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

SPEECH OF GENERAL MEAGHER

On Friday last q meeting was held in
New York to recruit men for the Irish regi.
ments now in McClellan's army. The meet.
ing was monster one. During the even
ing General Thomas F. Meagher addressed
the multitude in the most eloquent manner.
We have only room for the following para
graphs:
In reply to this question I do not hesitate
to soy that no soldier in the world is 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 I'm.
duly ventilated, it was owing to the same
circumstances which occasionally deprive
him of bis ration of coffee, or his ration of
pork, or his ration of Stuart's best refined
sugar. And here again l may observe that
if the men were more careful of their uni
forms, and when torn ever 80 little took the
trouble to mecd them-mindful of the gold.
en- maxim that " q stitch in time saves nine"
there would be, to build their complaints
upon, considerable smaller foundation for
those phiIanthropic curnudgeons and grum.
blers whose self-instituted mission it seems
to be to squat at the gate of the camp
morning, noon and night and exaggerate
in bilious lamentations the most trivial mis-
haps and woes that occur within.
/ have heard it said, however, that the
Irish Brigade was overworked. | emphat-
ically deny it, 1t had no moro 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
lsnds 10 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 ? II Irishmen
had not long ago established for themselves
a reputation for fighting with a consummate
address and superlative abiity--if it had
not long ago been accepted, the world over,
as a gospel truth, that Galway beats Ban
nagher and Bannagher 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
hoathcn FROM COnnaughr, the last unbapti
zed monarch OF Ireland, who ran wild about
Europe, daring every son of Goth or
Frank to tread on his coat tails, until he
| came slap up against the Alps, where he
went off 10 fash--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
brorze or marble, to be blazed 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
boys of the Irish brigade just done this, you
may depend en- it tile heroic old Sumner
would never have asked US, az he rode along
the front, care the Green Flags ready ?"
Nor would the gallant Ftz John Porter
have kindad into rapture, as he did On
Malvern Hill, as the Irish hurrah came
sweeping Though the flame and the roar Of
the battle from the reaT-Coud cheera) -
nor wonid the ilississippan Colonel have
exclaimed as the eighty-eighth burst to the
front, "Herei that damned green flag
again" tApslause) Nor would General
Mcclellan, the indomitabie young chietan
glory OF the ,rmy of the Potomac, have
thanked the settlers Of The Irish brigade, as
be did Oh the 4h OF July, for "their superb
conduct in the feid'- those are the very
words he used cor 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, lristmen. since neither iusuf-
fcent nor unsount food, Dor insufficient
clothing, nor exces5of work, nor disease nor
any injustice, bIundr, Or neglect, have been
the cause OF those I'd gaps 10 the ranks of
the brigade which It's day, 90 the battle
fields OF the new void, transmits the mill
tary reputation of Gu race, and so redeems.
by a page of honest a!or, the contemporary
history of a people rcm whose political
sceptre in the ancient ,alace, the pride and
power seemed to have PISSED away--(cheer
since to their own fidelity, their own
courage, their own ute disregard of life 10
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 the traditions of that
old lyric and martial lad of his, not to per.
nit its fag so vividlyemblematic of the
verdure OF its soil and tn immortality of its
faith, to be compromisedin any just strug.
gle ia which it is displaya. (Cheers)