The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-08-08
SPEECH OF GENERAL MEAaHER.

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On Friday last % meeting was hsld9in
New York to recruit men for tho Irish regi.
mept now 10 McClellan's army. The meet,
ing was = monster one. During the eyen-l
ing General Thomas F. Meagher addressed
the multitude in the most eloquent manner.
We have only room for the following para
graphs !: u ow5 G.a g,i,los %, baa b
In reply to this question / do not hesitate
to say that no soldier in the world ls better
fed or better clothed than the volunteer sol.
diers in the United States, and that if at
times, during the recent campaign, be had
to march in broken shoes, or breeches un-
duly ventilated, il was owing to the same
circumstances which occasionally deprive
him OF his ration of Coffee or his ration of
pork, or his ration of Stuart's best refined
sugar. And here again I may observe that
if the men were more careful of their uni
forms, and when torn ever, so little took the
trouble to need them--mindful of the gold.
en- maxim that ga stitch in time saves nine"
there would be, to build their complaints
upon, considerable smaller foundation for
those philanthropic curmudgeons and grum.
blers whose selfinstituted mission it seems
to be to squat at the gate Of the camp
morning, noon and highland exaggerate
in bilious lamentations the most trivial mis-
haps and woes that occur within. ~
1 have heard it said, however, that the
Irish Brigade was overworked. I emphat.
ically deny it. 1t had no more marching
to do than other brigades-no more, for in
stance, than that commanded by General
French, one OF the most perfect gentlemen
and accomplished officers of the army, and
which brigade [ here particularly mention,
for we had the honor and satisfaction of be-
ing associated with in many hardships, in
many dangers, and in more than one bold
enterprise and bright success. The Irish
brigade, in the way of marching, did no
more than his brigade did nor did it any
more duty in the trenches or on picket than
the brigades of Caldwell and Sickles; nor
was it more exposed to the unhealthiness
of the climate-to the dampness, to
the miasma, to e drenching rain, or
the deadening sun of the foul low
lands in front of Richmond than
any other brigade along the whole line.
All! But it did more fighting, and it is
that which reduced its ranks. (Cheers.)
Well, whose fault is that ? If Irishmen
had not long ago established for themselves
a reputation for fighting with a consummate
address and superlative abiity--ifit had
not long ago been accepted, the world over,
as gospel truth, that Galway beats Ban
nagher and Banuagher beats the Devil
(cheers and laughter -and if the boys of
the Irish brigade had not, with an untoward
innocence, shown themselves, on the FIRST
chance they had. as trustworthy as their
blessed old sires, and just as eager and raw
enous for fight as that magnificent old
hoathen FROM C0nnaughr, the last unbapti
zed monarch of Ireland, whe ran wild about
Europe, daring every son of Goth or
Frank to tread on his coat tails, until be
came slap up against the Alps, where he
went of 10 f1ash-if it was not for this,
you may depend upon it, the Irish brigade
would not have had any more fighting to do
than any one else. (Cheers and laughter)
Had the boys wavered bit at Fair Oaks
instead of standing up like squa rons in
bronze or marble, to be blszed away at as
long as the first families of Virginia or
Texas thought it pleasant to do so-had
they made copy of the battle field and
written "skedaddle" inside and outside the
lines on the largest scale. followed up by the
invigOrating assurance that che who runs
away lives to run another day"-had the
boys of the Irish brigade just done this, you
may depend on it tile heroic old Sumner
would never have asked US, as be rode along
the front, "Are the Green Flags ready ?"
Nor would the gallant Fitz John Porter
have kindled into rapture, as he did on
Malvern Hill, as the Irish hurrah came
sweeping though the fame and the roar of
the battle from the rear--(ioud cheers) -
nor would the Mississippan Colonel have
exclaimed as the eighry-eighth burst to the
front, "Heres that damned green flag
again." (Apllause) Nor would General
Mcclellan, the indomitable young chiefand
glory of the army of the Potomac, have
thanked the sohiers of the Irish brigade, as
be did on the 4h of July, for "their superb
conduct 10 the feld"-those ara the very
words he used -nor would he have ex
pressed the wish, Is be ardentIy did on the
same occasion, tina be had twenty thousand
more OF them. (Cheers.)
Come then, Iristmen. since neither insult
6cient nor unsount food, nor insufficient
clothing, nor excess,f work, nor disease NOR
any injustice, b!undr, or neglect, have been
the cause OF those rd gaps 10 the ranks of
the brigade which tbs day, on the battle
fields OF the new void, transmits the mill
tary reputation OF on race, and so redeems,
by page of honest NIor, the contemporary
history of a people rem whose political
sceptre in the ancient ,alace, the pride and
power seemed to have pissed away--(chee
since to their own fidelity, their own
courage, their own ute disregard of life in
the discharge of their duties, the decima
ton is owing, which have come here to
endeavor to repair, and since it should be
the vehement desire anointense ambition of
every Irshman, who ha one chord within
him that vibrates to thetraditions of that
old lyric and martial lad of bis, not to per.
NIT its flag, so vividly emblematic of the
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