Immigrants in the Civil War

European Immigrants in the Union Army

• European immigrants joined the Union Army in large numbers.

• The German- and Irish-Americans constituted the majority of foreign-born Unionist support

• Over 6,000 German immigrants living in New York joined the Union Army

• Another 4,000 Germans in Pennsylvania also joined the Union forces

• 500,000 Unionist soldiers (1/4 of the entire Union Army!) were born in Europe

European Immigrants in the Union Army (cont.)

• Over 400,000 European immigrants served in the Union Army: 216 German soldiers, 170,000 Irish soldiers, 4,000 Swedish soldiers

• At Chickamauga, the Scandinavian Regimen lost 63% of its forces.

• “President Abraham Lincoln's call for volunteers evoked a sense of patriotism to the Union that was fanned by Irish newspapers and political and religious leaders.”

• The French population showed powerful support for the Unionists. The Lafayette Guards, an entirely French force, led by Colonel Regis de Trobriand, strongly supported the Unionist cause.

European Immigrants in the Confederate Army

• Although the Confederate Army did receive some foreign-born support, the immigrant’s support for the Union army was far stronger

• 40,000 Irish immigrants served as soldiers in the Confederate Army

• 23.4% of all Union soldiers were German-Americans; about 216,000 were born in Germany

• “German-American units in general earned a reputation for discipline and ruthlessness. Many of the Germans who fought for the Union during the Civil War had been professional soldiers back in Germany, and came to America because that was where the action was. The American Civil War offered these professionals a new venue to prove themselves in.”

Social Impact of Immigrant Enlistment

• Despite the valiant fighting of the Irish-Americans in the Civil War, many returned the post-war America facing the same strong anti-Catholic racism that was so prevalent antebellum

• Because the Irish-Americans were the most politically involved of all the immigrants groups, soldiers were able to understand and take action against the same “injustices” as American born soldiers

• Irish-Americans overcame strong racial prejudices in order to share the Unionist soldier’s sense of nationalism

The Irish-Americans

• The Irish-Americans are perhaps the most well remembered out of all the immigrant groups for their patriotic support of the Unionist cause

• “They went into battle with an emerald green flag with a large golden harp in its center, celebrating their heritage even in the midst of death.”

• Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher is the most noted Irish-American hero of the Civil War; he was an Irish revolutionary fighting for the Unionist cause and bravely led the “Irish 69th” into combat at the Battle of Bull Run

The “Irish Brigade”

• The “Irish Brigade” was a famous militia group that supported the Unionist cause

• The Brigade fought in the first significant, military engagement of the Civil War: the Battle of Bull Run

• “The remarkable precision of its evolutions under fire ; its desperate attack on the impregnable wall at Marye's Heights; its never failing promptness on every field; and its long continuous service, made for it a name inseparable from the history of the war.”

The 69th New York State militia (“Irish Brigade”) fights valiantly for the ostensibly

defeated Unionists

The 69th Irish Brigade

• The 69th Irish Brigade fought in the following battles of the Civil War: Battle of Bull Run, Peninsula Campaign, Fair Oaks, Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Appomattox

Members of the 69th Irish Brigade

The Irish Brigade at the battle of Antietam (flying their flag alongside the American

flag!)

Esoteric Zinn Question (EZQ)

• “How could these new Irish immigrants, themselves poor and despised, become sympathizers with the black slave, who was becoming more and more the center of attention, the subject of agitation in the country?” – Howard Zinn

A possible reason for Irish Allegiance to the Union…

• “In the beginning of the [Civil War], many Irish favored the South as they saw the North attempting to act much as the English had in their native land of Ireland. However, when Britain began considering support of the Confederacy, many Irish threw their lot in with the North. ”

"They came as immigrants &

fought to defend the spirit of their

adopted country... as true patriots."

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAcivilwarE.htm

http://www.civilwarhome.com/irishbri.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German-Americans_in_the_Civil_Warhttp://www.civilwarhome.com/irish.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Brigade_(US)A People’s History of the United States

Works Cited

Five (5) Questions1. Which ethnic group is renowned for their steadfast loyalty to

the Unionist cause?2. Which side (Union/Confederate) received more support

from European immigrants?3. How were Irish-Americans treated when they returned from

their service in the Civil War?4. Besides the Irish-Americans, name two (2) other European

immigrant groups that supported either the Union or the Confederate cause.

5. The 69th Irish Brigade is remembered for their heroics at the Battle of ________________.

Answer to the Five (5) Questions1. The Irish-Americans2. Union3. With the same hatred and racism that was prevalent

antebellum4. Scandinavian-Americans, German-Americans,

Swedish-Americans5. Bull Run