- courtesy of qbookshop.com
In the fine tradition of Irish exaggeration—I am sure we all recall the unfortunately-titled How the Irish Saved Civilization—comes The Greatest Brigade by Thomas J. Craughwell. Fortunately, like his predecessor Thomas Cahill, Mr. Craughwell’s hyperbole ends at the title opting instead for a fairly straightforward account of the Union Army’s famous Irish Brigade. Like many of the best histories being released in recent years, the tale of the Irish Brigade is a bit of a lost story; in its time it was widely known but over the course of the last one hundred and fifty years it has been relegated to a cameo in a Hollywood adaptation of Gods and Generals. The story is out there for those willing to do some digging, the Irish Brigade got newspaper coverage, especially in the Irish American papers that were circulating at the time, or one could choose from the number of memoirs released by soldiers who served in the brigade, such as David Power Coyningham, St. Clair Mulholland, and William McCarter. Of course few are interested in the memoirs of over a century ago unless they are required reading for class or are particularly important, in which case it was probably also required reading. What Tom Craughwell has done here is provide a concise and accessible history of the Irish Brigade in a pleasing edition.
What makes the Irish Brigade notable, its conception as a unit, happens to be one of the most interesting features of Irish Brigade lore. While rapid industrialization was changing the way wars were fought and armies organized the United States Army was primarily recruited and organized in the states. As such, it was common for regiments, like the locals they were raised from, to be ethnically based, but none had ever been organized at the brigade level. These included many Irish regiments but also German, Dutch, and the any other immigrant population that still formed a cohesive community and was willing to organize. The Irish were among the largest and most visible immigrant communities due to their poverty and religion—Catholicism was still viewed with suspicion and fear by established protestant Americans.
The man who formed, and for much of the war led, the Irish Brigade was Thomas Francis Meagher, who left Ireland not because of famine but on a prison ship after serving as a leader in an abortive rebellion in 1848. After escaping Van Diemen’s land and making his way to America, Meagher was embraced by the displaced Irish. Shortly after the outbreak of war and the heroics of Colonel Michael Corcoran’s Irish 69th New York Regiment, Meagher petitioned to form a brigade of Irish Americans. The reasons for forming this brigade vary, the most common and noble explanation is that the leaders sought to prove their loyalty to America and demonstrate their worth to their adopted homeland in battle. Craughwell covers the background information adeptly. It is the part of the book of which most American’s, even Civil War buffs, will have no prior knowledge and the author is able to navigate one of the most tumultuous periods in Irish history getting out the relevant bits but with enough brevity to keep the focus on the Irish Brigade. In a pattern that continues throughout the book, alternative theories, such as plans to take the battle hardened troops and turn them back against the British in Ireland, are mentioned but not discussed. It is note-worthy that Meagher got the men and guns he sought in Ireland, but if there were any plans for another rebellion, nothing was ever attempted or designed in earnest.
Permission to form the Brigade came through in September 1861, and Meagher found three thousand recruits by December. The first years of the war were a disappointment to the Union, who despite enjoying great advantages in manpower and logistical support, were unable to claim a decisive victory against the Confederate forces in Virginia. Despite repeated Union losses, it was in these battles that the Irish Brigade established its reputation for bravery and valor. During the Peninsula Campaign and at Chancellorsville they held their composure while other troops fell into disarray, potentially saving losses from becoming disasters by allowing stalling the advancing troops and saving vital supplies like artillery pieces from falling into the hands of the enemy. On the other hand, at the battles of Fredericksburg and Antietam, the Irish were sent by reckless commanders against well fortified positions. Despite terrible fire and insurmountable odds they carried out their orders. At Fredericksburg its said they advanced furthest against the Confederates at Marye’s Heights, the sprigs of boxwood Meagher ordered them to wear in the caps marked the Irish corpses on the field leading up to the battlements.
The best parts of The Greatest Brigade are the descriptions Craughwell provides of the battles and campaigns. He is able balance descriptions of the movements of the armies and the tide of the battles with the personal stories of the Irish Brigade in a way that makes sense to the casual reader. However, The Greatest Brigade acknowledges but does not some of the interesting controversies that plagued the Irish Brigade in the later years of the war. After Chancellorsville the Irish Brigade was reduced to a small fraction of its original fighting strength. Thomas Francis Meagher resigned from the army after repeated requests to give the Irish Brigade leave to regroup and recruit troops to bring it up to fighting strength went without reply. To make matters worse popular support among Irish Americans was in decline. Many were fearful that the end of slavery would bring legions of African-Americans into the industrial north and taking jobs that the Irish relied on, and they saw the high casualty rates as a sign that the commanders were intentionally sending the Irish into the most dangerous assignments. Recruitment dropped drastically and support fell even further after the signing of the Conscription Act in 1863. The Irish Brigade got shuffled around, being assigned some non-Irish regiments to get it back into fighting shape.
Controversies aside, what Craughwell has accomplished here is a god Civil War history about one of the Union’s best fighting units. The battlefield descriptions are well detailed and easy to follow for most casual readers, even if you have not studied the American Civil War since high school. The whole thing is nicely presented with color illustrations including period sketches, photographs, and maps, beautifully reproduced in oversized paperback. It looks good on your bookshelf or coffee table and comes at a recession-friendly price of $19.99.
8.5 Golden Eggs
