The Irish standard., 1900-12-15

names of several thousands Of men of
the Irish race who had served with
New York's military quota in the Rev.
olution, says Thomas B. Ronayne in
the New York Sunday News. They
were taken from the official records
and contained only the names about
whose nationality there could not have
been the slightest question. There
were thousands Of others Of the same
race in the military service Of the
State in the struggle for independence
who bore surnames common alike to
all the British Isles, such as Brown,
Jones, Hill, Woods, Green, Smith,
Jackson, etc. For this reason we can
not discover to certainty, the extent
of Ireland's contribution to the crea-
tion of this great Republic.
General Robertson of the British
army, who had been in the colonies for
more than twenty years, and James
Galloway, Il Tory lawyer, of Phila
delphia, who had escaped to Eng
land, appeared before Il board of in
quiry in 1888 OH the conduct of the
war in North America, and in reply
to Edmund Burke, New York's Parlia
mentary agent. said that the Revolu-
tionary army was more than nalf Irish.
The military records of the Province
of New York also furnish conclusive
proof that from the earliest settlement
the Irish race was here, contributing
to the development and protection Of
the province, and aiding in the guild
ance of it's destiny. The first refer
ence to be found to any Irishman in
the military service in this part of the
world. is in the journal kept by Cap
tain Martin Kruger, who was III COM
mand of the Dutch troops then en-
gaged-in 1663-fghting the Indians
at Esopus. He makes frequent men
tion of the fact that "Thomas, the
Irishman," had arrived on several oc-
casions at the redoubt in his yacht from
New Amsterdam, bringing supplies
from the governor to the troops.
Whether "Thomas" was the Christian
name or the surname of the "Irish.
man." the deponent knoweth not, but
it appears that he was in the service
of the Dutch at New Amsterdam ear
rying supplies to the soldiers at ESQ
pus, then considered most danger
GUS mission. He had been introduced
as one of the characters in historical
novel Of that period.
There is no record at hand from
which to give the names of the Irish
men in the British service who came
with Colonel Nichols when he took
New Amsterdam from the Dutch in
1864, but as this was about the time
when the military struggle in Ireland
was ended and Irishmen entered the
military service Of all countries, it is
safe to assume that he had them in
his command. In 1878, when two
Dutch admirals quietly sailed into
New York harbor and demanded the
surrender of the town, the garrison in
the fort, consisting Of seventy or
eighty men, were under the command
of Capt. John Manning. On the trial
Of Captain Manning for having given
up the forts, we find that Captain Carr,
Sergeants Patrick Dowdale and Fitz-
gerald, and Privates Brady, Cantwell,
Collins, Gwinn and Stanton, were wit
nesses to prove that Captain Manning
had surrendered only after display OF
Overwhelming force, and on the ad-
vice of the other officers.
In 1854, when that able and liberal
Irishman, Thomas Dongan, was gov
ernor of the province, Major Patrick
McGregory was appointed muster
master, and ordered to make a tour
of review and instruction to reorga-
nize the militia of the province, which
he did. Corbett, Harrington, Glenn
and Browne were appointed lieuten-
ants. In the Albany expedition, Clan
cy, Hallisy, Logan, Hicks, Fenton,
Winn and Erin Davis were troopers
in Captain Lockhart's small troop Of
horse.
When the news of the accession of
William and Mary to the English
throne reached New York in April,
1859, Jacob Lcisler and his associates
seized the fort in the names OF the
joint sovereigns and the Protestant
religion. Leisler professed to believe,
and so proclaimed. that the Irish
Papists in New England, New York,
and Staten Island were to take and
hold New York for King James. One
of the most active men on this conf
mittee of safety was Nicholas Cullen,