The Irish Brigade in the American civil war

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The Irish Brigade was an infantry brigade that served in the American Civil War, consisting predominantly of Irish immigrants. The designation of the first regiment in the brigade, the 69th New York Infantry, or the "Fighting 69th", continued in later wars. They were known in part for their famous warcry, the "faugh a ballagh", which is an old Gaelic phrase, fág an bhealach, meaning "clear the way".
Formation and consisting regiments
The formation of an Irish Brigade was authorized by the United States Secretary of War in September 1861. The brigade originally consisted of the 69th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the 63rd New York, and the 88th New York. In the fall of that year the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry & 28th Massachusetts Infantry joined the Irish brigade,giving it its desired complement of five regiments. The mostly non-Irish 29th Massachusetts Infantry regiment had a short stint with the Irish Brigade in 1862.
The core regiment of the Irish Brigade, the 69th New York Volunteers, was comprised largely from the 69th New York Militia, a unit which first gained notoriety prior to the Civil War, when Colonel Michael Corcoran refused an order to parade the regiment for the Prince of Wales during the latter's visit to New York City.
Civil War
Col. Corcoran was in the process of being court-martialed when the Civil War erupted. Needing as many men at arms as quickly as possible, the Army dropped the charges and rushed the 69th to Virginia.
At the Battle of Bull Run (UTC)(First Manassas), the regiment served under the command of Colonel William T. Sherman, and was one of the few Union regiments to retain cohesion after the defeat, despite the wounding and capture of Col. Corcoran by Confederate forces. The 69th served as the Army of the Potomac's rear guard during the disorganized retreat to the defenses of Washington.
After Bull Run, the Captain of Company K (Thomas Francis Meagher) applied to have the 69th New York Volunteer Militia reorganized into Federal service as the core unit of a larger brigade composed predominantly of Irish immigrants. Meagher was promoted to brigadier general and designated the brigade's commander. Before the war, he was a leading agitator for Irish independence from Britain. A visible participant in the failed Rebellion of 1848, he was afterwards tried and sentenced to death (commuted to life imprisonment in Australia, but he escaped to New York).
Formation of the ethnically based brigade served three Union purposes: 1) It warned Britain (which appeared to be favoring the Confederacy if not deliberating entry into the conflict on their behalf) that there could be Union-supported consequences in Ireland if Britain intervened (most of the brigade's membership were known Irish revolutionaries), and 2) It served to solidify Irish support for the Union. The Irish were naturally predisposed to support the Confederacy due to their sympathy with the struggle for independence. They also didn't want a flood of freed slaves to migrate north and compete for the lowly jobs for which they already had to scrabble. 3) It solidified the support of the Catholic minority for the Union cause. Having their own paid Catholic chaplain implied a social acceptance for Irish Catholics which had eluded them in the antebellum period. Their chaplain was Fr. William Corby, CSC, a Holy Cross priest and future president of the University of Notre Dame. He became famous for his giving absolution to the troops of the Irish Brigade before the Battle of Gettysburg.
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The Irish Brigade in the American civil war

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