I was recently revisiting Damian Shiels’ article about the amazing stereoview of Thomas Francis Meagher and his Irish Zouaves of Company K, 69th New York State Militia, when I thought I recognized a familiar face among the enlisted “Zou-Zous.” Who...
The final part of our three-part chat with Harry of Bull Runnings fame on the 69th New York State Militia and the First Battle of Bull Run is now available. If you missed our previous instalments, you can watch Part...
Patrick Coffey was a labourer in his 30s when he went to war. In the summer of 1861, he marched off to Virginia as part of Company D, the “Fitzgerald Guard” of the famed 69th New York State Militia. Like...
I have given numerous talks at historic sites over the years, particularly locations associated with conflict. Where I can, I always try to take opportunities to look beyond the military moment, explore the impact of these events on individuals and...
Brigadier-General Michael Corocoran was one of the most famous Irish Americans of the 19th century. He led the 69th New York State Militia at Bull Run, and in the months of captivity that followed he became a hero of the...
Amputation, as one historian has noted, is the “symbolic wound” of the American Civil War. One estimate places the number of wartime amputations at 60,000, three-quarters of all the operations undertaken during the conflict. Around 45,000 of these men are...
Thoughts of the 69th New York State Militia’s leadership at Bull Run immediately conjures images of Michael Corcoran and Thomas Francis Meagher. Yet there were many others who held important command positions in the regiment on that fateful day in...
As we look forward to the tour of the 69th New York State Militia at Bull Run in May 2019 (details here), the first months of the year will have a number of posts that examine aspects of the 69th’s...
I have some exciting news to share with readers of the site with regard to an upcoming event in the United States next year. Although I have guided a lot of tours on Irish battlefield sites, I have never had...
I was recently looking through some of the excellent images made available by the J. Paul Getty Trust when I came upon this striking stereograph view. The original label describes it as “Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher, surrounded by a portion of...