The Irish standard., 1893-10-14
JOHN F. FINERTY,
Continued from First Page.

denly 9 hearty cheer was heard. ut
was = continues the Prince, Richardson,
who,at the head Of Meagher and French's
brigades, had come to our rescue on the
left bank of the Chickahominy. The
Irish Brigade e fiud it noted ia my
diary came in shirt sleeves, yelling at
the top Of their voices. The ASSISTANTS
were tired, and when they saw the strong
lines If Meagher's brigade they deliv-
cred strong volley and stopped. The
day was saved, as far AS could be, by
those two brigades.'
Gen. William B. Franklin, writing also
to Gen. Mullholland, from Hartford, c.,
April IA, 1886, says: Il saw the Irish
Brigade in two fights-that of Savage
Station and that of the next day at
White Oak Swamp Bridge. At Savage
Station ! saw the brigade led into the
fight by Gen. Sumner, and no men went
in more gallantly or in better order ON
the next day the brigade was in position
on the left of the White Oak Swamp
Bridge close to the stream. It was sub
jected to very severe artillery fire dur
ing nearly the whole day, under which it
never hinched. It's behavior was admir-
able, and in spite of it's nearness to the
enemy. the brigade headquarters were
ornamanted, during it's exposure, with
the United States flag and the Green
flag, waving together as calmly as if all
hands we're miles away from the fight,
and the officers and men were az calm as
the flags. lalwayyss~.ttaaee 1aagh6it it's beha-
vior on that day was in the highest de:
gree suggestive Of Irish pluck and en-
DURANGO"
Gen. Fitz John Porter, writing of the
battle Of Malvern Hill, in July, 1862,
said: II sent request for two brigades,
and tho immediate result was the seud-
ing of Meagher by Sumner. This was
the second time he had sent me Meagh-
er's ga liant Irish Brigade, and each time
it rendered valuable service. About fifty
yards in front of us large force of the
enemy suddenly arose and opened with
fearful volleys upon our advancing line.
l turned to the Irish Brigade, which thus
far had kept pace with roy horse, and
+ und it standing like 6 stone wall and
returning fra more destructive than it
received, and from hich the enemy fed.
The Irish Brigade was planted. My
presence was no longer peeded."
"The Irish Brigade said Gen. George
3. Mcclellan. writing officially Of the
sanguinary battle of Antietam, "sus-
tanned it's we'll learned reputation, suffer
ing terribly in officers and men, and
strewing the ground with their enemies
as they drove them back" The brave
Gen. Richardson, who was mortally
wounded in that battle, was called upon
next day by the leading officers of the
Irish Brigade, aud, in his dying agony he
said to them: II placed your brigade on
the ground you occupied because knew
it was necessary to hold it against all
odds, and once you were there, / had no
further anxiety liz regard to the posi-
tion." t..
The proudeet monuments to the mar.
tial glory of the American Irish has been
built by native American hands. In the
war statistics recently published by the
Century Magazine, 1t was shown that
three regiments Of Meagher's Irish Bri-
gade were among the fifty organizations
that lost the largest percentage in killed
and wounded on the Union side, during
the Civil War, and Col. George L. Kill
mer of New York, ono of the best known
OF existing military writer's, writing of
the famous Sixty-ninth New York Qrish)
Volunteers, which formed a portion of
Meagher's brigade, in an article widely
published, in May, 1892, says of this he-
roic corps: "In it's whole career, not in
Guiding Bull Run, the casualties scored
LIT, of which 874 were killed or wound
ed. The total deaths in the field were
26l. The regiment carried 1873 men on
it's rolls. The percentage Of killed was a.
trife over II, the highest among all the
New York regiments (3C0 in ALL and the
fifth from the top in all the Union ARMY
would like to find regiment of anti
Irish bigots, of any race, with such rec
ord as that. It leaves in the shade
erything recorded Of even the slaugh-
ter of Balaklava, and, better than all, it
was blood not wasted in vain.
Nor have the services of the Irishman
to his adopted country ended with the
deeds of the battlefield. In statesman.
ship, in law, in medicine, in literature
and in commerce he as truly holds his
own and can proudly and truthfully
claim equality with his neighbors. His
mind, as we'll as his muscle, has power
fully aided in building up the grandeur
and the glory of the republic of his pride
and his de, otion; and It, sir, he still
vehemently loves his cradle land, and as
vehement1y hates her oppreesor, is not