Mary McCoy was originally from Co. Limerick, and was most probably born in the 1820s. At the outbreak of the Civil War she was living in New York, when her three brothers and 35-year-old husband James decided to enlist in April, 1861. They all joined the 71st New York Infantry, which became part of the State’s Excelsior Brigade. Mary clearly decided that she was not going to leave her four closest male relatives to their own devices, and accompanied the regiment to war. She was appointed an army nurse by Secretary Stanton, and by all accounts appears to have preformed her duties well.

A Field Hospital after the Battle of Savage Station, 1862 (Library of Congress)

Mary is noted as having particularly distinguished herself at the Battle of Fair Oaks, where her work among the wounded on the firing line earned her a compliment for bravery from none other than General McClellan. Shortly afterwards, when President Lincoln visited the army at Harrison’s Landing, he noticed Nurse McCoy and asked her if he could have a drink. The Limerick woman hesitated to serve him in one of the ordinary tin cups she had to hand, and went in search of a glass. The President called her back, saying ‘If a tin dipper is good enough for the soldiers, it is good enough for me.’

Mary returned to civilian life with her husband following the war. After his death in 1893 she once again decided to give her life over to the care of others, and she made her home in St. Mary’s Hospital, Brooklyn, assisting the sisters there in their work. It was here that she passed away on October 7th, 1899, survived by her niece. It is a mark of her impact during the war that 34 years later her death inspired notable obituaries in papers such as the New York Times.

References

New York Times 9th October 1899: ‘An Old Army Nurse Dead’

Irish World 14th October 1899: ‘Mrs. Mary McCoy, who died’

James McCoy Pension Index Card

New York A.G. 1902. Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York for the Year 1901

As the publication of the Photographic History neared, William W. Silkworth was living in Long Branch, New Jersey. The veteran took an opportunity to view some of the photographs to be reproduced in the books, and was stunned to find one that showed his old unit- Company B of the 170th New York Infantry, Corcoran’s Irish Legion. Most poignant of all was the relationship he had with one of the men captured by the photographer. Seated in the middle of the composition was his younger brother George, with whom he had enlisted on 23rd August 1862. Not long after the photograph was taken, George became one of thousands of young men to lose his life at Petersburg. William described his realisation as follows:

In looking the pictures over, you cannot appreciate or understand fully my amazement and joy in discovering that one was my old Company B, 170th Regt. N.Y. Vol. Why, I could scarcely believe my own eyes, so wonderful was it, that after forty-seven years, this picture should come to me. But there they were, some of them looking right at me, who had been dead for forty-six years- and there was no getting away from the picture.

Today I am a boy again, living once more with the boys, the old army life. There were about twenty-five of us, school friends, who enlisted together, at Greenpoint, Brooklyn.  

There right in the front of the picture sits my brother playing cards (You will note that he is left-handed. We laid him away in front of Petersburg). With him is John Vandewater, Geo. Thomas and Wash. Keating. There is Charlie Thomas and all the rest as large as life. With the exception of two, I have not seen any of the boys for thirty years.

Some younger eyes then mine, say that they can see a figure in the background with a flag. If so, it must be me for I was Color Sergeant.’(2)

The Photograph of Company B, 170th New York with the card-players in the foreground- George Silkworth, John Vandewater, George Thomas and Wash Keating. Click to enlarge. (Photographic History of the Civil War/National Archives)

For William the photograph was far more than just an image of a few nameless soldiers on picket duty; to him it represented memories of his brother and his friends from what must have seemed a lifetime ago. When he enlisted at Brooklyn in 1862 William had been 19, his younger brother George only 18. George was killed in the attempt to take Petersburg on 16th June, 1864- William was himself severely wounded only six days later, on 22nd June. It took him many months to recover- he was discharged for disability from Mower Hospital in Philadelphia on 8th June, 1865. (3)

What of George’s companions in the photograph? John Vandewater had been 22 when he enlisted in Brooklyn on the 3rd September 1862. John had become a corporal by the time he was killed in action at Hanover Junction, Virginia on 24th May, 1864. George Thomas was only 17 when he signed up on 13th August 1862, also in Brooklyn. He was wounded on the same day that his friend George Silkworth was killed but later returned to his company, eventually mustering out as a First Sergeant. The attack on Petersburg on 16th June was a dark day for the little card-playing party. It’s final member, Wash Keating, was also wounded during that fight. Having enlisted in Brooklyn on 22nd August aged 18, he was discharged on 29th June, 1865. (4)

Apart from the card-players, William Silkworth also mentioned Charlie Thomas, a man he clearly remembered well. Charlie had enlisted aged 18 on 20th August 1862. As with all the others he did so at Brooklyn. Charlie appears to have had a colourful career in the regiment, rising to the rank of corporal before being returned to the ranks, and afterwards gaining promotion to sergeant. He was reported missing in action following the disastrous battle of Ream’s Station on 25th August, 1864. Charlie did not make it through his time as a prisoner of war- he died of intermittent fever on 7th December, 1864, at Salisbury, North Carolina. (5)

As for William, he survived his younger brother by over 60 years, eventually passing away on 24th August, 1928 in Long Branch, New Jersey. Of the two card players who survived the war, George Thomas died on 4th September 1920, still making his home in Brooklyn. Wash Keating passed away in New York on 13th January, 1925. (6)

Those of us who look at the grainy black and white images of the American Civil War today often forget that many held an important place in the hearts of veterans in the years following the conflict. We often fall into the trap of reducing such photographs to the role of visual references, using them solely for purposes such as recreating landscapes or examining uniforms and equipment. By viewing them purely in the context of the period between 1861 and 1865 we fail to recognise their value and relevance to veterans who often lived well into the 20th century. It is hard to imagine the immediacy with which William Silkworth viewed this particular photograph in 1910. He must have struggled to contain his emotions as he looked into the faces of these young men, including his own brother- comrades whose lives had been destroyed by the war. Many thousands of veterans must have had similar poignant experiences as they increasingly encountered such images in print in the decades after 1865. Remembering that the men and women in these photographs remained real for their friends and families so long after the guns fell silent brings with it a new appreciation of the value of American Civil War images.

(1) Miller and Lanier (eds.) 1911: 288-289; (2) Baltimore American; (3) A-G Report 1902; (4) Ibid.; (5) Ibid.; (6) Civil War and Later Veteran Pension Index

References & Further Reading

Baltimore American: 26th April 1911. Finds Brother After 47 Years: New Jersey Businessman Sees Long Lost Photograph Taken During the Civil War

Civil War and Later Veterans Pension Index Cards

New York A.G. 1902. Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York for the Year 1901

Miller, Francis Trevelyan and Lanier, Robert S. (eds.). 1911. The Photographic History of the Civil War: Volume Ten: Armies and Leaders.  288-289

Center for Civil War Photography

One area I am keen to improve is readership of the site in Ireland itself- the American Civil War remains pitifully understudied and unrecognised in this country and it is to be hoped that this changes over the coming years. In Ireland we still fail to see the connection between victims forced to emigrate during the Famine and many of those Irish caught up in the Civil War, who were often enduring the second unprecedented national catastrophe of their lives. We in Ireland still do not understand the sheer level of Irish involvement in the American Civil War, in which c.180,000 Irish served with hundreds of thousands more caught up in war zones and affected on the home front. Indeed the only comparable conflict in terms of a manpower contribution by the Irish is World War One, a topic which has seen the production of dozens of books and ceremonies over the past decade. It is to be hoped that the rightful recognition Irish service in World War One now receives is a sign of things to come for those Irish in the American Civil War. I believe that one of the reasons for the neglect of further study and recognition of the 1861-65 conflict in Ireland is a result of the fact that the vast majority of these men and women never came home, instead staying and integrating into U.S. society. That said, much good work has been carried out to date in Ireland and we can seek to emulate some of the humbling efforts being undertaken in the United States. I hope this blog can contribute in some small way towards that.

Regular readers will note a slight fall off in posts over May and June, as I have been asked to work on a potential book project covering some of the topics that have appeared on the site since it began. This is an exciting (albeit time-consuming) prospect, but I hope to keep the site ticking over with the occasional post. Thanks again to all of you for reading the site, whether you are based in the U.S., Ireland or elsewhere- it is the interaction with readers and researchers that makes it all worthwhile!

The furling of a Civil War era flag at the Martin McHugh Ceremony, April 21, 2012 (Photograph: Paula Hurst)

I was recently contacted by a reader of the site, Paula Hurst, to let me know that Martin was going to be remembered in a ceremony at his gravesite in Danville, Illinois on 21st April last. Having lain in an unmarked grave for 117 years, the Irishman was finally to receive a marker befitting his wartime service. Martin’s grave was discovered following an enquiry by Medal of Honor Historical Society researcher Ray Johnston to Machelle Long of the Vermilion County Clerk’s Office. Ray is working to locate as many Medal of Honor burial sites as he can, and together with Machelle their efforts helped to identify Martin and his wife Catherine’s grave in Resurrection Catholic Cemetery. The Federal government supplied a marker for the site, and a ceremony was arranged to mark the occasion by Larry Weatherford. This consisted of a one hour memorial service at the Church, and a dedication at the graveside with speeches from the Mayor, County Board Chairman, State Senator and State Representative. The event drew to a close with a reception at the local war museum.

The Martin McHugh Information Panel (Photograph: Paula Hurst)

The efforts of individuals like Ray Johnston and Machelle Long, combined with the dedication of the people of Danville, have helped this forgotten Irishman to be appropriately recognised. It is humbling to see such efforts taking place in the United States, particularly when the majority of these men remain little-remembered in the country of their birth. It is to be hoped that over the coming years this will change, and the example of the people of Danville will be followed in Ireland.

The Marker for Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient Martin McHugh (Photograph: Paula Hurst)

*I am greatly indebted to Paula Hurst for alerting me to this ceremony and for supplying details of the event. Paula also kindly gave permission for her photographs of the dedication to be reproduced here.

References

Broadwater, Robert P. 2007. Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients

Proft, R.J.(ed.), 2002. United States of America’s Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients and their Official Citations, Fourth Edition

John Lonergan Memorial, Carrick-On-Suir, Co. Tipperary. Lonergan received the Medal of Honor for actions at Gettysburg

The main themes dealt with during the lecture were as follows:

• Causes of the American Civil War

• The Irish in the United States before 1861

• Why Did the Irish Fight?

• Theatres of War

• The Union Irish

• The Confederate Irish

• Irish Stories

• The American Civil War and Ireland

• Aftermath and Memory

• Irish American Civil War Trail

There was a great attendance at the event and we had a lively discussion afterwards. I must say the evening was one of the most enjoyable lecture nights I have had in a long time, and I strongly recommend that anyone in the vicinity with an interest in military history consider checking out this energetic and proactive organisation. I must extend my thanks to the society for their invitation to chat them, and I hope they have continued success in the future!

The ballad was written in late 1862, before the regiment left their camp in Newport News,Virginia. It provides us with an insight into the mind of soldiers on campaign, and of the type of humour popular amongst them. It is entitled the ‘Rum Racker’s Club’ and was published in the Irish-Americanon 17th January, 1863.

Men of the 164th New York, Corcoran's Irish Legion (Library of Congress)

RUM RACKER’S CLUB

Let the revellers carouse,

In the halls of Bleak House,

As a right jolly, boisterous crew,

While the veteran McQuade,

At his favorite trade,

Is enliv’ning “The Monks of the Screw.”

Here we’re tethered like asses,

Short of whiskey and passes,

From the “field” to the poor “second sub;”

And the rich gormandizers,

On their smuggling advisers,

Have baptized us “The Rum-Rackers’ Club.”

Faith, it’s whispered in camp,

That we’ll soon have to tramp,

Where the epicure died in a week;

Where the white mellow pork,

Makes you squat like a Turk,

And imprints its own blush to your cheek.

Then, it’s “how are you, muc?”

Banaight leath, goose and duck,

How those “Phoenix Boys” thrive on the grub!

The confounded Rum-Rackers,

They can grind navy crackers,

And they’ve whiskey galore in their Club.

They say Casey’s a brick,

But when Murphy was sick

With the fever and jaundice and chills,

The fat sutler but laughed,

When we asked for a draught,

And he gave us old Holloway’s Pills.

The Provost Marshal’s Guard

Are officiously hard,

And suspiciously soft with a few,

For just under the rose,

And the General’s nose,

Sit the privileged “Monks of the Screw.”

But the transports are here,

Off the rickety pier,

Round the gallant old Cumberland’s grave;

And the boys in their pride,

Bless their chieftain and guide,

For they know that he’s skillful and brave.

Let us proudly go forth,

With our backs to the North,

As a chivalrous brotherly band,

And let those who return,

Be the beacons that burn,

On the road to our own “Native Land.”

The final elements of the generally comic ballad have added poignancy, as it gives us a snapshot of the Legion preparing to leave Newport News for Suffolk, where they would shortly afterwards fight in their first engagement, and sustain their first battlefield casualties. The meaning of all the references in the piece are unclear, although it is possible to interpret some of Oulahan’s terms. The ‘veteran McQuade’ is most likely Thomas McQuade, a member of Corcoran’s staff who had lost a leg at Bull Run. The ‘Monks of the Screw’ was the Order of St. Patrick, a political and charitable group who gained their nickname as a result of their drinking activities. ‘Holloway’s Pills’ were a famous patent medicine in the 1860s, which claimed to cure a wide variety of ills. ‘Cumberland’s grave’ refers to the USS Cumberland, which was rammed and sunk by the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia at Newport News on 8th March 1862.

As for the poet himself, Richard Oulahan was born in Co. Dublin and had emigrated to the United States around 1849. He mustered in as a First Lieutenant in the regiment’s Company A at the age of 35 on 19th December, 1862. He was destined not to serve long with the 164th, being wounded at the Battle of Suffolk on 24th April 1863; he was subsequently discharged due to disability on 4th September that year. Oulahan received a brevet-Major rank for his services. He was a committed Fenian both before and after the war, and was later an advocate of Home Rule- he carried out a correspondence with Charles Stewart Parnell on the issue.  His post-war career saw him working the Treasury Department, a position secured for him by noted newspaperman and politician Horace Greeley. Richard Oulahan died in Washington on 12th June, 1895, where his remains were interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery. (2)

(1) New York Irish-American 17th January 1863; (2) Roster of the 164th New York, New York Irish-American 17th June 1985, New York Herald 13th June 1895;

References

New York Irish-American 17th January 1863: Phoenix Regiment

New York Irish-American 17th June 1895: Obituary

New York Herald 13th June 1895: Obituary

New York A.G. 1902. Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York for the Year 1901

James Real had travelled a long way from his original home in Limerick to be on the battlefield of Shiloh that 7th April. He had arrived from Ireland as a 13-year-old, journeying aboard the John O’Toole from Dublin. James first set foot in his new home on 23rd January 1851, when he and nine of his family disembarked at New Orleans. The exotic and cosmopolitan city must have amazed the young Limerick boy and his siblings. The family eventually settled in Illinois, but at the approach of war in 1861 the now adult James found himself living in Memphis, Tennessee. Despite his family links in the North, he decided to throw in his lot with his neighbours, and on 8th June of that year he enrolled for a period of one year in Magevney’s Company C. (1)

J.J. Reel (James Real) Company Muster Roll information (Image via Fold3)

By the time of Shiloh James Real and his company had already seen action, most notably at Belmont, Missouri on 7th November 1861. However, nothing they had previously witnessed could have prepared them for the bloodbath they were engulfed by on the banks of the Tennessee River. Their 6th April attack had caught the Yankees by surprise, but it had come at a fearsome price. Worse still for the Confederates, Union General Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Tennessee had begun to receive reinforcements from Don Carlos Buell’s Army of the Ohio from late on the 6th. By the morning of 7th April these fresh troops were ready to lead a counter-attack against the exhausted Rebels. At 6.00 am the Federals threw themselves against the Confederate right, near where James Real and the Jackson Guards were positioned. (2)

Lieutenant-Colonel Marcus J. Wright was in command of 154th Tennessee that day. The regiment’s line of battle was formed in an open field, supporting a Confederate artillery battery. The Rebel commander General P.G.T. Beauregard decided to respond to the Federal thrust by launching a counter-attack of his own. As Beauregard’s orders came down Wright ordered the 154th forward, and together with the 2nd Tennessee and portions of Blythe’s Mississippi regiment they advanced. Together with another Confederate brigade, they surged obliquely to right across the Sarah Bell field and towards the advancing Union troops. James Real was to the fore, carrying the regimental flag of the 154th which he had held since the original color-bearer party had fallen during the previous day’s fighting. (3)

The Sarah Bell Field in Shiloh, across which the 154th (Senior) Tennessee Infantry advanced (Photo: Allen Gathman)

As the Confederates advanced the Federals quickly sought to respond. They repositioned Terrill’s battery east of the Hamburg-Savannah road to meet the Rebel onslaught. Lieutenant-Colonel Wright recalled that the 154th became involved in a ‘desperate contest with the enemy’s artillery and musketry’, eventually becoming separated from the rest of their brigade. They remained exposed to the deadly fire of the battery for over an hour, before being forced to withdraw. Behind them and in front of the cannon lay ‘piles of mangled bodies.’ Amongst them was 25-year-old Limerick-man James Real. (4)

Few details of James Real’s final moments survive. It was reported that he advanced to within twenty paces of the enemy line before receiving the wound ‘through which his soul escaped to the bosom of his Maker.’ His service record notes that he was ‘killed at Battle of Shiloah while carrying the colors of the Rgt.’ Clearly a popular young man in Memphis, a remembrance of the Irish private was printed in the Memphis Appeal on 15th April. In it he was reported to have expressed his willingness to die for the cause of the South, which he believed to be just. ‘As a friend he was kind, uncalculating and sincere. He was known but to be loved. All he possessed was at the disposal of his friends- in fact, that was his weakness, if such it can be called. His memory will be forever embalmed in the hearts of his friends; many a tear wrang from manhood’s arid fountain and woman’s tender heart, have shown the depth of love and the sincerity of the sorrow of his bereaved friends.’  (5)

'Killed at Battle of Shiloah while carrying the colors of the Rgt.' (Image via Fold3)

The Confederate army was driven back in defeat on the second day of the Battle of Shiloh, and the Federals were left in possession of the field. Pittsburg Landing remained an important concentration point for Union regiments, and soon after the fighting one such unit, the 7th Missouri Infantry, arrived to reinforce the position. Amongst its members was Patrick Real, Jame’s older brother who had arrived with him in New Orleans in 1851. It was reported that Patrick had travelled to Memphis prior to the war in an effort to bring his younger back to Illinois, but that James had insisted on staying to fight for his adoptive State. Now Patrick was camping on the very field of battle where his younger brother had fallen fighting for the South. Indeed when Patrick arrived James still lay there, buried in an unmarked grave. One can only imagine his feelings at the time. Unlike his sibling, Patrick would survive the war, spending its latter years as an officer in the 90th Illinois, Chicago’s Irish Legion. (6)

Shiloh is often seen as the first major battle of the American Civil War- the point at which both North and South began to realise the slaughter they had unleashed against each other. Whatever the truth of this, for the Real family of Oola, Co. Limerick, the battle would forever recall memories the personal family tragedy that befell them there, 150 years ago today.

*I am indebted to Jim Swan, who through his history of the 90th Illinois Infantry and personal correspondence first alerted me to the story of the Real family in the American Civil War.

(1) Civil War Centennial Commission of Tennessee 1964: 309, Memphis Appeal 15th April 1862, Swan 2009: 67, Real: Personal Histories, New Orleans Passenger Lists 1820-1945; (2) Civil War Centennial Commission of Tennessee 1964: 310; (3) Official Records: 452, Daniel 1997: 274, Memphis Appeal 15th April 1862; (4) Daniel 1997: 274, Official Records: 452; (5) Memphis Appeal 15th April 1862, James J. Reel [sic.] Service Record; (6) Real: Personal Histories, Swan 2009: 67;

References & Further Reading

Civil War Centennial Commission of Tennessee 1964. Tennesseans in the Civil War. Part 1.

Confederate Service Record for James J. Reel [sic.]

Daniel, Larry J. 1997. Shiloh: The Battle that Changed the Civil War

Memphis Daily Appeal 15th April 1862: Died

New Orleans Passenger Lists 1820-1945: John O’Toole

Official Records Series 1, Volume 10, Part 1. Report of Lieut. Col. Marcus J. Wright, One hundred and fifty-fourth Tennessee Infantry

Real, Chuck. Real Irish Soldiers and the American Civil War

Swan, James B. 2009. Chicago’s Irish Legion: The 90th Illinois Volunteers in the Civil War

Allen Gathman Flickr Page

Fold3.com

Shiloh National Battlefield Park

Civil War Trust Battle of Shiloh Page

Camp near Hamburg, Tenn.

April 30th 1862

 My Dear Wife,     

We moved our camp on yesterday to this place which is about a mile south of Hamburg Landing on the Tenn. river. Just as we got fixed to stay for some time, an order came from Genl. Halleck that we should advance in the morning, as New Orleans is captured and the Rebels would be likely to try and evacuate Corinth, as they are now nearly surrounded. I am certain that six days will not pass over before we have a battle. If we whip them here we will not go any further south but cross over and meet Burnsides somewhere in South Carolina Chivalry… perhaps we might go to Charleston and then I might see my sisters. I am afraid  that this sudden move will put an end to my speculations of going to see you. When the order came to move last night, I was sent to Pittsburg Landing with a dispatch and, on my way back to Camp, I got lost in the woods, and as it was pitch dark I did not get back until morning.  I had no place to lie down as the mud was about 4 feet deep and you can guess how I suffered as  it commenced to rain about one oclock and kept it up until morning – I had no overcoat and got wet through – I felt so bad I actually cried to think all I have gone through and all for the one effect and then to see no sign of getting it. I told G. [Gillem] how I felt and he gave me his word that I would not be disappointed.  I cannot tell you on paper all  I have gone through and  all the danger I have gone through to serve the U.S. since I came out here, but please God I will  have a chance soon to tell you with your precious head resting on my arm. I came out  as clerk with Capt. Gillem and I have never yet been employed as such – I have to Soldier just as much as ever.

I am gong over to see Genl. Bob McCook in the afternoon, he sent for me this morning, he is going to write to Sec. Stanton for me. They are school-fellows and started in law together, and Bob saw my actions at Mill Springs where he expressed on the field that “he wished to God Scully had that battery of  Standerts”. I wish I could get to see you and I would go myself to Washington.

The two infantry companies from Key West are here. I went to see Libby the other day – he is well and looks first-rate – he won $1900.00  on the steamboat coming from St. Louis – all of “Black Lips”. He told me that Tully cut up fine at Key West after he got his appointment. He used to go charging up to the Saltpond every evening with Mrs Clapp and he got tight one day and went into nearly every Big House on the  Key – he thought his being an officer entitled him to go any place. He got into some rows and had to be brought home by [illegible] Libby has distinguished himself again at  Island No. 10. He was surprised to see me out here.

You must give my love to Ally and them all and with my love and innumerable kisses for you and Sissy, I remain,

Your loving Scully

Address as before, only put Army of the Ohio, Tenn. river.

Pittsburg Landing as it looked in April 1862. Sketch by Alfred Waud. (Library of Congress)

Camp on the road, 4 miles nearer Corinth than yesterday,

May 2, 1862

My Dear Mary Anne,

We changed our camp today again and came 4 miles nearer the enemy. This is the way Genl. Halleck intends to trap them, by advancing on them slowly so as to get them inside their “fortifications”, for once in there, we can easily “shell” them out, and when made to leave their works, they are beaten. The storming party always has the advantage over the besieged. We are hourly expecting the battle to come off and if we whip them here they will offer no more resistance in the West. What news from Yorktown? I suppose it is “ALL QUIET” there yet. The “Grand Army” is too slow for our day…

I have not received a letter from you in a long time, the last one was dated April 12th – I hope you have not delayed writing on account of me not sending you an envelope. I have none of my own and have to borrow them from G. [Gillem] I am sick with the diarrhoe but not very bad. It is on account of the “stench” while encamped  on the battleground – It was horrible! There must  have been  many of the wounded Rebels died on their retreat from the battle, as the road is strewn with graves. I counted 121 new made graves on the sides of the road today and one man was buried in the wagon track and one of our wagon wheels went right through him. Such is war!

I don’t know when I will see you, but you must take good care of yourself and Sissy, and if any sickness happens to appear at Fort McHenry again, move right away whatever it costs. It was that accursed place that took away my darling child! I have no news to tell you but that Genl. McCook wrote to Washington for me.

Give my love to all and I remain you loving,

Scully.

May 7th, 1862

My Dear Wife,

Before this reaches you, you will, in all probability, hear of a great battle or the “evacuation” of Corinth. I have not received a letter from you since the 12th of April, and I cannot imagine why. I am sure I wrote you enough since the Battle of Shiloh to convince you that I am still alive and of course expecting your letters, but perhaps it may be the fault of the mail, although we get them very regularly.

We have just heard of  the evacuation of Yorktown and the pursuit of  the enemy by McClelland. I am afraid they may come into Tennessee and surround our brave army before we get a chance at Beauregard, but we have one hundred and twenty thousand of as brave and as well disciplined troops as stands this earth; and all the Rebels in “Dixie” can’t clean them out now.

If the enemy are still at Corinth, we will commence the battle some time tomorrow. Some of the Generals think they have left there, as they went within a mile of the works today without encountering any pickets, but Genls. Buell and Halleck are too cautious to be caught in a trap and prefer disbelieving the report, and closing up on them gradually, than running the risk of being ambuscaded. This place is all a dense wood, and you could not see a half a mile ahead – so it is better to be ready for any emergency than to rush ahead.

Gillem has been promoted Colonel of the 3rd Kentucky Cavalry. He has accepted it and received his Commissions from the Governor. He has written to Washington for permission to take it and as Genl. Buell has approved of it, he has no doubt but that he will get it. Of course, he will still retain his position in the Regular Army, as the Colonelcy will only be for the war. I don’t know what he will do with me, but he asked me how I liked to go into the Vol. Cavalry – I said nothing – he takes it as a matter of course that I’ll go with him. I suppose he will either make me Adjutant or give me a Company. No account of my Comm. yet – NO MATTER.

I can’t imagine what is the reason I don’t get a letter from you. I have written every other day and it is now nearly a whole month since I heard from you. Why is it?

I must now close as I want to go to bed, and expect to be welcomed early by the booming of hostile cannon. I hope I will soon get a letter from you. Give my love to all and kiss my little darling child for me, and letter or no letter, I am

Your ever devoted,

Scully.

There are more letters to follow from James Wall Scully, as his attempt to receive a commission continues.

Further Reading

McCan, Anthony 2002. ‘James Wall Scully- A Kilkenny Soldier in the American Civil War’ in Ferguson, Kenneth (ed.)The Irish Sword: The Journal of the Military History Society of Ireland, Vol. 23, No.91, Summer 2002, pp. 141- 154

The 90th Illinois were raised around Chicago in the latter part of 1862, and spent the early portion of their war guarding the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. They next moved towards Vicksburg, although they did not take an active part in the siege which led to the city’s fall. They were involved at the siege of Jackson, but it was to be at Missionary Ridge in November 1863 that their baptism of fire took place. They took an active part in Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign, the March to the Sea and the March through the Carolinas, before rounding off their service by participating in the Grand Review in Washington in 1865.

Map of Europe showing nativity of members of the 90th Illinois Infantry (Information by Jim Swan, Illustration by Sara Nylund)

Jim compiled the data on the Legion using the Illinois Attorney General’s data and RG94 at the National Archives. The first set of information looks at the nativity of 950 non-commissioned officers and men in the regiment* with percentages calculated for each country based on the total number of soldiers:

The dominance of Irish-born soldiers is immediately apparent, representing 65.7% of the total number of enlisted men in the regiment (and 69.6% when those of no known nativity are excluded). This is a marginally higher figure than we see for the 23rd Illinois, where 43% of the total were of Irish birth (53.8% when unknown nativity are excluded). Generally though it must be said the proportional makeup of the 90th and 23rd Illinois are remarkably similar, with similar percentage representation from countries such as Germany and England evident. However, the 90th Illinois does have the edge in unusual minority countries, boasting both a Mexican and Hungarian on the regimental rolls!

Map of North America showing nativity of members of the 90th Illinois Infantry (Information by Jim Swan, Illustration by Sara Nylund)

The breakdown of data for the men born in the United States is of note, as only 150 men or 15.8% of the total (16.7% excluding unknown nativity) were born in the country where the war was fought. This contrasts with 407 men born in the United States out of the 1,585 examined in the 23rd Illinois, which represented 25.7% of the total for that regiment. In the 90th Illinois the state of birth is unknown for 41 of the men, which makes it difficult to draw any major conclusions from the distribution of men from within the United States. Nonetheless it is possible to say that more men were born in New York than any other State (38); the Empire State was also predominant in the 23rd Illinois. 32 of the men were born in the State where the regiment was raised, with Pennsylvania coming in third with ten representatives. It is important to remember that despite their birth in the United States, it is likely that at least some of these men viewed themselves as Irish-Americans and were part of that community, a situation probably mirrored amongst the 25 men of Canadian birth in the 90th.

The data that Jim has compiled makes it apparent that the 90th Illinois was indeed a strongly Irish regiment, perhaps marginally more so than the 23rd Illinois. The dominance of Irishmen born in Ireland (as opposed to being born into the Irish community in America) is of particular note, confirming that the unit was indeed ‘Chicago’s Irish Legion.’ The next post on the 90th Illinois will look at a breakdown of nativity by company, and will also examine the counties in Ireland that were represented in the ranks of the 90th Illinois Infantry.

*Includes 13 men who enlisted but did not muster

**Special thanks are due to Jim Swan for compiling this information and making it available to the site, and Sara Nylund for preparing the illustrations for the post.

References

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Illinois Adjutant General’s Report: Regimental and Unit Histories, Containing Reports for the Years 1861- 1866

Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls Database