An infantry brigade, the Irish Brigade was mostly made up
of Irish Americans, who served in the army during the American Civil War. The
Irish Brigade was well-known for its famous war cry, "Faugh a ballagh", meaning "clear the way". Only the
1st Vermont Brigade and the Iron Brigade suffered more combat deaths
than the Irish Brigade during the American Civil War, according to Fox's Regimental
Losses.
My Wild Geese heroes fought with the
69th New York Volunteers, the Fighting 69th, which was largely made
up of the pre-war 69th New York Militia. The unit gained notoriety prior to the
Civil War, when Colonel Michael Corcoran refused an order to parade the regiment
for the Prince of Wales during his visit to New York City.
Under General Thomas Francis Meagher,
the Irish Brigade fought bravely and won honor in many campaigns, including
Bull Run, Malvern Hill, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg.
The brigade suffered its most severe
casualties in the battle of Fredericksburg, losing almost 1400 men. The brigade
assaulted the sunken road in front of Marye's Heights, where another
predominantly Irish regiment, under the command of Brigadier General Thomas
Reade Rootes Cobb, defended the road. Knowing that Cobb's men manned the wall,
and that both Cobb's and Meagher's units contained members of the Irish
Republican Brotherhood, an organization dedicated to gaining military experience
in the United States and using it to free Ireland from Britain after the Civil War,
General Robert E. Lee ordered reserves sent to the position.
He needn’t have worried. Before the
reinforcements had time to settle into place, Cobb's men had devastated the
Irish Brigade. It’s said that Lee allegedly referred to Meagher's regiment as
the "Fighting 69th" at Fredericksburg.
My heroes fought for the Union, but many
Irish fought for the Confederacy. Stories abound about Irishmen from a single
village facing each other in battle.
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