 1863.’ The reverse showed a sick room with a priest administering the last rites. Overhead the Angel of Hope pointing to the Cross and the inscription: ‘We comfort the sick and bury the dead.’ They also carried with them an Irish flag presented to them that morning. It bore the harp and sunburst along with the motto ‘Erin go Bragh.’ They also carried a United States flag.

SHAMROCK SOCIETY NO.1 OF BROOKLYN: Their banner had on the obverse St. Patrick along with the name of the Society and the legend: ‘We relieve our sick and bury our dead.’ The reverse bore an image of Washington with the name of the Society and it’s date of organization, 1829. They also carried a small banner which had a harp and the inscription: ‘Erin and the United States.’ They also carried the Stars and Stripes and a number of boys had small flags.

ST. JAMES’ R.C.T.A.B. SOCIETY: Members were dressed in their regalia and carried a banner that had a golden cross on the front surrounded by rays of light, with the motto: ‘In hoc signo vinces.’ The reverse had the inscription: ‘New York Roman Catholic Total Abstinence Benevolent Society: Organized Nov. 1st, 1849.’ They also had a large Irish flag, with the harp and shamrocks embroidered on it and a Union flag

BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF THE UNITED SONS OF ERIN: Members wore their regalia and on their banner carried images of Washington and the Maid of Erin, with a view of a ship sailing on the Ocean. Underneath this were the lines: ‘Behold yon gallant vessel, how swift she speeds her way: The golden sun is rising to guide her through the spray, While Erin’s guardian genius in splendor stands serene, With Tara’s ancient emblem, she gazes on the scene; Upon the deck brave Barry stands; he comes in Freedom’s name; He comes to meet the haughty foe, amid the rushing flame. The orphan’s prayer to Heaven ascends for Erin’s noble son; Nor are his deeds forgotten in the land of Washington.’ The reverse showed one of the members of the Society with a horn of plenty, relieving the family of a deceased member, with the motto: ‘Charity softens the pillow of death.’

HIBERNIAN UNIVERSAL BENEVOLENT SOCIETY: Their first banner showed an Irish emigrant taking the Oath of Allegiance to the United States with the motto: ‘United, we stand; divided we fall.’ The reverse showed the landing of Columbus, the name of the Society and the date of its charter in 1828. After the banner was a gilt harp covered in floral wreaths. A second banner had a portrait of Washington and the name of the Society.

References

New York Irish-American 26th March 1864.

New York Times 18th March 1864.

Filed under: New York, St. Patrick's Day Tagged: 69th New York Parade, Father Mathew, Irish American Civil War, Irish in New York, New York Parade, St. Patrick's Day, St. Patrick's Day Civil War, Temperance Society

‘He May Be Lurking About Charleston’: The Hunt for Irish Confederate Deserters

Men deserted the armies of the North and South in their thousands during the American Civil War. They did so for many different reasons; some tired of the rigours of military discipline, while others had become emotionally drained by their experiences. Some simply lost faith in the fight, or enlisted only with the intent of getting a quick buck before immediately deserting. Local newspapers ran advertisements which offered bounties for the apprehension of deserters- here are some that relate to absent Confederate Irishmen in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. 

Former Confederates taking the Federal Oath of Allegiance in 1865, drawing by Alfred Waud (Library of Congress)

Deserted! From EMMETT GUARDS, formerly Mechanic Guards, Co. B, 24th Regiment Alabama Volunteers. MARTIN MURPHY, a native of Ireland, aged about 27 years, florid complexion, gray eyes, 5 feet 6 inches high with sandy hair, inclined to curl- for whose apprehension and delivery at Camp Bragg, near Fort Morgan, the Confederate States will pay Thirty Dollars. B. O’Connell, Captain Comd’g, Co. B, 24th Regiment Alabama Volunteers. (1)

The ad seeking Murphy ran in the Mobile Register on 28th March 1862. His company was recruited mainly from men from Mobile County, Alabama. I have found no further record of him.

Thirty dollars reward will be paid for the delivery at Fort Sumter or Charleston Jail of each of the following:…5. JOHN WHELAN, Company K. Deserted from Sullivan’s Island. Said Whelan is 28 years of age, 5 feet 7 inches high, dark complexion, brown eyes, brown hair; is a native of Ireland, and enlisted at Sullivan’s Island…By order of Lieutenant-Colonel Jos. A. Yates. S.C. BOYLSTON, First Lieutenant, Acting Adjutant. (2)

The ad ran in the Charleston Courier on 2nd December 1862. Whelan was a member of the 1st South Carolina Artillery. Company K had originally been formed of men from Fairfield, Lancaster, Union, Spartanburg, Anderson and Edgefield counties. I have found no further record of him.

Thirty dollars reward will be paid for the delivery at Fort Sumter or Charleston Jail of each of the following:…6. THOMAS ROGERS, Company I, deserted from Fort Beauregard, Sullivan’s Island. Said Rogers is 46 years of age, 5 feet 7 inches high, ruddy complexion, brown hair, brown eyes; is a native of Ireland, and enlisted at Sullivan’s Island; is by occupation a “baker”…By order of Lieutenant-Colonel Jos. A. Yates. S.C. BOYLSTON, First Lieutenant, Acting Adjutant. (3)

The ad ran in the Charleston Courier on 2nd December 1862. As with Whelan, Rogers served in the 1st South Carolina Artillery. His service record shows that he had gone AWOL on 27th October 1862, having enlisted only four days previously on 23rd October. His company was commanded by John Mitchel’s son. In January 1863 it was thought he had been apprehended- his file records: ‘Thomas Rodger was thought to be a deserter from Capt. Mitchel’s Co. I 1st S.C. Artillery. He was arrested on that ground, but when examined, was found to be another man. Capt. Macbeth says he was employed by Major Chiles, and that no charges now exist against him.’ (4)

Thirty dollars reward will be paid for the delivery at Fort Sumter or Charleston Jail of each of the following:…7. THOMAS HART, Company I. Deserted from Fort Beauregard, Sullivan’s Island. Said Hart is 28 years of age, 5 feet 8 1/2 inches high, dark complexion, blue eyes, dark hair; is a native of Ireland and enlisted at Charleston…By order of Lieutenant-Colonel Jos. A. Yates. S.C. BOYLSTON, First Lieutenant, Acting Adjutant. (5)

The ad appeared in the Charleston Courier on 2nd December 1862. Hart was also a member of the 1st South Carolina Artillery. His service record shows he had enlisted on 24th February 1862 and had been serving on detached duty, working at the telegraph office in Charleston. He had been due to return to his Company on 26th October and it would appear that it was his failure to do so that led to the call for his apprehension. In fact his detached service was extended to January 1863 and Hart returned to his regiment after this. He spent much of 1863 on detached duty at the Ordnance Department. However, he finally did desert, leaving his unit for good on 10th March 1864. (6)

THIRTY Dollars reward will be paid for the delivery at Fort Lamar, James’ Island, or Charleston Jail, of each of the following deserters: 1. MATTHEW RYAN, Company “B,” deserted from Fort Lamar on the 17th November. Said Ryan is 26 years of age, 5 feet 5 inches high, hazel eyes, dark hair, dark complexion, is a native of Ireland, and was enlisted at Camp Butler, S.C. He may be lurking about Charleston or in the neighborhood of Blackville…J. WELSMAN BROWN, Maj, Com’ding Batt. 2d S.C. Artillery Vols., Fort Lamar. (7)

The ad originally ran in the Charleston Mercury of 6th December 1862. Company B of the 2nd South Carolina Artillery had mainly been recruited in Barnwell and Edgefield counties. Ryan’s service record shows he enlisted on 4th October 1861, deserting just over a year later on 17th November 1862. (8)

Deserted from their post and company, at Charleston, Privates P.M. Berry, 49 years old, five feet three inches high, blue eyes, dark hair, and fair complexion, born in Ireland…The above reward will be paid for all, or $30 for either them, if delivered at these Headquarters, or confined in jail in this State or the State of Georgia. R.F. AIKEN, Capt. Commanding 2d Battalion Georgia Cavalry. G.O. WARNOCK, A. Adjutant. (9)

The ad originally ran in the Charleston Mercury of 6th December 1862. I have found no further record of him.

Deserted- $250 Reward! FORT GAINES, Alabama, Dec. 29, 1862. PRIVATE JAMES WILLIAMS, of Captain Thomas J. Massey’s Company E 1st Confederate Regiment. 46 years old, gray eyes, light hair, light complexion. 5 feet 11 inches high, born in Down county, Ireland, enlisted as a substitute at Mobile, December 25th 1862, to serve three years. The above reward will be paid for his delivery to me at Fort Gaines, Ala., or into the charge of the Provost Marshal of Mobile. T.J. Massey, Captain. Com’dg Co. F. 1st Confederate Regt. (10)

The ad originally ran in the Mobile Register of 2nd January 1863. Williams had originally enlisted in Memphis, Tennessee on 15th March 1862. Williams was on detached service in Columbus, Mississippi in July 1862 at which point he deserted. (11)

NAVAL. NAVAL BATTERY, SAVANNAH RIVER, February 19th, 1863. $90 REWARD will be paid for the apprehension and delivery of Privates MICHAEL MARTIN, THOMAS McLEAN and PETER McGUIRE, deserters from Co. G, 22d Battalion, Georgia Artillery. Said Martin deserted on the 20th day of December 1862, is 26 years of age, 5 feet 10 inches high, born in Ireland, sallow complexion, dark hair, blue eyes; he was originally a member of Co. B, Irish Jasper Greens, which company he deserted, and was taken prisoner at Charleston S.C., and transferred to this company in November last. (12)

The ad originally ran in the Daily Constitutionalist (Augusta, Georgia) of 1st March 1863. Michael Martin had enlisted at Savannah on 10th October 1862. He had been transferred to the 22nd while in prison at Savannah Barracks following his desertion from the Irish Jasper Greens. When he deserted for the second time he was in Savannah Hospital. (13)

DESERTERS. HEADQ’S BAT. SAV. VOL GUARDS, Fort Beggs, January 9, 1862. SPECIAL ORDERS, NO.8. The following named men are published as DESERTERS from the Battalion Savannah Volunteer Guards, viz:…2. John Makin, from Company A; enlisted March 18, 1862 for the war; 28 years of age; 5 feet 9 1/2 inches in height, dark complexion, brown eyes, dark hair; born in Ireland and by occupation, when enlisted, a baker. Makin has a slight stoop and seems older than stated in his description. He has a wife in Savannah. (14)

Ad originally appeared in the Augusta Chronicle (Georgia) on 7th December 1862. He had been recorded as sick on 20th June 1862. (15)

CAMP 46th REGIMENT ALA. VOLUNTEERS. NEAR VICKSBURG, MISS., FEB. 13th. 1863. Deserted. Private Hugh Faulkner, Company F, 46th Alabama Regiment, answering the following description: A native of Ireland, 51 years of age, 5 feet 7 1/2 inches high, fair complexion, grey eyes, dark hair, a small piece taken out of his left ear. Deserted this camp on the 13th inst. The usual reward will be paid for apprehension and safe delivery to any proper authority. JOHN E. SPINKS Capt. Company F, 46th Ala. Regiment. (16)

Ad originally appeared in the Mobile Register of 3rd March 1863. Company F was mainly formed of men from Macon County. I have found no further record of him.

DESERTIONS. DESERTERS From the 15th Ala. Regiment…COMPANY K. Private PAT O’HERRIN, born in Cork, Ireland, aged 30 years. 5 feet 11 inches high, light complexion, grey eyes and light hair; was enlisted by Capt. Hart, July 3d, 1861 in Barbour county, Ala, for the war, and deserted his company, at Richmond, Va., 27th June 1862…A reward of $30 will be paid for the apprehension and delivery of each of the above deserters, or their confinement in some jail in the Confederate States, inside the lines of our armies. W.C. OATS, Colonel, commanding 15th Ala. Regiment. (17)

Ad originally appeared in the Richmond Enquirer of 2nd September 1863. Company K was the Eufaula City Guard from Barbour County. I have found no further record of him.

DESERTIONS. DESERTERS From the 15th Ala. Regiment…COMPANY K. Private PAT CLARKE born in Dublin, Ireland, aged 29 years, 5 feet 10 inches high, dark complexion, blue and black hair; was enlisted by Capt. Hart, July 3d, 1861 in Barbour county, Ala., for the war, and deserted company at Madison Court House, Va, August 9th 1862. A reward of $30 will be paid for the apprehension and delivery of each of the above deserters, or their confinement in some jail in the Confederate States, inside the lines of our armies. W.C. OATS, Colonel, commanding 15th Ala. Regiment. (18)

Ad first appeared in the Richmond Enquirer on 2nd September 1863. Also a member of the Eufaula City Guard from Barbour County. I have found no further record of him.

(1) Mobile Register 28th March 1862; (2) Charleston Courier 2nd December 1862; (3) Charleston Courier 2nd December 1862; (4) Thomas Rodger Confederate Service Record; (5) Charleston Courier 2nd December 1862; (6) Thomas Hart Confederate Service Record; (7) Charleston Mercury 6th December 1862; (8) Matthew Ryan Confederate Service Record; (9) Charleston Mercury 6th December 1862; (10) Mobile Register 2nd January 1863; (11) James E. Williams Confederate Service Record; (12) Daily Constitutionalist 1st March 1863; (13) Michael Martin Confederate Service Record; (14) Augusta Chronicle 17th January 1863; (15) John Makin Confederate Service Record;(16) Mobile Register 3rd March 1863; (17) Richmond Enquirer 2nd September 1863; (18) Richmond Enquirer 2nd September 1863;

References

Mobile Register (Alabama)

Charleston Courier (South Carolina)

Charleston Mercury (South Carolina)

Daily Constitutionalist (Georgia)

August Chronicle (Georgia)

Richmond Enquirer (Virginia)

Confederate Service Records

New York Public Library Digital Collections

Filed under: Confederacy, Desertion Tagged: American Civil War Desertion, Confederate Desertion, Irish American Civil War, Irish Confederates, Irish Desertion, Irish Diaspora, Irish in the Confederacy, Irish in the South

‘Friend Patt theres only 8 of us that left…’: An Irish Brigade Soldier’s Letter at War’s End

For a number of weeks Robert E. Lee’s surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia thousands of Union troops remained in the field in Virginia. During this period men often reflected on the past and the many comrades they had lost and looked forward to returning home. Meanwhile officers tried to keep the men occupied with drill and parade, something often resented by veteran troops. I recently came across a fascinating letter dealing with this period from a member of the Irish Brigade. In it Private John Hall demonstrates the close bond felt between recruits who joined the Brigade in January 1864 and discusses how few of that group merged unscathed. 

Officers of the 63rd New York Infantry (mainly Company A) in June 1865 (Library of Congress)

Camp near Burkesville [sic.] Va.

April 30th 1865

Friend Patrick,

Yours came to hand this morning in which I am glad to find you in good health as this leaves me thanks to God. Friend Patrick I see by yours you are sorry you cannot come to your regiment. You are better remain on Hart Island NY than come here either in peace or war. It is true we have peace with the South but our Brigade Colonel Robert Nugent does not give us much peace. Roll call at 5 am, drill from 9-11 am, drill from 2 to 4 pm, dress parade 5 am [sic.], Taps at 8 pm with plenty of fatigue guards and picquets. Friend Patrick, we are 4 miles outside the above station in camp in a wood convenient to the Danville rail road where we picquet to prevent persons from leaving said road and do not know what hour we may be sent to [illegible] parts of the country to guard. But as for home we hear nothing about it as for Colonel Gleason he is under arrest this long time and is of opinion he will be cashiered. His brother Joe is well and holds the rank of Captain. Friend Patt theres only 8 of us that left Hart Island NY here at present out of our fine company. But Corporal Christopher McClellan was exchanged from Rebel prison and is gone on to Annoppolis [sic.] Md. Also there are 6 of our men from our regiment made their escape from Salisbury North Carolina and joined us a few days ago they tell us that our Dear friend John Wallace died on our about they [sic.] 21st day of October 64 at Salisbury North Carolina from starvation. May God in his mercy have mercy on his soul and may heaven be his reward for his many sufferings from August 25th to October 21st 64 while in Rebel prison. Friend Patt you can tell his poor wife Mary Wallace of her husbands death, may God comfort her and she can apply to the State Agent to forward her claims to the War Department as we announced her husband [sic.] death on the muster rolls of the 30th April 65 this days muster rolls for the last 2 months we also will forward his final statements on tomorrow to the War Department by consent of Joseph Gleason Captain Comdg. D. Co. This friend Patrick is all we can do in memory of our beloved countryman and most particular friend may his soul rest in peace. Amen.

Friend Patrick if you can remain in New York or on Hart Island as we are opinion our Brigade will be kept for our term of service. Hoping you will remain in good health until the expiration of our service until we unite happily as we did before. I close by sending to poor Mrs. Wallace my sympathy in her sorrow, hoping the Lord will comfort her as he see fit to call her dear husband to himself. I join in sending you and friend Gleason my best respects,

I remain your friend and brother soldier

John Hall, D Company, 63d Regt NY V. Vols

Washington D.C.

P.S. Dear Patrick, if you write again to me omit the word Seargent, if you please- your friend, John Hall. (1)

Colonel Robert Nugent and staff in June 1865 (Library of Congress)

Individuals Mentioned in the Letter

The letter writer, John Hall, mustered into Company D of the 63rd New York on the 20th January 1864 at the age of 23. He had been wounded in action at Petersburg on 16th June 1864. John mustered out with the regiment at Alexandria two months after he wrote this letter, on 30th June 1865. (2)

The recipient is not identified beyond his first name ‘Patrick’, but is almost certainly Patrick Slattery. He mustered into Company D of the 63rd New York on the 21st January 1864 at the age of 20 and mustered out on 9th May 1865 at Hart’s Island, New York. (3)

John Wallace mustered into Company D of the 63rd New York on the 21st January 1864 at the age of 24. He had not been in the United States for long when he enlisted, having married his wife Mary O’Connor in Killarney, Co. Kerry on 15th November 1862. Captured at the Battle of Ream’s Station on 25th August 1864, he is recorded as having died of pneumonia at Salisbury, North Carolina on 8th November 1864. (4)

Joseph Gleason mustered in as Second Lieutenant in Company D of the 63rd New York on 5th April 1864 at the age of 19. He was promoted to Captain of the Company on 5th April 1864 and was discharged on 27th April 1865. (5)

Christopher McClellan mustered into Company D of the 63rd New York as a Private on 25th January 1864. Promoted to Corporal, he was captured at the Battle of Ream’s Station on 25th August 1864. He was recorded as having escaped from prison in Salisbury North Carolina and rejoined his Company 17th May 1865. He mustered out with the regiment on 20th June 1865 in Alexandria, Virginia. (6)

John Hasset Gleason from Borrisoleigh in Co. Tipperary was Joseph’s older brother. He had served in the Papal Wars of 1860. He fought with the 69th New York State Militia at Bull Run before becoming an officer in the 63rd New York in 1861 at the age of 21. He rose to become Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment on 19th September 1864. Brevetted a Major-General on 13th March 1865 he was also heavily involved in the Fenian movement. The reason for his arrest is unclear, but he was dismissed on 18th May 1865. (7)

Robert Nugent from Kilkeel in Co. Down was Lieutenant-Colonel of the 69th New York State Militia and later became the Colonel of the 69th New York Volunteer Infantry. Wounded at Fredericksburg, he was Provost Marshal for the southern district of New York during the 1863 draft riots. He helped to rebuild the Irish Brigade and eventually led it. He was brevetted a Brigadier-General on 13th March 1865. He returned to service in the regular army after the conclusion of the Civil War. (8)

(1) John Wallace Widow’s Pension File; (2) New York AG 1901: 73; (3) New York AG 1901: 173; (4) New York AG 1901: 189, John Wallace Widow’s Pension File; (5) New York AG 1901: 66; (6) New York AG 1901: 116; (7) New York AG 1901: 65, Hunt & Brown 1990: 233; (8) Hunt & Brown 1990: 451;

References

John Wallace Widow’s Pension File WC77334

Hunt, Roger D. and Brown, Jack R. 1990. Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue

New York Adjutant-General 1901. Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York for the Year 1901.

Filed under: 63rd New York, Irish Brigade Tagged: 63rd New York, Battle of Ream's Station, Fenian Movement, Irish American Civil War, Irish Brigade, John Hassett Gleason, Robert Nugent, Salisbury

‘Should this Book Be Ever Found on My Dead Body’: A POW’s Fate and a Letter to Ireland

On the 27th January 1865 a Union prisoner of war was found dead in the yard of Salisbury Prison, North Carolina. The soldier, recently transferred from Libby Prison in Richmond, appeared to have died from a combination of exposure and disease. He apparently had no close friends to look out for him, so fellow prisoners searched his remains hoping to find some clue as to his identity. On his body they found two photographs of a woman, some correspondence from Ireland, and a Bible. Inside the Bible they found a message:

‘Miss Helen Mitchell, Care of Mrs. Greeley- 19 South High St. Baltimore, Maryland. Should this Book be ever found on my dead body let the party know of the above address, who will acquaint my wife & family with my fate. Colin Cairns.’ (1)

Union Prisoners at Salisbury, North Carolina in 1863. By the time Colin was transferred here shortages and overcrowding had meant scenes such as this were a thing of the past (Library of Congress)

Some weeks later the men who had found Colin’s body arranged for a visitor to call at Mrs. Greeley’s and fulfil the dead soldier’s wishes. Helen Mitchell was the unfortunate man’s sister-in-law. She now had the unpleasant task of relaying the news to her sister, Colin’s wife, then in Co. Kerry:

To: Mrs. Anne Cairns, Tralee, Co. Kerry, Ireland.

St. Patrick’s Day, 1865,  19 South High Street,  Baltimore, Md. 

My dear Sister,

It gives me great pain to have to communicate the sad news of Cairns’s death. You have already heard that he was taken prisoner by the Rebels and confined in Libby Prison, Richmond. How long he is dead or how he died we have not yet learned. He was removed from there to Salisbury, North Carolina where he died. What he died of I don’t know. The party who brought us word did not know anything merely that he was desired to call to say he was dead and brought some papers that were found on his person. After his death there were two likenesses of yours and a couple of certificates which you had sent. The gentleman told us he was found in the yard of the prison dead. We all think it was from the bad treatment he got in prison. They are treated worse than dogs. I am going to write to the party in N. Hampshire who sent the papers and learn more about him. 

Dear Sister I know it is sad news for you but try and bear up with it patiently. I trust God has shown mercy to him. Oh if he had any one belonging to him in his dying hour to give him some consolation but far away from home and friends it is really awful. But dear Anne don’t grieve for not coming you could not see him even if you were here nor hear from. I only had one note since he had been taken prisoner. I guess he was not allowed to write. Confinement in those Southern prisons is slow death. He [sic] think he had a hard time of it ever since he joined the army. As soon as I hear anything more I will send you word. Aunt Collins is no better. All the rest of us are well. How are all at home. I hope poor Cairns is in a better world than this for indeed it has been a dreary one with many of us. With fond love to all at home and accept the same from your fond Sister.

Ellen. Love to the children. (2)

Libby Prison, Richmond in 1865. Colin was imprisoned here prior to his transfer to Salisbury (Library of Congress)

Colin Cairns had been born in Perth, Scotland around 1828. In the 1850s he had been living in Dublin, where he worked as a draper and resided at 71 Summer Hill. It was while in Ireland that he met comb-maker’s daughter Anne Mitchell, who lived at 17 Bedford Street in the city. The two hit it off, and on 7th July 1856 were married in St. George’s Church. The following year they celebrated the birth of their first child Mary Ann, born on 31st October 1857 and baptised in St. Michan’s Church on North Anne Street. On 15th May 1859 their second daughter, Jane Isabella, arrived, to be baptised in St. Paul’s Church on Arran Quay. (3)

Colin and Anne’s youngest daughter was not even six months old when he decided to try his luck in America. It is not clear why he left, but it seems likely that it was for financial reasons. Returning to Scotland, he took passage from Glasgow aboard the United Kingdom and arrived in New York on 21st December 1859. Colin seems to have taken little interest in the Civil War during its early years and was instead focused on trying to earn a living, probably sending a portion of his wages back to Ireland for his wife and children. He is almost certainly the same Colin Cairnes who was working as a Salesman and living at 9 Jay Street in New York in June 1863, when he was recorded as part of the draft registration. In the end, Colin decided not to wait to be drafted, instead choosing to enter the army as a substitute. (4)

Rations being distributed at Andersonville, Georgia, 1864. This scene is perhaps closer to the type of experience Colin had at Salisbury and Libby (Library of Congress)

On the 11th August 1863 Colin Cairns enlisted in Company D of the 10th New Hampshire Infantry, presumably gaining a considerable financial windfall in the process. From there he was transferred to Company A of the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry and joined up with his unit in time for the Overland Campaign. It was during the Battle of Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road, Virginia, on the 27th and 28th October 1864 that fate took a hand in Colin’s future. His commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Joab N. Patterson, remembered that on the 27th the 2nd New Hampshire and the brigade of which it was part had orders to advance along the Williamsburg Road, deploying to the right of the road in the late afternoon. Colin and his comrades found themselves deep in the woods, where they began to take artillery fire. When night came on the brigade was ordered to retire, and fifty men of the 2nd New Hampshire were selected as part of a picket to hold the line while the rest of the army withdrew. It seems probable that Colin was part of this party; the confusion of darkness combined with the dense undergrowth was a perfect recipe for disorientation – the Scotsman became one of nine men from the regiment reported as captured or missing during the engagement. (5)

Colin Cairns decision to travel to the United States ultimately proved to be a fatal mistake. The consequences it had for Anne and her children go unrecorded. She eventually received a U.S. military pension in Dublin for herself and her young children. Anne may have regretted not travelling to the United States to try to see her husband, but ultimately her destiny did take her far from Ireland. She died on 18th April 1893 on the other side of the world, in Inverell, New South Wales, Australia. The last correspondence in Colin Cairns’s widow’s pension file relates to the girl who was only a baby when her father went to America- Jane Isabella. Now the couple’s only surviving child, in 1893 she attempted to secure payment of the pension that had resulted from the service of a father she had never known. It would appear that her efforts ultimately proved unsuccessful. (6)

General Butler and his staff observing the action on 27th October 1864, the day Private Colin Cairns was captured (Library of Congress)

(1) Colin Cairns Widow’s Pension File; (2) Ibid.; (3) Ibid.; (4) New York Passenger Lists, Civil War Draft Registration (5) New Hampshire AG 1895: 521, Official Records: 806, Official Records: 151; (6) Colin Cairns Widow’s Pension File;

References

Colin Cairns Widow’s Pension File WC112001.

New Hampshire Adjutant General 1895. Revised Register of the Soldiers and Sailors of New Hampshire in the War of the Rebellion 1861-1866. 

New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957.

Official Records Series 1, Volume 42, Part 1. Return of the Casualties in the Union Forces. Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road, Va., October 27-28, 1864.

Official Records Series 1, Volume 42, Part 1. Report of Lieut. Col. Joab N. Patterson, Second New Hampshire Infantry, commanding Third Brigade, of operations October 26-28.

US Civil War Draft Registration Records, 1863-1865.

Filed under: Dublin, Kerry Tagged: 2nd New Hampshire, Irish American Civil War, Irish Diaspora, Irish Veterans, Libby Prison, Prisoners of War, Salisbury Prison, Widow's Pension Files

In Bondage to the Irish: Slave Ownership Among Irish Confederate Officers

A total of sixteen Irish-born men reached the rank of either Colonel or General in the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. What was these men’s relationship with and investment in slavery, if any? The most famous slavery-related incident involving an Irish Confederate officer was Major-General Patrick Cleburne’s 1864 proposal to arm the slaves. Cleburne did not own any slaves, but in order to find out if this was true of the others I took to the 1860 census and slave schedules, hoping to find out a bit more about these men and any people who found themselves in bondage to them. 

I decided to take this brief look at slave-holding among senior Irish-born Confederate officers as this month is both Black History Month in the United States and also marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Olustee. Olustee was the biggest American Civil War battle fought in Florida, and resulted in a Confederate victory. The commander of Rebel forces there was Brigadier-General Joseph Finegan of Clones, Co. Monaghan- Finegan had been a delegate at Florida’s secession convention and was a slave-owner. His victory at Olustee was blighted by the execution by Confederate soldiers of some of the wounded and captured African-American Union troops following the engagement.

Brigadier-General Joseph Finegan of Clones, Co. Monaghan. Victor of the Battle of Olustee and slave owner (Library of Congress)

The majority of Irish-born Confederates were not slave holders, and the same holds true for those who were Colonels and Generals. Of course, the fact that not all of them owned slaves provides no indication as to their personal views regarding slavery, but it is probable that all of them supported the institution. Slavery was never regarded as a major moral issue by the majority of Irish in the United States, even among the large numbers who fought the war in Union blue. The list below looks at each Confederate officer in turn and also provides the details of those who were held in bondage by them.

William Montague Browne. Born in Dublin in 1823. Appointed Brigadier-General by Davis on 11th November 1864, nomination rejected by Confederate Congress on 18th February 1865. In 1860 worked as an editor and lived in Ward 2 of Washington D.C. No slaves identified. (1)

Patrick Cleburne. Born in Killumney, Co. Cork on 16th March 1828. Major-General in the Army of Tennessee, Killed in Action at Franklin, Tennessee on 30th November 1864. In 1860 lived in Helena, Arkansas where he was recorded as a lawyer. No slaves identified. (2)

Joseph Finegan. Born in Clones, Co. Monaghan on 17th November 1814. Commissioned Brigadier-General on 5th April 1862. VIctor of Olustee, commanded Florida brigade in Virginia in 1864-5. In 1860 he lived with his wife and four children in Fernandina, Nassau, Florida. A planter, a total of 12 slaves were recorded with the family at their home, including 3 children. These were a 60-year-old black man, a 50-year-old black man, a 40-year-old black man, a 35-year-old black man, a 30-year-old black man, a 28-year-old black man, a 26-year-old black man, a 25-year-old black man, a 50-year-old black woman, a 13-year-old black girl, a 13-year-old black girl and an 8-year-old black girl. (3)

William Grace. Born in Ireland, c. 1830. Colonel 10th Tennessee Infantry, 12th May 1863. Mortally wounded at Jonesboro, Georgia in 1864, died 1st September 1864. In 1860 lived in Humphreys County, Tennessee where he was engaged in railroading. No slaves identified. (4)

James Hagan. Born in Co. Tyrone, 17th June 1822. Colonel 3rd Alabama Cavalry, 1st July 1862. Commanded brigade in 1864-5. Promoted to Brigadier-General in the final days of the war. In 1860 lived in Mobile, Alabama (Ward 4) with his wife and three sons and was recorded as a planter. He had with him six slaves, three adults and three children. The adults were recorded as a 44-year-0ld black woman, a 38-year-old black woman and a 26-year-old mulatto woman. The children were described as a 12-year-old mulatto girl, a 10-year-old mulatto girl and a 5-year-old mulatto boy. James Hagan’s uncle was a planter and also owned slaves. (5)

Former slaves in Beaufort, South Carolina shortly after Emancipation (Library of Congress)

Robert A Hart. Born in Ireland, c. 1837. Colonel 30th Arkansas Infantry, 12th November 1862. Mortally wounded at Helena, Arkansas, died in Memphis, Tennessee on 6th August 1863. In 1860 he lived in Memphis Ward 4 and worked as a bookkeeper. No slaves identified. (6)

Walter Paye Lane. Born in Co. Cork on 18th February 1817. Commissioned Brigadier-General  on 17th March 1865. In 1860 lived at Beat 5, Harrison, Texas where he worked as a merchant. He does not appear to have owned slaves directly although his family in the same household did, including a woman and five children; these were a 25-year-old mulatto woman, an 11-year-old black girl, a 9-year-old black boy, a 6-year-old mulatto girl, a 6-year-old mulatto girl and a 5-year-old mulatto boy. Another nearby slaveowner was also almost certainly a relative- they owned 26 slaves, including 18 children. (7)

James John MacMahon. Born in Annahilla, Co. Tyrone on 1oth December 1825. Colonel 63rd Virginia Infantry, 24th May 1862. In 1860 he was a Presbyterian Minister in Marion County, Virginia. No slaves identified. (8)

Michael Magevney Jr. Born in Co. Fermanagh, 1835. Colonel 154th Tennessee Infantry, 30th August 1862. In 1860 lived in Ward 5 of Memphis, Tennessee and worked as a bookkeeper. No slaves identified. (9)

Robert McMillan. Born in Co. Antrim on 7th January 1805. Colonel 24th Georgia Infantry, 30th August 1861. In 1860 lived in Habersham, Georgia with his wife Ruth Ann and six children. Worked as an Attorney at Law. He owned 12 slaves, made up of five adults and seven children. These included a 50-year-old mulatto man, a 45-year-old old black woman, a 32-year-old black woman, a 30-year-old mulatto woman, a 21-year-old mulatto man, a 13-year-old mulatto girl, an 8-year-old black girl, a 6 year-old mulatto boy, a 5-year-old mulatto girl, a 4-year-old mulatto boy, a 3 year-old mulatto boy and a 2 year-old mulatto boy. (10)

William Monaghan. Born in Ireland in 1817. Colonel 6th Louisiana Infantry, c. 7th November 1862. Killed in Action 25th August 1864, Sherpherdstown, Western Virginia. In 1860 lived in Ward 1 of New Orleans, Louisiana where he was recorded as a laborer. No slaves identified. (11)

Patrick Theodore Moore. Born in Galway on 22nd September 1821. Promoted Brigadier-General on 20th September 1864. In 1860 he lived in Ward 2 of Richmond, Virginia with his wife and four children where he was a merchant. They owned 5 slaves- a black woman recorded at an unlikely 115-years-old, a 58-year-old black woman, a 38-year-old black woman, a 21-year-old black woman and an 18-year-old black woman. (12)

A slave market in Atlanta, Georgia, c.1864 (Library of Congress)

John G. O’Neil. Born in Co. Kerry in February 1841. Colonel 10th Tennessee Infantry, 27th September 1864. In 1860 lived in District 7 of Humphreys County, Tennessee and worked as a farmer. No slaves identified. (13)

Frank P. Powers. Born in Ireland c. 1836. Led 14th Arkansas Infantry, May 1862, organized Power’s Regiment of Cavalry in 1864. Not identified in 1860 census but according to Allardice (1987: 312) was a laborer, and so is unlikely to have owned slaves. Recorded as a violent opponent of reconstruction. (14)

Henry B. Strong. Born in Ireland c. 1827. Colonel 6th Louisiana Infantry 27th June 1862. Killed in Action Antietam, 17th September 1862. In 1860 worked as a coffee maker in Ward 3 of New Orleans, Louisiana. No slaves identified. (15)

Jack Thorington. Born in Co. Armagh on 3rd August 1810. Colonel of Hilliard’s Legion, 1st December 1862. Lived in District 1 of Montgomery, Alabama with his wife and four children, where he worked as a lawyer. Owned 33 slaves, including 21 children. These were a 60-year-old black man, a 50-year-old black man, a 45-year-old black man, a 38-year-old black woman, a 35-year-old black woman, a 34-year-old black woman, a 30-year-old black man, a 26-year-old black man, a 26-year-old black woman, a 26-year-old black woman, a 21-year-old black woman, a 19-year-old black man, a 12-year-old black boy, a 12-year-old black girl, an 11-year-old black girl, a 10-year-old black girl, an 8-year-old black girl, a 7-year-old black girl, a 7-year-old black girl, a 7-year-old black girl, a 6-year-old black boy, a 6-year-old black boy, a 5-year-old black girl, a 4-year-old black girl, a 4-year-old black boy, a 4-year-old black girl, a 3-year-old black girl, a 3-year-old black girl, a 3-year-old black boy, a 2-year-old black girl, a 2-year-old black boy and a 1-year-old black girl. (16)

Of the sixteen men, the 1860 Census and Slave Schedules suggests six of them had direct links to slaves- five as owners and one with large slave ownership in his immediate family. This is perhaps not surprising given that at least two of the men had direct links to plantations. Unfortunately we have precious little detail regarding the lives of the 68 slaves recorded directly with their Irish masters in the 1860 census, nor do we know how many of them survived to enjoy emancipation. It should be remembered that looking at the slave ownership of these high ranking Irish Confederate officers is a somewhat arbitrary demarcation and does not reveal a great-deal about the wider Irish attitude to slavery in the South. However it does serve as an important reminder that when the opportunity for slave ownership existed, many Irish were willing to grasp it.

Escaped slaves who made it to Union lines during the Civil War, c. 1862 (Library of Congress)

(1) 1860 Census, Warner 1987: 36-7; (2) 1860 Census; (3) 1860 Census, 1860 Slave Schedules, Warner 1987: 88-9, Gleeson 2013: 39; (4) 1860 Census, Allardice 2008: 171-2; (5) 1860 Census, 1860 Slave Schedules, Allardice 2008: 176-7, Allardice 2006: 111; (6) 1860 Census, Allardice 2008: 187; (7) 1860 Census, 1860 Slave Schedules, Warner 1987: 173-4; (8) 1860 Census, Allardice 2008: 248 (9) 1860 Census, Allardice 2008: 249; (10) 1860 Census, 1860 Slave Schedules, Allardice 2008: 269; (11) 1860 Census, Allardice 2008: 276; (12) 1860 Census, 1860 Slave Schedules, Warner 1987: 219-20; (13) 1860 Census, Allardice 2008: 294; (14) 1860 Census, Allardice 2008: 312; (15) 1860 Census, Allardice 2008: 360; (16) 1860 Census, 1860 Slave Schedules, Allardice 2008: 372;

References

1860 US Federal Census

1860 US Census Slave Schedules

Allardice, Bruce S. 2008. Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register

Allardice, Bruce S. 2006. More Generals in Gray

Gleeson, David T. 2013. The Green and the Gray: The Irish in the Confederate States of America

Warner, Ezra J. 1987. Generals in Gray

Filed under: Discussion and Debate, Generals, Irish Colonels Tagged: Battle of Olustee, Irish American Civil War, Irish Confederates, Irish in the Confederacy, Irish Slave Owners, Irish Slave Ownership, Joseph Finegan, Patrick Cleburne

Has Ireland Missed the Last Opportunity to Remember Her American Civil War Dead?

Last year we had an appeal on the site asking readers to consider proposing Irish involvement in the American Civil War as an appropriate topic to be covered in An Post’s (the Irish postal service) 2015 stamp programme. A number of you did so. An Post were in touch last week to say that the suggestion is not one that will be recognised. This is disappointing given that two of the criteria for selection are ‘anniversaries and commemorations of national and international importance’ and ‘contributions by Irish people to international affairs’ (see full list here).

I have written many times on this site about how I feel Ireland is largely ignoring the history of her emigrants, as typified by the lack of interest and recognition in the American Civil War. I am not going to go over those arguments again (if you are interested, they can be found here and here), but I must admit to becoming somewhat despondent about the continued neglect of this area, particularly given the failure of previous efforts to see it recognised.

A number of years ago, before the 150th anniversary commemorations of the American Civil War commenced, I wrote directly to the Arts & Culture spokespersons of all Ireland’s political parties. Highlighting the scale of Irish involvement, I suggested they might look into the potential of making the flag of the 69th New York Infantry more accessible to the public for the duration of the sesquicentennial. The flag, presented to the people of Ireland by President Kennedy in 1963, is currently held in the Irish parliament where it’s viewing is restricted. I received only one response, and nothing came of the suggestion. With the advent of the sesquicentennial I attempted to interest some of the national media in the huge Irish involvement in the events of 1861-65. Again no response could be garnered from newspapers such as The Irish Times and Irish Independent, although the Irish Examiner did run a piece on the Irish at Gettysburg last year, one of only a tiny number on the Irish in the American Civil War in the last three years. Another rare exception is thejournal.ie, which has carried two pieces (here and here) and RTE Radio 1′s History Show, which has covered a number of topics relating to Irish involvement. In general though, the lack of interest has been stark.

With the publication of my book on the Irish in the American Civil War in early 2013 I wrote to President Higgins, of whom I am a great admirer, to highlight the scale of Irish involvement and pass along a copy of the book. I had hoped it might provide a spark leading to some recognition of the Irish experience, but to date this has not proved to be the case.

President Michael D. Higgins (Image via Wikipedia)

I still believe that the main reason for a failure of Irish people to engage with this history results from a lack of knowledge regarding the true impact of this conflict on Irish emigrants. I know of no clearer example of this than the speech delivered by President Higgins at Faneuil Hall in Boston on 5th May 2012 to mark that year’s Famine Commemoration. Entitled ‘Reflecting on the Gorta Mór: the Great Famine of Ireland, Some narratives, their lessons and their legacy’. The President noted ‘That we are here today, of course, I remind myself, not only to commemorate the victims of the Great Irish Famine but also to celebrate the lives that those who emigrated, forged in this city from adversity, and their achievements in creating the enduring links between our two countries which live on today.’ The speech goes on to describe the experience of the Irish in Boston after their emigration, but throughout the extensive talk not even a passing reference was made to the American Civil War, a conflict in which thousands of Irish Famine emigrants who lived in Boston fought. This omission was all the more stark as Faneuil Hall itself witnessed large Irish meetings to support the war effort- indeed the venue where the President spoke had been used as a temporary barracks by the Irish 9th Massachusetts Infantry in 1861. A little more than a month after President Higgins spoke at Faneuil Hall marked the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, where the 9th Massachusetts suffered higher casualties than any other Union regiment- many of those who fell were Famine emigrants.

The failure of the State to engage with Irish participation in the American Civil War has had a major influence on the lack of activity surrounding this history in Ireland. However we may like to think otherwise, State funding plays a large role in driving historical engagement and even historical study- this can be seen with Ireland’s Decade of Centenaries, with many conferences and other events receiving financial assistance and support from Government. This failure in engagement has further repercussions; despite the fact that the American Civil War saw more Irishmen in uniform than any other conflict barring World War One, virtually no historians in Ireland study it. Although a number of U.S. historians work in this area, there remains a wealth of virtually untapped research potential (as evidenced by the ease with which the research that drives this blog can be carried out).

The correspondence from An Post was just the latest in a long line of disappointments with regard to recognition and engagement with this aspect of our history. The sesquicentennial of the American Civil War is beginning to wind down and all eyes are now on the anniversaries of World War One and the 1916 Rising.  It seems that the opportunity for Ireland to do something to remember and examine the 170,000 Irish who fought and the hundreds of thousands more who were impacted by the American Civil War has passed. That in itself tells its own story about how Ireland engages with the history of its diaspora.

Filed under: Discussion and Debate, Memory Tagged: 9th Massachusetts Infantry, Civil War Memory, Famine Commemoration Day, Faneuil Hall, Irish American Civil War, Irish Diaspora, Irish emigration, Michael D. Higgins

‘We Were All Shaking in Nervousness’: Luke Ferriter and Vermont’s ‘Sleeping Sentinel’

The night of 31st August 1861 found Private Luke Ferriter of the 3rd Vermont Infantry standing guard at the Chain Bridge on the Potomac river. He was sharing his sentry duty with two other men from the regiment, with each taking a two-hour shift. At midnight it was Luke’s turn to grab four hours of fitful rest in the small party’s makeshift brush hut. As he bedded down, the Irish emigrant couldn’t have imagined how the events that followed would come to impact the remainder of his life. The private who sleepily staggered out of the hut to take Luke’s place as sentry was a young man called William Scott. Less than an hour after Luke turned in Scott would be found asleep at his post, an offence publishable by death. His subsequent court-martial and the story of an intervention by Abraham Lincoln would become immortalised in poem, prose and ultimately film, as the legend of the ‘Sleeping Sentinel’ was born. (1)

The Chain Bridge on the Potomac near where the incident took place during the American Civil War (Library of Congress)

Luke Ferriter was born around 1844, possibly in Teeravane near Ballyferriter in Co. Kerry. He and his family emigrated to the United States in the mid-1850s, eventually settling in Brattleboro, Vermont where Luke’s father worked on the railroad. When the war arrived in 1861 the Irishman was fully caught up in the enlistment fever that was then sweeping the country. However, his desire to join up was frustrated by both his parents wishes and his prohibitively young age. Unperturbed, the 17-year-old ran away from home and walked the thirty-six miles to Springfield, where he joined the Union army under the assumed name of Charles L. Smith. Now after just a few short months service, he was coming face to face with the harsh realities of military law. (2)

The first Luke knew about William Scott falling asleep that night was when he heard an officer shouting outside the hut. ‘Your guard has gone to sleep and we have him under arrest’ he was told. Luke had to go back on watch as his young companion was led away. The next morning both he and the Corporal who had been on duty with them had to give evidence at Scott’s court-martial. There was no defence, and Scott was quickly sentenced to death, with the execution set for 8th September. Ferriter takes up the story:

‘The case at once threw the camp into commotion, and attracted attention far and wide, for it was the first case of the kind to come up since the war had begun…Nobody knew whether the penalty would be enforced, but they expected it would be. The sentence was approved by General Smith. Chaplain Parmelee of our regiment at once interested himself in the case, and a petition was signed and sent to Washington. I don’t know whether it ever reached Lincoln, but on the eve of Sept. 8, the report reached camp that the President had pardoned our comrade Scott.’ (3)

Brattleboro as it appeared in the 1920s, a period when Luke Ferriter’s connections to the ‘Sleeping Sentry’ incident would be in the spotlight (Library of Congress)

Ferriter remembered that despite reports of the pardon reaching camp the execution proceedings continued. The following morning companies from the 3rd Vermont and other units were drawn up in a hollow square. Luke was one of the men selected to carry out the sentence:

‘I was so unlucky as to be drawn as one of the men to do the shooting. There were handed out six blank cartridges and one loaded one, all of which were to be shot, so no one would know who fired the fatal bullet. The troops fell in and we arranged ourselves near the stage road between Georgetown and Halifax. We of the guard stood on a little elevation of land, and between us and the point of execution lay a little valley across which we were to shoot. The prisoner Scott was led out and a white cap pulled over his head. He was trembling, and a white shield was sewed over his heart as a target for the guard. We were all shaking in nervousness at the duty before us, when suddenly the adjutant stepped forward and read the pardon.’ (4)

The pardon spared the life of William Scott, but the Vermonter would not survive the war- he was killed in action early in 1862. Today he is remembered with a memorial near the site of his former home in Groton. Luke Ferriter served with the 3rd Vermont throughout the conflict, and was wounded at Spotsylvania on 12th May 1864. He would eventually rise to the rank of Sergeant before being mustered out of service on 11th July 1865. Still a young man, he married for the first time in 1867, when Ellen Martin became his wife. She passed away in 1871 and two years later Luke married again, this time tying the knot with Eliza Fenton. They spent over half a century together before Eliza’s death in 1927. In his working life Luke spent many years with Leonard & Roess cigarmakers and later the Dunham Brothers company, from where he retired in the late 1920s. He was a longstanding member of Brattleboro’s Irish community, and was a member of St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church. Throughout his life Luke remained proud of his Civil War service; he was actively engaged in the Sedgwick Post of the Grand Army of the Republic and for a time served as its Commander. His longevity meant that as the years passed he was also one of the last veterans to ride in Brattleboro’s Memorial Day parade. (5)

The Soldiers Monument in Brattleboro, c. 1905. Luke Ferriter would have been extremely familiar with this scene (Library of Congress)

Almost as soon as it had occurred the story of the Sleeping Sentinel captivated the public imagination. In 1863 Francis De Haes Janvier published a poem of that title, which was supposedly first read on 19th January 1863 in the presence of the President and Mrs. Lincoln. You can find the full poem here. One of the verses recounts the moment when Scott fell asleep:

Without a murmur, he endured a service new and hard; 

But, wearied with a toilsome march, it chanced one night, on guard,

He sank, exhausted, at his post, and the gray morning found

His prostrate form- a sentinel, asleep, upon the ground! (6)

The story of the Sleeping Sentinel and Abraham Lincoln’s role in the case long outlived the war;’The Sleeping Sentinel’ was even made into a silent movie in 1914. However as fact and myth became intermingled controversy as to Lincoln’s actual role in the pardon increased. Although Lincoln was aware of the case in 1861, it was unclear as to the extent of his personal intervention. When a 1920s biographer of Lincoln, the Rev. Dr. William E. Barton, claimed that Lincoln had not personally issued Scott’s pardon, it prompted and aged Luke Ferriter to enter the fray and state in no uncertain terms that it was Lincoln who had granted Scott’s reprieve. The ‘Scott-Lincoln’ controversy occupied quite a number of column inches around New England and New York in 1926; papers like The Boston Herald ran with headlines highlighting the two men’s disagreement: ‘SAYS DR. BARTON QUIBBLES ON SCOTT- Ferriter Insists Lincoln Saved Condemned Man’. Eventually Barton decided to travel to Brattleboro to discuss his research and the event with Ferriter. This visit was also covered by newspapers like the Herald, who reported it under the banner: ‘FOE AND FRIEND OF SCOTT STORY MEET FOR TALK- Dr. Barton Calls on Luke Ferriter, 83-year-old Civil War Veteran- BOTH AVOID DEBATE ON LINCOLN PARDON- Historian Asserts Host is Honest Man But Saga Is “Sugary Lie”.’ (7)

The issue as to Lincoln’s involvement in the pardon was never fully resolved and although the President was undoubtedly aware of the Scott case it remains unclear if he directly instructed that the man be spared- the pardon itself was issued by General McClellan. One aspect of Luke’s memory of events in 1861 does seem doubtful, and that is that Lincoln personally appeared on the scene at the execution to intercede on Scott’s behalf. Whatever the precise sequence of events surrounding the case, which will probably never be known, the story of the Sleeping Sentinel is one of the enduring legends which grew out of the Civil War. Luke Ferriter was a key player in that story and it would remain important to him throughout his long life. The long-lived Irishman died at his home on 12 State Street, Brattleboro on the 22nd June 1930 as a result of a heart attack while suffering from a bronchial cold. He left behind four children, Martin, James, John and Catherine, as well as five grandchildren. He rests today in Saint Michael’s Cemetery in the town. (8)

Luke Ferriter (right) discusses the Sleeping Sentinel incident with Rev. Dr. William E. Barton (left) at Brattleboro in 1926 (Reminiscences about Abraham Lincoln)

*With thanks to friend of the site Peter Patten for his assistance in attempting to locate Luke’s origins in Ireland.

(1) Cabot 1922: 773-4, Glover 1936: 82-83, New England Historical Society; (2) Springfield Republican 23rd June 1930, Bubnash Walker 2000, Glover 1936 82; (3) Glover 1936: 82-83; (4) Ibid. 83-84; (5) Cabot 1922: 774, Vermont Adjutant and Inspector General 1892: 76, Vermont Vital Records, Springfield Republican 23rd June 1930; (6) De Haes Janvier 1863:11; (7) Boston Herald 31st August 1926, Boston Herald 9th September 1926; (8) Vermont in the Civil War, Springfield Republican 23rd June 1930, Luke Ferriter Find A Grave Memorial;

References & Further Reading

Boston Herald 31st August 1926. Says Dr. Barton Quibbles on Scott.

Boston Herald 9th September 1926. Foe and Friend of Scott Story Meet for Talk. 

Springfield Republican 23rd June 1930. Man Connected with Noted Civil War Episode Dead. 

Cabot, Mary C. 1922. Annals of Brattleboro 1681-1895, Volume 2.

De Haes Janvier, Francis 1863. The Sleeping Sentinel.

Glover, Waldo F. 1936. Abraham Lincoln and the Sleeping Sentinel of Vermont.

Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection nd. Reminiscences About Abraham Lincoln: Newspaper Clippings, Accounts and Memories of those whose Lives included and Encounter with the 16th President of the United States. Volume covering surnames beginning with Fa-Fi.

Vermont Adjutant and Inspector General 1892. Revised Roster of Vermont Volunteers and Lists of Vermonters who Served in the Army and Navy of the United States during the War of Rebellion 1861-66. 

Bubnash Walker, Suzanne 27th October 2000. Re Ferriter/Ferreter in the Klondike 1898 (posted on genforum.genealogy.com).

Luke Ferriter Find A Grave Memorial.

New England Historical Society: The Vermont Sleeping Sentinel- A Strange Civil War Legacy.

Vermont in the Civil War: 3rd Vermont Infantry, The Sleeping Sentinel.

William Scott Find A Grave Memorial.

The Sleeping Sentinel (1914) IMDB Entry.

Vermont Vital Records, 1720- 1908 (Ancestry.com).

Filed under: Kerry, Vermont Tagged: 3rd Vermont Infantry, Irish American Civil War, Irish in the American Civil War, Kerry Veterans, The Sleeping Sentinel, Vermont Civil War, Vermont Irish, William Scott

A Remarkable Famine Emigrant: Catherine Long and the Union Cause

This site covers the stories of numerous Irish Famine emigrants who later found themselves caught up in the American Civil War. Many of these stories deal with the consequences for those who suffered during the conflict, as thousands were forced to deal with a second great trauma in their lives. However, seismic disruptive events such as the Famine and Civil War also highlight the remarkable resilience and determination of many in the face of adversity. Such is the story of Catherine Long, an emigrant from Kerry who made courageous decisions to alter her family’s fortunes in the midst of Famine ravaged Ireland. 

The dramatic scenery around Dunquin as it appeared in late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is the area from which the Garveys and Longs emigrated (National Library of Ireland)

Catherine Garvey was born in Dunquin, Co. Kerry around the year 1810. She married local farmer John Long, and although their lot was better than that of many others it was nonetheless a tough existence. The trials of 19th century life saw the couple lose a number of children at a young age, before the onset of the Famine put the lives of their three surviving children at risk. Despite the fact that they had some land and livestock, the scale of the catastrophe quickly eroded the family’s reserves. Catherine witnessed people dying of hunger around the streets and churches near her home, and decided that she had to get her family to America, where her brothers Matthew and Bartholomew already lived. However, her husband John was reluctant to start anew in a new country, as ‘his ignorance of the language and the people over the sea had a terror for him.’ It seems probable given this statement that John had poor English; Dunquin remains a stronghold of the Irish language to this day. (1)

Despite her husband’s concerns, Catherine had set her mind on getting her family out of Ireland. She decided to strike out on her own and do everything necessary to make that happen. Taking what must have been the heartbreaking decision to leave her husband and children behind, she boarded a vessel bound for Canada. She left without telling her children where she was going, perhaps seeking to spare them an emotional farewell. Clearly Catherine hoped it would not be long before she could send for them. Her journey was not-incident free; fever broke out on the densely crowded ship, reportedly killing forty or fifty of the emigrants aboard. Catherine also fell ill, only recovering as the boat closed in on Quebec. From here she made her way to the United States- it may well be that she is the Catherine Mc Long recorded as arriving in Boston on 12th June 1846. Eventually she joined her brothers in West Brattleboro, Vermont, and set to work trying to earn the money that would allow her to be reunited with her family. (2)

Emigrants in Caherciveen, Co. Kerry on their way to the United States in 1866 (Library of Congress)

Catherine initially worked in Roswell Goodenough’s hotel before taking employment with the family of Deacon Hayes, the uncle of future President Rutherford B. Hayes. Within four years she had raised enough money for her husband and children to join her. They arrived just in time to be recorded in the 1850 census for Brattleboro, which lists Laborer John (42) and Catherine (40) along with children James (12), Job (10) and Mary (8). John found work on the railroad and soon another son, Patrick, was born. More children followed as, together again, the family began to build a life for themselves in their new home. (3)

By the time of the American Civil War John was invalided and no longer able to work- he would pass away in 1865. The onset of the conflict meant that large numbers of Catherine’s family and extended family would serve the Union- a fact that would be highlighted in later years. Her eldest son James, by 1861 a cotton-dealer in Missouri, lost much of his property during the war and served in the 46th Missouri Infantry. Second son Job had tried initially to enlist in Vermont but had been rejected due to his short stature. Instead he joined the ranks of the 11th Massachusetts who began their service at the First Battle of Bull Run. The youngest boy, Patrick, joined the Union Navy, where he contracted tuberculosis. He moved to Texas soon after the war for health reasons, where he died in an accident. Catherine’s brother Bartholomew Garvey lived in Virginia in 1861 and was reported as having been imprisoned in Richmond’s Castle Thunder for his Union sympathies. His three sons also fought for the North. The emigration of the Garveys and Longs from Ireland in the 1840s resulted in a significant contribution to Union arms during the Civil War. Members of the family experienced having horses shot from under them in action and the struggle for survival in the horrors of Andersonville POW camp. It was these connections that first sparked interest in Catherine’s story during the 1890s, when it was noted that she had three sons, two brothers and seven nephews who had served the Union cause. (4)

A Private in the 11th Massachusetts Infantry, the regiment in which Jobs Long served (Library of Congress)

After the war and her husband’s death, Catherine divided her time between Brattleboro and the home of her daughters in New York. In 1893 her remarkable story was covered by the Boston Globe. The reporter was impressed with the Irishwoman:

Notwithstanding her advanced age and the hardships of her eventful life she is hale and hearty, retaining her old industrious habits, her sturdy common sense, and the rich brogue of her native country. She takes long walks, cares for her own room and clothing, and does much to help in the home of her daughters. When not otherwise employed she is a tireless knitter. She is deeply interested in all local matters, especially of political interest. She is very proud of the war record and experiences of her kindred. With one exception her children are living, and fourteen grown children love to listen to her tales of the old country and of the new. (5)

Catherine Long died at the age of 87 in her daughter’s home on Elliot Street, Brattleboro in 1897. The Vermont Phoenix afforded her an extensive obituary, keen to highlight the experiences of a woman with ‘a remarkably interesting history.’ Her decisions and determination to do right by her family during the tough years of the Irish Famine set the Longs on markedly different path, taking them from rural Co. Kerry to the ranks of the Union cause and beyond. (6)

An elderly Kerry woman on the way to her son’s funeral c. 1905. It was in the hope of a better life that Catherine Long took her family to the United States in the 1840s. (Library of Congress)

(1) New York Irish World 9th September 1893, Vermont Phoenix 19th March 1897; (2) Ibid., Boston Passenger and Immigration Lists; (3) New York Irish World 9th September 1893, Vermont Phoenix 19th March 1897, 1850 Federal Census; (4) Ibid.; (5) New York Irish World 9th September 1893; (6) Vermont Phoenix 19th March 1897;

References

1850 US Federal Census

Boston 1821-1850 Passenger and Immigration Lists

New York Irish World 9th September 1893. Taught Her Sons Patriotism. The Life Story of a Grand Old Irish Woman. Her Three Sons, Two Brothers and Seven Nephews Fought for the Stars and Stripes.

Vermont Phoenix 19th March 1897. Mrs. Catherine Long. 

Filed under: Kerry, Vermont, Women Tagged: 11th Massachusetts, Great Irish Famine, Irish American Civil War, Irish Diaspora, Kerry Civil War, Kerry Emigration, Vermont Civil War, Vermont Emigrants

A Long Lived Dubliner Who Witnessed Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

In April 1938 the New York Times and Gettysburg Times brought news of the death of a 96-year-old veteran of the American Civil War. Michael Gaffney’s passing was newsworthy in itself as the numbers of veterans were dwindling, but it was also claimed that the Irishman had been present when Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address almost 75 years before. (1)

The Pennsylvania Reserves in Action on the Peninsula in June 1862,by Alfred Waud (Library of Congress)

Born in Dublin around 1840, Michael had emigrated to the United States in 1853. During the war he served in 33rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, better known as the 4th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, enlisting on 11th June 1861 and mustering out with his comrades on 17th June 1864. The Gettysburg newspaper covered the story with the headline ‘Vet Dies; Heard Lincoln‘. The New York Times offered the most detailed report:

MICHAEL F. GAFFNEY

Civil War Veteran Who Heard Lincoln at Gettysburg

Special to the New York Times

West Orange, N.J., April 3. Michael F. Gaffney, 96-year-old veteran of the Civil War, died here last night at the home of his daughter, Mrs. William Conner of 28 Llewellyn Avenue, after a week’s illness. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he came here as a child and at 20 enlisted in a Pennsylvania regiment, with which he fought at Antietam, Bull Run, second battle; Gettysburg and the Wilderness. He heard Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. In the Eighteen Seventies Mr. Gaffney served as a captain in the Fifth Regiment, New Jersey National Guard. For some years he was a stationary engineer in the employ of the city of Newark. He belonged to the Phil Sheridan Post, G.A.R., of Newark. Also surviving are two other daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Robshaw of Newark and Mrs. Margaret Crinnian of Brooklyn. (2)

(1) New York Times 4th April 1938; (2) 1930 Census, Gaffney Pension Index Card, Gettysburg Times 4th April 1938, New York Times 4th April 1938;

References

The Gettysburg Times 4th April 1938. Vet Dies; Heard Lincoln.

New York Times 4th April 1938. Michael F. Gaffney. Civil War Veteran Who Heard Lincoln at Gettysburg. 

Michael F. Gaffney Pension Index Card.

1930 US Federal Census.

Filed under: Dublin, Pennsylvania Tagged: Battle of Gettysburg, Dublin Emigrants, Gettysburg Address, Irish American Civil War, Irish Diaspora, Irish in New Jersey, Pennsylvania Reserves, Union Veterans