Irish-American Civil War Experience

Before the War First immigrant group to arrive in large numbers Between 1800 and 1920, 5 million Irish men and women emigrated to the United States Were only half involved in American culture Were tasked with constructing an image of themselves as both Irish and Americans There was already a stereotype about the Irish before they arrived Lived in extreme poverty

Before the War “NO IRISH NEED APPLY” Lived in their own poor communities Were considered to be bad for the community Estimated 80% of all children born to Irish immigrants in NYC died Considered to be “racially different” Filled a lot of the jails Loved America but never gave up their allegiance to Ireland WASP constrained the Irish and prevented them from asserting their own identity in America

Civil War Experience Sanitary Commission reported that 144,221 served in the Union army Irish Brigade – regiments in New York, Boston and Philadelphia Irish volunteers hoped that the war would be short and that they would gain military experience to help them defeat the British occupants in Ireland The Irish Brigade is the story of the Americanization of its officers and men Thomas Meagher

Civil War Experience Irish-American: “we call on you by the sacred memories of the past… be true to the land of your adoption in this crisis of her fate” Many Irish already lived in the Northern states Formed their own units that had Irish customs First casualties of the war were Irish March 3 rd 1863 Draft Riots – Congress passed the Enrollment Act Angered many whites, especially the Irish They were expected to fight for a new nation shortly after arriving in America

Civil War Experience Started the 1863 NYC Draft Riots – looted stores and burned newspaper buildings down Targeted African-Americans, blamed them for the war Over 121 people died in the riots Eventually calmed down and the Irish volunteered in large numbers Irish regiments flew Irish flags to showcase their love for the Union while still holding onto their roots At first, Irish-Americans were forced to do manual labor again, instead of actual fighting

Civil War Experience Battle of Fredericksburg – December 1862 Suffered the most casualties – went from 1600 to 250 (estimated) 146 Irish-born received the Medal of Honor during the Civil War Thomas Plunkett became famous all across America because he lost both of his arms while clinging to the national flag Many Irish women went to war with their husbands and brothers

Memory After the war, the Irish had to find a way to merge into American culture and to be seen as Americans Irish veterans gathered to remember former comrades and be honored by the Irish-American community Veterans wanted to preserve the memory by publishing histories and constructing memorials By doing this, they were able to cement their place in the narrative of the Civil War The memory of the charge of Fredericksburg was the defining moment of the Irish’s wartime experience

Memory Commemorations allowed the veterans to meet old comrades and remember the sacrifices they had made They also allowed the Irish-American community to honor the men as well as remind the country of the sacrifice that they had made during the war Emphasizing the achievements of Irish regiments helped to rehabilitate the Irish image in the US By using the memory of their war experience, the Irish-Americans made great strides towards being accepted as full-fledged Americans