The Greatest Brigade: How the Irish Brigade Cleared the Way to Victory in…

A fine book about one of the greatest stories coming out of the Civil War. Well presented and accessible to the casual reader, it fits well on any bookshelf or coffee table. ( )

Subtitle: How the Irish Brigade Cleared the Way to Victory in the American Civil War ( )

This is a good regimental history of the Irish Brigade ,who participated in all the battles of the American Civil War from Bull Run to Appomattox Court House. The author illustrates the problems facing Irish immigrants fleeing to America from post-Famine Ireland in the 1840's and 1850's and the the anti-Catholic predujice suffered by them at the hands of the Protestant establishment. The founding of the Irish Brigade in 1861, gave the Irish an opportunity to enhance their status in America by rallying to the Union cause. Their bravery on the battlefield especially the desperate attack at Mayre's Heights was recognised by their Confederate enemy ,who saluted them. They were also heavily involved in the attack on the "Sunken Road" at the Battle of Antietam and in the "Wheatfield" at the Battle of Gettysburg. The book is genuine history but also partly polemic and I feel the author has just missed the wonderful opportunity to write the definitive book about the Irish Brigade. Despite this small reservation ,I salute Thomas Craughwell and recommend a very good read. ( )

Author Thomas J. Craughwell’s latest book joins a small mountain of published works recounting the story and stories of the Irish Brigade which served in the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. The content of these diaries, memoirs, histories, etc. makes it amply clear that their story is one that deserves and is still yet to be told in its fullest form (and would make an excellent film in my opinion if done with the right screenwriter!). Unfortunately, while beautifully illustrated with period photographs, illustrations, and maps as well as more modern images (and I’m particularly grateful for the image of the 55th Massachusetts Regiment’s recruiting poster), the book falls significantly short of being that definitive history of the Irish Brigade and I regret to report that the author’s research failed him on a number of key points.

The author accurately describes the 69th New York as the heart of the Irish Brigade, ably supported by the equally Irish 63rd and 88th New York Regiments, he mistakenly describes the 28th Massachusetts Volunteers as “not composed of Irishmen—in fact, they were all Yankee Protestants” who would describe themselves as “honorary Irishmen.” Here the author has confounded the 28th Massachusetts Volunteers, specifically recruited for the Irish Brigade as the 2nd Massachusetts Irish Regiment (the 9th was the 1st Irish), with the all-Yankee 29th Massachusetts Volunteers, apparently repeating a mistake made during the war by bureaucrats in Massachusetts and the War Department in Washington when they sent to all Yankee 29th Massachusetts to the Irish Brigade and the Irishmen of the 28th Massachusetts to serve with Burnside in the Carolinas (eventually becoming part of IX Corps). (And I am left to ponder the possible reaction of the 28th’s three Jewish members to being called “Yankee Protestants”!)

This mistake was not rectified until just before the Battle of Fredericksburg when the 28th Massachusetts Volunteers joined the Irish Brigade in camp at Falmouth, opposite the fated Virginia community. (The 29th Massachusetts Volunteers carried their well-earned “Honorary Irishmen” with them to replace the 28th back in the IX Corps.) However, the author’s discussion of this event suggests that the 28th Massachusetts Volunteers and the 116th Pennsylvania Volunteers only joined the Brigade after the battle.

Upon finally joining the Irish Brigade, General Meagher recognized the proper membership in the brigade by presenting the 28th Massachusetts Volunteers with the green Tiffany flag made up for the Brigade when it was first raised and which identified the 28th as the “4th Regt, Irish Brigade.” This flag would be carried by the 28th Massachusetts at the center of the Irish Brigade’s line in the attack on Marye’s Heights at General Meagher’s direction. This was in fact the only green flag carried by any regiment in the brigade at that time, because the brigade’s other green flags had all been sent up to New York to be repaired and were not returned until after the Battle of Fredericksburg. The 116th Pennsylvania participated in this same attack as the left wing of the Brigade. Frank O’Reilly’s book “The Fredericksburg Campaign” (listed in the bibliography by Mr. Craughwell) does an excellent job of recounting these facts. Likewise listed in the bibliography is “The Story of the 116th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion” written by their colonel, St. Clair Augustine Mulholland, which also speaks on these events.

The book does present an excellent discussion of the weapons carried by the New York regiments of the Irish Brigade – generally the smoothbore .69 caliber 1842 Springfield musket. Some sources claim that Meagher deliberately selected a weapon that would compel the Irishmen to get in close to their enemy where he believed they would best anyone, and being so close to the enemy would guarantee that the Irish Brigade would be easily recognized on the battlefield and credited for its actions. Again, however, the author’s research fails him in connection with the 28th Massachusetts Volunteers, who he reports was the only Irish Brigade regiment armed with a breech loading rifle. In fact, the 28th Massachusetts Volunteers carried throughout the war the British pattern 1853 Enfield rifled musket – a muzzle loading weapon with a rifled barrel capable of accurate fire out to at least 700 yards. This was the result of the actions by Massachusetts’ governor John Andrews who ordered the purchase of tens of thousands of the Enfields for his Massachusetts volunteer regiments. It was a decision that would also cast the 28th into the role of skirmishers, advance guards, flank guards, etc., i.e., into any role in which their longer ranged Enfields would give better service than the .69 Springfields carried by the New Yorkers until well into 1864.

All of that said, there is still plenty here to appeal to those interested in the stories of the Irish Brigade, and the collection of illustrations, maps, photographs old and new adds greatly to that appeal. I would suggest that you put this on your bookshelf next to Conyngham’s “The Irish Brigade” and Father Corby’s “Memoirs of Chaplain Life” (and for the 28th Massachusetts – Peter Welsh’s “Irish Green and Union Blue” and John Ryan’s “Campaigning with the Irish Brigade: Pvt. John Ryan, 28th Massachusetts). But it must be said that a modern definitive history of the Irish Brigade has yet to be written. What a pity. ( )