The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-03-31
hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased
to solace themselves and this house" &}S*

The next gale that sweeps from the North
will bring TO our ears the clash Of rescnnding
arms, our brethren are already in the field, and
> why stand we here de' What is it that gen
tlemen w,sh What would they have is life
so dear or peace sweet, as to BE- purchased nj
the price OF chains and slavery! Forbid ~, Al
mighty God / care not what course st!,ers
may take ,lbut, as for me, give me liberty give
(. me death" Such was the languages Of the i'm
J mortal Patrick Henry of Virginia, who had no
} sooner closrd his splendid appeal TO the patriot
} ism Of his fellow members, than quvered
upon every liz, aud in IFS reverberatiens was
: canght up by the assembled multitude without,
: who made the wrlkn ring with shout that
thrilled along every artery ola people determin-
cd 10 befree. = ss
The eloulcncc of John eRutl-dge of South
! Carolina, was, only second To that Of Patrick
Henry, and if il be said Of the latter, that
! he it was " no kindled the revolutionary flame
in Virginia, no less will suffice for the former
as to Carolina. He was the first aid his the el-
oquencc that aroused the. Palmett" State TO
the lever of resistance" The mighty conflict
ensued. and here arose another question in
which Ir;shmen not only at home, but abroad
actively participated Ii was that of raising
appropriations TO dcfray the expenses of the
war. When the question came up in tho Eng
fish Parliament, the Irish Commons were found
arranged III SoIiu pU1ldDA against any dPpTopIl-
alton even to the amount of pound sterling,
and led on by Barre Burke and Sheridan, the
Irish throughout the whole of Europe may be
said tohave espoused the claims of the infant
| Colonies They, every where wrote and spoke
| openly and above board in favor of the Amer
can cause Counts Mcmahon and Dillon Of
France, and also Roche Fermoy and General
Conway. all Of whom were eminent freshmen,
not only gave verbal assurances of their friend
ship for our success, but volunteered their SER
vices, and did active execution on the battle
fields Of our country.
will return now to the period IF my intro
ducion Of the approaching dawn of the Revo
luton, in the fall Of Capt ain NJ Ginnis, at
Crown Point, in l775
| Ten years after the occurrence last mention
ed, the Stamp Act was repealed. and the year
following the repeal, the Tea Tax was imposed,
which led to the final blow that severed from
the mother country her faithful and much abused
infant Colonies.
! 1t would be asking too much of your patience
at this late hour, to enter into detailed history
Of the Hish heroes OF the X, luton, and will
therefore, content myself with such references
to them, as will give reasonable idea OF their
number, weight and importance.
The first exploit Of any considerable intrepid
ity that at present occurs, one of almost in
valuable Importance at that time, and was
achieved by Major John Sullivan and John
Langdon, who determined to surprise the Fort
at New Castle, where it was rumored that the
| Government was storing munitions Of war for
the !rpose Of enforcing the SO intensely hated
Tea Tax. They went to work in true Irish
style-collected few Of their friends from the
surrounding neighborhood, and they did surprise
the Fort They came down upon it like
juvenile avalanche seized the Captain and his
men as prisoners, and bore off as additional tro
plies of their triumph, hundred barrels of
gun powder, fifteen pieces of artillery, and all
the small arms, most OF which were brought in
to active requsition at the celebrated battle OF.
| Bunker Hill, up to winch time, there figured
conspicuouslv, each in his respective sphere
Stark and Ried, Carghill, Major A adrew Nc
Lcary and Brigadier General Sullivan. And
at the seige of Boston by the Continental Army,
| Washington selected for the first time, a mas.
| ter OF, ordinance, to command and give efficient
direction to the American artillery, which was
then ust forming, and his choice fell upon Hen
~ Knox, who, though rntive Of Boston, was
descended Immediately fl Irish parents
The command Of the ordinance department
wasa post of the greatest Importance, and the
selection made by Washington, in this case,
| was most fortunate !" sata Ee
WHO'S there amongst those now before me, that
has read any considerable share Of American
history, and has not plumed himself upon the
gallant bearing Of the famous "Pennsy lvana
l inc, with its Mad Anthony Wayne, its Irv-
| ing; its Butler and its Stuart, not forgetting
Fh"mpsons regiment ofrifenen, and Moylans
Dragons, all Irishmen and all the daring rep
resentatves of those hardy sons OF liberty, OF
whom the immortal father OF his country is said
to have exclaimed, during the trying times at
Valley Forge, "Place in Rockbrdge coun-
ty, and will get men enough to save the Revo-
luton ~ All the hardy sons af that same par
ent stock, from whom descended the llusirIous
twenty, who stepped forward in the hour Of
greatest peril. when it might, with truth, have
been said, g The sun Of liberty is set--the Amer
leans must light the lamps Of industry and econ
omy." The suffrrngs Of the military, which
were first experienced at Valley Forge in l777,
found no abatement with the lapse OF time, but
steadily increasing, up till 1880, the whole ar
my began to waver, and must have fallen to
pieces but for the timely interpretation of some
ninety merchants of Phi lldelpha, who signed
the following paper the l7;ll Of June, 1880:
Whereas, in the present situation of public at
fairs in the United States, the greatest ard most
vigorous exeltions are required for the success
full management of the necessary war, in which
they are engaged with Great Britain: We the
subscribers, deeply impressed with the sent-
ments that such an occasion should govern
us in the prosecution of war. on the event of
ity, and the freedom and independence Of the
United State; are all involved hereby severally
pledge our property and credit, for the several
sums specified and mentioned after our names,
in order To support the credit of bank to be
established for furnishing a supply Of provisions
: for the armies of the United States; and do
hereby severally promise and engage to exc
cute to the several directors Of the said bank,
bonds the form hereunto annexed,
| N;tpoco hon J,f ~ - -
the year of our Lord, 1880.
Twenty of these, Of Irish origin, subscribed
nearly halfa million of dollars
This bank continued to exist during the war,
and then gave way to the bank of North Amer
lea. By this timely expedent, the war was
enabld to 60 forward, and Washington found
himseffr free to execute his final plans
I need but simply remind you Of the fall OF
the brave and the lamentcd Beigader General
Richard Montgomery, before the fatal walls of
Qurbeck, in order to recall another Of the Irish
heroes of the Revolution. General Hand also
who won bright laurels on every field from
Lexington to Trenton. When in 1898 General
Washington re-assumed the command of the
American forces, one OF his first acts was, to
suggest the appointment Of Hand Adjutant
General, post which he had already filled
with the highest honors, from 1851, until the
, close ofthe war. Also Brigadier General Moore
of North Carolina, and his successor, James
Hogan, who, IN 1879, was elevated to the same
rank Of Brigadier General, think that can
not very well be charged witt, vanity, for sup
posing that have already partially, at least
+ succeeded in showing who aud what lrishmer
in America have been, and what they have done
towards the accomplishment of our boosted In
dependence. Let me here add, that if they
have been proninens IN Number, distinction and
f fidelity to the American cause, in their devo
| ton 10 the American Commander, they have
f been no less so. A single instance will serve
as amply illustrative of the latter.
Col. Fitzgerald, says Geo. Wash ngton P. Gus
5 t;s,was Irish officer of the old Blue and Bluffs
the first volunteer company raised in the Soutf
at the dawn of The Revolution, and commanded
2 by Washington, In the Campaign of 1878 an,
retreat through the Jerseys, Fitzgerald was ap
pointed aid de.camp to Washington. At tn,
I battle of Princeton, occurred that touchin!
! scene, consecratcdb by history 10 everlasting re
K membrance. The American troops worn dowr
!, by hardships and exhustng marches, and wan
D OF food, OH the fail Of their leader, that brav
| IL. = 4 4 Il