Transcript Irish-American Civil War Experience

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
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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
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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
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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
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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 3rd 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
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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
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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