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The Irish General: Thomas Francis Meagher

Paul R. Wylie

4.04 · Rating details · 23 ratings · 5 reviews

Irish patriot, Civil War general, frontier governor—Thomas Francis Meagher played key roles in three major historical arenas. Today he is hailed as a hero by some, condemned as a drunkard by others. Paul R. Wylie now offers a definitive biography of this nineteenth-century figure who has long remained an enigma.

The Irish General first recalls Meagher’s life from his boyhoo ...more

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Hardcover, 416 pages

Published September 14th 2007 by University of Oklahoma Press (first published September 2007)

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Two Continents, One Culture by Elizabeth Hirschman

Irish in America (nonfiction)

108 books — 6 voters

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Nov 12, 2019 Catherine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction

Wylie's book is very well researched and well written. I not only learned about the very rich and flawed life of an infamous Irish general and rebel, but I also learned a good deal about the historical struggles in Ireland that inspired him. I learned much about the Civil War, as well as how communication and politics worked around the war. I learned still more about early Western history as it applied to newly developing territories.

If you have any interest in Montana history at all, this book ...more

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Dec 21, 2014 Gregg Sapp rated it really liked it

Thomas Francis Meagher (1823-1867) could be a cad, a blowhard, and a self-serving career builder. Twice, he abandoned his first wife when she was pregnant, and he never saw his only surviving son. He was a hard drinker whose alcoholic proclivities derailed promising careers in the military, on the lecture circuit, then in politics. However, he was a sincere and passionate revolutionary for the cause of Irish independence, who was at one time sentenced to death for espousing anti-British views.

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Thomas Francis Meagher (1823-1867) could be a cad, a blowhard, and a self-serving career builder. Twice, he abandoned his first wife when she was pregnant, and he never saw his only surviving son. He was a hard drinker whose alcoholic proclivities derailed promising careers in the military, on the lecture circuit, then in politics. However, he was a sincere and passionate revolutionary for the cause of Irish independence, who was at one time sentenced to death for espousing anti-British views.

Nobody was a more stirring orator. When asked if he’d forsake violence in support for Irish freedom, the 23 year old delivered his most famous speech:

“…Abhor the sword? Stigmatise the sword? No, my lord, for at its blow, and in the quivering of its crimson light a giant nation sprang up from the waters of the Atlantic, and by its redeeming magic the fettered colony became a republic. Abhor the sword? Stigmatise the sword? My lord, I learned that it was the right of a nation to govern itself… This, the first article of a national’s creed, I learned upon those ramparts, where freedom was justly estimated, and the possession of the precious gift was purchased by the effusion of generous blood.”

Lionized as “Meagher of the Sword,” he proved his mettle in his native Ireland, as well in America during the Civil War, when he led the famous Irish Brigade. So, while Meagher could certainly “talk the talk,” he also “walked the walk” with conspicuous swagger.

Paul Wylie’s readable and impeccably researched biography of Meagher is at once fast-paced enough for general readers (ex., where it cover’s Meagher rabble-rousing in Ireland, his exile in Tasmania, his myriad travels before reaching New York, the vicissitudes of his life in America) and sufficiently detailed to satisfy historians and scholars (such as the complexities in Meagher’s war record). While Meagher is hardly among the most famous actors of the Civil War era, and he is likewise largely forgotten in his role as the de facto first territorial governor of Montana, his adventures are well worth re-telling.
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Feb 15, 2017 Robert rated it liked it

As a native of Montana, I am embarrassed to admit that Paul Wylie's text was my first introduction to Thomas Francis Meagher. With Meagher's heroic accomplishments in his native Ireland and in the United States during the Civil War, his brief stint in Montana territory could easily be overlooked if it had not been the site of his tragic demise. Wylie has provided a well-researched and engaging biography of the Irish General that spans his wide-ranging career. As a revolutionary leader, general a ...more

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May 31, 2011 Tom rated it really liked it

Shelves: american-history

Saw this book over the weekend at the Bull Run gift shop. One of my favorite historical people, looking forward to reading the book.

A good overview of Meagher's life, which looks at both his faults and accomplishments. ...more

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