An 1867 imagining of the Fetterman Fight (Library of Congress)

The Irish laborer had enlisted in Cleveland, Ohio on 25th July 1865 for a period of three years. He was 5 feet 7 inches tall, with brown hair and brown eyes. On the 22nd December 1866 he was due over $16 in pay, and was entitled to a further $24 and 10 cents for clothing which he had not drawn down. He owed the laundress at his post, Fort Philip Kearney (then Dakota Territory, now Wyoming) $1 and 60 cents. These details are recorded because Patrick Gallagher had died, having been killed in action only the day before.

On 21st December 1866 Gallagher and 80 other men had ridden out of Fort Kearney under the command of Captain William Fetterman in order to protect a small wood-chopping party from the post who were under Native-American attack. As the column approached the scene the assailants fled, and Fetterman decided to cut them off.  He rode over the nearby ridge and straight into an ambush; he and his 80 men were confronted by between 1,500 and 2,000 Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors. This force, which included Red Cloud and a young Crazy Horse, surrounded  Fetterman’s command. The Cheyenne called the fight the ‘Battle of 100 In the Hands’ and remembered that they and the Arapaho were on the west side of the trap, with the Lakota emerging from behind the hills. The soldiers tried to move back up the ridge from whence they had come, firing as they went. As their horses went down they tried to use the animals for shelter, all the time being subjected to a storm of arrow fire. Within moments all the soldiers were surrounded, and as the warriors moved in hand to hand fighting ensued, as rifle butts and war clubs clashed. It was over almost as soon as it had begun- Fetterman and his entire command had been annihilated in a matter of minutes. Not one of the 81 men survived. It was the greatest disaster for the U.S. military on the plains up to that point, and would only be overshadowed by Custer’s Last Stand at the Little Big Horn in 1876.  (1)

It is probable that Fetterman’s command knew they were doomed only moments after the ambush was sprung. It is indeed poignant to think of a man emigrating from Ireland in the 19th century, enlisting, and being stationed in what must have seemed an alien landscape on the western frontier. For Gallagher and his comrades the Dakota Territory was destined to cut short their lives, leading them to a death which took place in terrifying circumstances. The men who marched with Fetterman felt the full wrath of Native American tribes who were desperately trying to protect their land and hunting grounds. The soldiers were shown no mercy and many of their bodies were mutilated after death- Colonel Henry Carrington of the 18th Infantry described the scene when he came upon it, describing ‘… eyes torn out and laid on the rocks; noses cut off; ears cut off; chins hewn off; teeth chopped out; joints of fingers; brains taken out and placed on rocks with other members of the body; entrails taken out and exposed; hands cut off; feet cut off; arms taken out from sockets; private parts severed and indecently placed on the person; eyes, ears, mouth and arms penetrated with spear-heads, sticks, and arrows; ribs slashed to separation with knives; skulls severed in every form, from chin to crown; muscles of calves, thighs, stomach, breast, back, arms, and cheek taken out…’. (2)

Having come across Corporal Gallagher I decided to take a look at how many of the force were Irish. The casualty list was taken from Carrington’s report on the incident. 52 of the 81 men who were killed were in the 18th Infantry, and I have started by looking at this group of men. What is immediately striking is the number of different nationalities represented. (3)

18th Infantry Casualties in the Fetterman Fight by Nationality

United States: 23 (including the three officers- a number of these men were of Irish-American descent)

England: 1

Switzerland: 1

Germany/Prussia: 7

Canada: 2

Sicily: 1

France: 1

Ireland: 13

Yet to be Confirmed: 3 (two of which bear Irish names)

The Irishmen from the 18th Infantry that I have thus far confirmed as dying in the Fetterman Fight are:

Company A, Second Battalion, 18th Infantry

Private Thomas Burke- a 25 year old, 5 foot 3 inches tall former laborer with a dark complexion, grey eyes and black hair. Enlisted 21st March 1866 in Brooklyn, New York. A Co. Cork native.

Private Patrick Shannon- a 26 year old, 5 foot 5 inches tall former laborer with a sandy complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. Enlisted 25th July 1865 in Louisville, Kentucky. A Co. Roscommon native.

Corporal Robert H. Lennon- a 23 year old, 5 foot 5 3/4 inches tall soldier with a dark complexion, blue eyes and dark hair. Enlisted 10th March 1866 in Boston, Massachusetts. A Co. Down native.

Company C, Second Battalion, 18th Infantry

Corporal Patrick Gallagher- a 27 year old, 5 foot 7 inches tall former laborer with a fair complexion, brown eyes and brown hair. Enlisted 25th July 1865 in Cleveland, Ohio. A native of Ireland.

Sergeant Patrick Rooney- a 24 year old, 5 foot 7 inches tall former laborer with a dark complexion, grey eyes and black hair. Enlisted 11th April 1866 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A native of Ireland.

Private Frank P. Sullivan- a 24 year old, 5 foot 6 inches tall former laborer with a ruddy complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. Enlisted 29th March 1866 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A Co. Kerry native.

Sergeant Francis Raymond- a 30 year old, 5 foot 10 1/4 inches tall soldier with a ruddy complexion, grey eyes and dark hair. Enlisted 8th March 1866 in Washington D.C. A Co. Meath native.

Private Patrick Smith- a 33 year old, 5 foot 3 1/4 inches tall former laborer with a  florid complexion, grey eyes and dark hair. Enlisted 13th March 1866 in Chicago, Illinois. A Co. Clare native.

(Private Michael O’Garra who died in Company C is also of probable Irish birth-a soldier of the same name served until early 1866 in the 1st Battalion Nevada Cavalry, with a birth place listed as Ireland.)

Company E, Second Battalion, 18th Infantry

Private Timothy Cullinane- an 18 year old, 5 foot 4 1/2 inches tall former laborer with a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. Enlisted 15th March 1866 in New York. A Co. Cork native.

Corporal John Quinn- a 27 year old, 5 foot 9 inches tall former laborer with a dark complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. Enlisted 23rd January 1865 in Indianapolis, Indiana. A native of Ireland.

Company H, Second Battalion, 18th Infantry

Private Perry F. Dolan (Doland)- a 22 year old, 5 foot, 6 1/2 inches tall former farmer with a fair complexion, hazel eyes and dark hair. Enlisted 10th April 1866 in St. Louis, Missouri. A native of Ireland.

Private James Kean- a 25 year old, 5 foot, 6 1/2 inches tall former laborer with a dark complexion, black eyes and dark hair. Enlisted 13th March 1866 in New York. A Co. Clare native.

Corporal Michael Sharkey- a 28 year old, 5 foot, 8 inches tall soldier with a ruddy complexion, grey eyes and auburn hair. Enlisted 29th March 1866 in Indianapolis, Indian. A native of Ireland.

(Private Michael Kinney who died with this Company may well also be of Irish birth, this is to be confirmed.)

It is striking how recently many of these men had joined up, and one wonders how much previous military experience they had. The 2nd Cavalry detachment also clearly had a number of Irishmen in the ranks, and I hope in the future to write a follow up post identifying not only the birthplaces of these men but also those yet to be confirmed from the 18th Infantry.

(1) Monnett 2010: 1, Bill Tall Bull 1988;  (2) US Congress 1887: 41; (3) US Congress 1887: 43;

References 

Bill Tall Bull 1988. We are the ancestors of those yet to be born

Congress of the United States 1887. Letter from the Acting Secretary of the Interior Concerning Indian Operations of the Plains.

Monnett, John H. 2010. The Falsehoods of Fetterman’s Fight (Historynet.com)

Fort Phil Kearney State Historic Site

Footnote.com

The 1862 ‘Tiffany’ Color of the 69th New York, Presented by President Kennedy to the Irish People in 1963

This is how Letitia Baldrige Hollensteiner, White House Social Secretary to President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, remembered the preparations for JFK’s visit to Ireland in June 1963. It would be the first time a serving U.S. President would visit Ireland, and his address to the Irish Parliament in Dáil Éireann would be the first occasion on which television cameras would be allowed to film an event there. Clearly the President needed to bring an extra special gift.

The flag that Letitia Baldrige Hollensteiner had sourced was the second green color of the 69th New York, the first Regiment of the Irish Brigade. By late 1862, the original colors which had been presented to the Regiments of the Irish Brigade in 1861 were in tatters, and badly needed replacement. The new flags were sponsored by New York merchants and consisted of one green flag and one national color per Regiment. They became known as the ‘Tiffany’ Colors as they were manufactured by Tiffany and Company. Although they were officially presented to representatives of the Brigade by Henry F. Spaulding in early December, they had not yet arrived at the front when the Irish Brigade made its famous charge against Marye’s Heights in Fredericksburg on 13th December.

It is somewhat ironic that the new flags arrived in Fredericksburg immediately after the Brigade had been effectively annihilated charging the Stone Wall. Indeed the Irish appropriated the theatre in Fredericksburg to have a reception for the colors, despite the fact that the town remained under fire. The banquet was attended by General Hancock, who noted that ‘Only Irishmen could enjoy themselves thus.’ (2) The flags were returned to New York to await the Brigade’s return to full strength;  however it was destined never to recover from the losses sustained at Fredericksburg. As a result, the colors never saw battle, though they were used during the Grand Review in 1865 (3). The Brigade’s 1st Regiment green color remained in the Armory of the 69th in New York, until in 1963 they kindly permitted President Kennedy to present it to the people of Ireland.

JFK chose to open his speech in the Irish Parliament by discussing the flag. It is interesting to note that his speech-writer allowed a number of inaccuracies to slip through; for example rather than referring to the 13th December in Virginia the President spoke of the 13th September in Maryland. One wonders if an earlier draft may have chosen Antietam as the battle to focus on rather than Fredericksburg, and that some details in the redraft were overlooked. Here is what JFK said on that momentous occasion:

Mr. Speaker, Prime Minister, Members of the Parliament: I am grateful for your welcome and for that of your countrymen.

The 13th day of September, 1862, will be a day long remembered in American history. At Fredericksburg, Maryland, thousands of men fought and died on one of the bloodiest battlefields of the American Civil War. One of the most brilliant stories of that day was written by a band of 1,200 men who went into battle wearing a green sprig in their hats. They bore a proud heritage and a special courage, given to those who had long fought for the cause of freedom. I am referring, of course, to the Irish Brigade. General Robert E. Lee, the great military leader of the Southern Confederate forces, said of this group of men after the battle: “The gallant stand which this bold brigade made on the heights of Fredericksburg is well known. Never were men so brave. They ennobled their race by their splendid gallantry on that desperate occasion. Their brilliant, though hopeless, assaults on our lines excited the hearty applause of our officers and soldiers.”

Of the 1,200 men who took part in that assault, 280 survived the battle. The Irish Brigade was led into battle on that occasion by Brigadier General Thomas F. Meagher, who had participated in the unsuccessful Irish uprising of 1848, was captured by the British and sent in a prison ship to Australia, from whence he finally came to America. In the fall of 1862, after serving with distinction and gallantry in some of the toughest fighting of this most bloody struggle, the Irish Brigade was presented with a new set of flags. In the city ceremony, the city chamberlain gave them the motto “The Union, our Country, and Ireland Forever.” Their old ones having been torn to shreds by bullets in previous battles, Captain Richard McGee took possession of these flags on September 2nd in New York City and arrived with them at the Battle of Fredericksburg and carried them in the battle. Today, in recognition of what these gallant Irishmen and what millions of other Irish have done for my country, and through the generosity of the Fighting 69th, I would like to present one of these flags to the people of Ireland.

At this point the President pulled back the curtains to reveal the 69th’s Tiffany color. He continued:

As you can see, gentlemen, the battle honours of the Brigade include Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Yorktown, Fair Oaks, Gaines Hill, Allen’s Farm, Savage’s Station, White Oak Bridge, Glendale, Malvern Hills, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Bristoe’s Station.

The Irish contribution to the American Civil War was of course a natural starting point for such an important speech by the President of the United States. The flag remains the most significant object relating to the Irish experience of the American Civil War in Ireland. Following the President’s visit, the flag was hung in Dáil Éireann, where it remains today. It is deeply unfortunate that the flag is located in the Parliament building, where visiting is restricted and its exposure to the general Irish population is low. A far more appropriate location would be in one of the Country’s national institutions, such as the National Museum of Ireland. Such a setting would allow the flag to be interpreted and presented in a way which would enable the Irish people to learn more about their forebears contribution during the Civil War. It would also ensure the flags survival for future generations, as it could be regularly monitored by conservators and displayed in climate controlled conditions. The upcoming 150th anniversary of the American Civil War provides an ideal opportunity for the flag to become more publicly accessible to the people of Ireland.

(1) John F. Kennedy Oral History Programme: 19; (2) Conyngham: 330-337, 354; (3) Pritchard 2004: 36

References & Further Reading

Conyngham, David Power (edited by Lawrence Kohl) 1994. The Irish Brigade and its Campaigns (1st Edition 1867)

Letitia Baldrige Hollensteiner, recorded interview by Mrs. Wayne Fredericks, April 24, 1964, (19), John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program.

Pritchard, Russ A. 2004. The Irish Brigade: A Pictoral History of the Famed Civil War Fighters

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

President John F. Kennedy’s Speech to the Houses of the Oireachtas, 28th June 1963

President Kennedy Presents Flag of the Irish Brigade to the Nation (RTE Archive Film Footage)