Irish soldiers in the U.S. military
As we celebrate Memorial Day, let's also remember Irish contributions to the cause of American freedom.
If you follow IGSI on Facebook, you've already seen these informative posts on the subject:
- Did you know about 50% of the U.S. Continental Army was Irish-American, including 1492 officers and 26 generals? Jim Otto shared his research about the Irish in the U.S. military in an address to the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH). Talking about how much the Irish have contributed in every conflict, he quotes Walter Winchell's 1945 radio broadcast, "You can't strike the American Flag without expecting to get hit by some Irishman. The nation will be standing at attention when the Irish wear green in their lapels for old Ireland on the 17th of March, because so many, many thousands of Irishmen are wearing the green, on their graves, for America."
- Otto talked about Irish in other conflicts, including the War of 1812, Spanish American War, WWI and WWII, the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The complete text of his speech can be read at www.stlhibernians.com/History2/usmilitary2.html.
- The National Park Service (NPS) website includes an excellent article on Irish soldiers in the Civil War's Union Army. It's hard to imagine the prejudice faced by Irish immigrants to the U.S. in the 1840s and 1850s. Partly because of the financial hardships they were facing, large numbers of Irish were recruited from northern U.S. cities by the U.S. Army. Capt. Thomas Francis Meagher, who'd already earned the nickname "Meagher of the Sword" for his revolutionary activities in Ireland, formed an ethnic Irish brigade made up of New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania infantry regiments. From the NPS story: "With over 150,000 native Irish in uniform and countless thousands of Irish descent, the Irish fought their way to recognition in the United States through their service in the Civil War. While some anti-Irish sentiment continued through to the twentieth century, the service of men like those in the Irish Brigade brought the waves of Irish immigrants firmly into the fabric of the United States." More details about the Irish in the Union Army can be read here: www.nps.gov/resources/story.htm?id=209.
