Irish in the American Civil War

As I am an archaeologist by profession, the vast majority of public presentations I give are related to that subject, principally my area of expertise which is conflict archaeology. It is therefore very gratifying for me to have two upcoming engagements which have arisen as a result of the Irish in the American Civil War site. I […]

One of the main resources added to this site at an early stage was the list of Irish-born Medal of Honor recipients. Drawn from a number of different sources, I have found occasion to add the names of additional men over time, as it became apparent that they were in all probability of Irish birth. The list […]

Will Butler is currently undertaking research on the Irish amateur military tradition in the British Army between 1854 and 1945. As he explains below, Will has come across intriguing evidence for the efforts of Federal recruiters to tap into this manpower pool in Ireland, as they sought to augment Union armies during the Civil War. […]

Irishman John Donovan served with the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry in the first major battle of the American Civil War, at Bull Run, Virginia. His unit fought side by side with the 69th New York State Militia, as part of the brigade commanded by William Tecumseh Sherman. For Donovan, this first day of fighting on 21st July […]

Part 1 of this series examined the mugshots of ten American Civil War veterans, arrested in Ireland in 1866 for their involvement with the Fenian movement. This post looks at a further ten of these men whose photographs were taken in Mountjoy Prison that year. They form a part of the series of Fenian mugshots […]

One of the roles of the Irish in the American Civil War site is to assist researchers exploring different aspects of the Irish experience of the conflict. To that end James Doherty, of  Waterford Civil War Veterans and a founder of The 1848 Tricolour Celebration is seeking information relating to the Confederate Blockade Runner Minna, which had […]

Readers of this site may have seen a recent post entitled Keeping Memory Alive of the Irish in the American Civil War. This highlighted the efforts of a number of like-minded individuals who wish to promote Irish involvement in the American Civil War in Ireland. The aim is to develop a Civil War Trail and Memorial to […]

Michael Kerwin was born in Co. Wexford on 15th August 1837. He emigrated with his parents to the United States at the age of 10, settling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There he was educated in a private academy and trained as a lithographic printer. In his spare time he spent a number of years involved with […]

On 8th September 1864, First Lieutenant Patrick McCarthy of Company C, 182nd New York Infantry (69th New York National Guard), sat down to write a letter to the father of one of his comrades. The young man found himself with the unpleasant task of providing the family with details of their son’s death. Two weeks […]