Randy--
I should add to what has been said that one of the Confederacy's premier officers, Patrick Cleburne, "Stonewall of the West," was a native of Ireland. I think his divisional insignia carried something to indicate that. Anyway, there were few Irish units in the CSA bcause the flow of immigration was so much less to the slave than the free states in the 1840s, 1850s. Some Irish were definitely in VA in the 1850s, buiding railroads, canals, and the dry dock at the Gosport Navy yard, but their numbers were nowhere close to the tens of thousands who settled in the
Northeastern cities.
Jim Hershman
Randy Cabell wrote:
> My wife and I have just returned from what was to be 13 days in Ireland, and because of the terrible events last week, grew to 18 days, mostly kicking around Shannon Airport trying to get a flight home. I found an interesting CD with a title something like: Irish "Patriotic Songs and Irish Songs of the American Civil War." This reminded me that there was a parody on "The Girl I left Behind me" -- "I goes to fight mit Siegle", from the American German community during that war.
>
> I don't think I can recall ANY such ethnic visibility -- certainly not an "IRISH BRIGADE" -- from the South. In fact, the only Confederate Irish song I can think of is "The Wearin' of the Gray", which borrows liberally "The Wearin' of the Green."
>
> My questions are (1) were there any significant ethnic Southern Military Units, and (2) if not, why not? (I believe a large number of Irish helped construct the James River Kanawha Canal.)
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Finally, this is not a VA-HIST topic, but somebody may find it useful, heaven forbid, if any of you ever are faced with decisions like those folks in the World Trade Center and aboard the four airliners last week. I offer this advice as a person who 20 years ago was personally involved during shootings at IBM in Maryland (3 people died), AND therefore feel particular rapport with the WTC people and the people who took action on the Pennsylvania airliner. I don't want to start any discussion and deflect VA-HIST from its fine mission, so my one piece of advice is to:
>
> >> DO SOMETHING -- Don't wait for somebody else to tell you what to do. Approach it assuming that you and you alone are the Captain of your Fate. <<
>
> I'll be glad to expand upon this if you contact me directly: [log in to unmask]
>
> Randy Cabell
>
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