During my research I have repeatedly encountered the consequences of the 1866 Cholera epidemic that swept through the U.S. Army. By the time it was over, the military had suffered almost as many deaths as were experienced in the entire...
The latest episode of the Forgotten Irish Podcast explores Irish connections with America’s highest award for gallantry– the Medal of Honor. Since the inception of the Medal during the American Civil War, Irish and Irish American men have been prominent...
Historically, we have tended to view the Irish American experience of the Civil War through the lens of ethnic formations such as the Irish Brigade and Corcoran’s Irish Legion. Yet of the c. 250,000 ethnic Irishmen who donned Union blue...
Longtime readers will be familiar with my ongoing work regarding Irish recipients of the Medal of Honor. Most recently, I devised and curated the Irish Medal of Honor exhibition on behalf of the Irish Veterans Charity, which is currently on...
The 1913 Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg witnessed the largest Civil War veteran’s reunion that ever took place. Although thousands of former Union and Confederate soldiers attended the event, the numbers of those who had fought through the war...
The new post shares a brief podcast that was originally prepared for Irish Community Level Patrons. While thousands of Irish soldiers and sailors died of disease and battle during the war, what about those who experienced more unusual deaths? The...
Over the course of the last few years I have been asked to provide historical advice and content for the Irish Veterans charity. One of their primary missions is to explore the experiences of Irish emigrants and the Irish Diaspora...
In 1860 one in every four people in New York was of Irish birth. The majority dwelt among the urban poor, congregating in notorious areas such as Manhattan’s Five Points. Their experience of the American Civil War was mixed, ranging...
Discussion of the Irish at Gettysburg is dominated by the Irish Brigade. Their contemporary and post-war fame– together with their striking battlefield monuments– have contributed to this continuing focus. As the most famed ethnic Irish formation of the conflict, their...
The 11th October 1862 was an auspicious day for those associated with the 69th New York State Militia. It was a little less than 15 months since they had returned– to great fanfare– from the Bull Run battlefield. Though the...