num_pages: 501
description: When the Continental Congress decided to declare independence from the British empire in 1776 ten percent of the population of their fledgling country were from Ireland. By 1790 close to 500000 Irish citizens had immigrated to America. They were was very active in the American Revolution both on the battlefields and off and yet their stories are not well known. The important contributions of the Irish on military political and economic levels have been long overlooked and ignored by generations of historians. However new evidence has revealed that Washingtons Continental Army consisted of a far larger percentage of Irish soldiers than previously thoughtbetween 40 and 50 percentwho fought during some of the most important battles of the American Revolution.Romanticized versions of this historical period tend to focus on the upper class figures that had the biggest roles in Americas struggle for liberty. But these adaptations neglect the impact of European and Irish ideals as well as citizens on the formation of the revolution. Irish contributors such as John Barry the colonies foremost naval officer; Henry Knox an artillery officer and future Secretary of War; Richard Montgomery Americas first war hero and martyr; and Charles Thomson a radical organizer and Secretary to the Continental Congress were all instrumental in carrying out the vision for a free country. Without their timely and disproportionate assistance America almost certainly would have lost the desperate fight for its existence.
language: English
title: How the Irish Won the American Revolution: A New Look at the Forgotten Heroes of America's War of Independence
publisher: Skyhorse