The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-05-28
A pERyERyloN OF HISTORY.

guarded the wel-earned fame Of the
Irish race on this continent, recently
| drew attention to the injustice done to
the Irish soldiers in the Civil war by the
publishers of q book for the use of pub
lie schools entitled, "A Brief History of
the United States" which appears in
Barnes Historical Series. In the orig
inal edition Of this compilation, pub
lished In 1871. was the following pas
sage on the battle OF Fredericksburg:
'In the assault, Meagber's Irish troops
especially distinguished themselves,
leaving two-thirds of their number on
tho field of their heroic action. The
London Times correspondent, who
watched the battle from the heights.
speaking Of their desperate valor says:
Never at Fontenoy, Albuera, nor at
Waterloo. was more undoubted courage
displayed by the sons of Erin than dur
ing those six frantic dashes which they
directed against the almost impregnable
position of their foe. That any mortal
man could have carried the position,
defended as 1t was. it seems idle for q
moment to believe. But the bodies
which lie in dense masses within forty
eight yards of Col. Walton's guns are
the best evidence what manner of men
| they were who pressed on to death
with the dauntlessness Of a race which
has gained glory on thousand battle
fields. and never more richly deserved
it than at the foot of Marye's Nights,
on the 18th day of December, 1862"
The foregoing compliment to Irish
bravery from the Anglo-Irish corre-
spondent of the London Times was pur-
posely taken out in the later edition of
tho book. the publishers changing the
text and substituting the following
words in the opening sentence: 'In the
assault, the six brigades of French and
Hancock's divisions especially distin-
sushed themselves, leaving two-thir,ll
OF their number on the field of their
heroic action" All mention Of "Meagh-
er's Irish troops" is eliminated, and in
sell the five words. 'by the Sons Of
Erin" are entirely omitted. So that the
'undoubted courage" displayed by
Mcagher's Brigade. composed entirely Of
freshmen. at the desperate charge uD
Maryes Heights. nearly thirty-six years
ago. is given to the six brigades of
French and Hancock's divisions" and
no mention at all is made of the brave
men who risked and lost their lives for
tho Union. because they were Irish.
Such perversion of historic truth
should not be let pass without a pro-
test from Irish Americans, who are proud
of the achievements of their kith and
kin on that bloody day at Fredericks-
burg. 1t was but natural for John T.. Cash
man, in Il letter to the Catholic Citizen,
to ask the question: Are the present
publishers OF Barnes History catering
to tho a. p. A."
The attention Of the present publish
ers of the book should be drawn tc the
mutilation of the passage in question,
which is given in Greeley's History of
tho Civil War just as it apl cared in the
original edition of this work. We are
/ slow to believe that tho publishers are
imbncd with such race hatred as to de-
prvc Mcagher's famous brigade of the
credit for sallantry which it conspcn-
ously won on that fatal day, when two
thirds of the men engaged lost their
lives i'll the cause of freedom. AS the
Boston Pilot truly says, the mutiaton
OF the passage not only makes the lat
ter part OF it ridiculous by suppressng
tho identity OF the race OF "a thousand
| battlotields," but insults that race un-
| pardonably.
/ Tho members Of boards OF education
| who happen to be of Irish ancestry aud
who desire to SEQ historic justice done
to men of all races. whether Saxon, Gel
tic or Teutonic, should object to a book
for the rising generation which contains
any suppression OF historic truth, such
lect some other book on history and
give no place to Barnes History in any
public school over which they exercise
official control. We urge them to heed
the following words of the Boston Pilot:
1T Is the duty OF every member of the
Irish race, and equally Of every other
American who honors bravery and re-
spccts fair play. to make it clear to even
the dullest bigot that 1t is bad policy,
as we'll as utter meanness, to tampcr
with the truth of history for the purpose
OF belittling the services of any body
of the nations defenders" The Irish
American journals throughout the coun-
try should Immediately expose the char
acter Of this unfair compilation. and
convince the publishers thereof that it
does not pay them to discriminate
against any race on this continent.
George Thompson, the Republican cdi-
tor of the St. Paul Dispatch, is an Eng
| tell, T., LsalI IL