During my recent trip to the United States I visited a number of National Cemeteries, including Glendale, Fredericksburg, Antietam, Cold Harbor and Arlington. Many of the headstones in these cemeteries stand as testament to the extent of Irish and Irish-American involvement in the American Civil War. In each cemetery I photographed many graves where ‘Irish’ surnames were in evidence- a random sample based upon where I wandered. The numbers were staggering. Worse still these are only the small percentage lucky enough to be identified. Although we have largely forgotten these men in Ireland, thankfully they are well-remembered in the United States. To mark Memorial Day weekend in America, I am sharing the images from one of the smaller cemeteries- Cold Harbor. Behind every headstone lies a personal story- behind every cemetery an army of friends and relatives who mourned the loss of these men. Behind some is a tragic end to what many emigrants hoped would be a better life than the one they had left in Ireland.

I have not researched these men beyond their entries on Find A Grave, but if you have information on any of them please do share it in the comments section.