The Irish standard., 1905-07-29

lieutenant colonel. A hundred yards
away but as near to Cleburne's lines.
STANDS the other marking the spot
where the 2Sth Illinois Infantry
Colonel Robert A. Gilmore command.
ing, stood for moment until beaten
pack. Not a word more; no notice
that Colonel O'Meara, an Irish horn
boy, was one Of the very first to enlist
at the beginning of the war, that he
mad done afterwards gallant service as
Il captain In the Tammany Regiment
OF New York, and finally after being
offered the command Of this lllinois
regiment of lrishmen had, near this
very stone, laid down his life upon
that day. On the one side irish
Valor had outpaced all others in the
attack, on the other Irish valor grim.
ly held on while around 1t was wreoL
and ruin.
AS 1t is at Tunnel Hill so is it at
Fredericksburg, where on Marye's
Height, far before all others and with
III a few feet of tn Confederate
works, stands the stone marking tho
last advance Of the Irish Brigade. r.
tells the story not of one onset. but
OF six onsets. "Some one had blum.
dered,' 1t is true, but not till all othera
gave up the task in despair did Irish
manhood turn back defeated. What
could be done by men the Brigade did
that day, but they could not achieve
lmpossibilities, and all their courage
ana conduct were wasted in trying to
DO SO. From Bull Run to Appomattox
the story is the same. And from Mu1-
''ean at Lexington to Sheridan at
rive Forks, the tale of Irish yalor
was that, ever; it was to the forefront
Where others faltered, turned and
fled,
They conquered, or lay with the
dead"
And, for all this, what was the rec
ognition; what the reward? Did
poets sing their praises, or historians
brighten pages with the tale of Irish
deeds? Search and see Were Irish.
men because of their popularity
among their own people, because of
their courage and ability, or the valor
and services Of the race, entrusted
with high and Independent commands
during the war or honorable and lu.
crative offices afterwards? 1t is not
recorded l am no advocate of a pol-
icy that would reward a man for
simply doing his duty, but it has al.
ways been the custom to reward men
for extraordinary services; and, dur
ing the war, and after, men of blood
other than Irish, were constantly
claiming reward for services rendered
and were pretty successful, too, in get.
ting what they claimed. Fellows of
little military ability and less courage
were rapidly advanced to high rank.
not because they were good soldiers,
but because they had pull" or were
popular in their locality or with their
party, or were supposed to represent
the race to which they belonged.
Men were pitchforked into commands
because they were good lawyers or
were powerful stump speakers, or had
been teachers in Sunday school. In
fighting ability and in actual practice
Thomas Francis Meagher was the
superior of almost any man in the
country at the time. He was popular
with his people and was, perhaps, in
persuasive eloquence, the superior of
any man. He was the greatest re-
cruiting officer the United States
government ever sent out, and he
commanded what was confessed to be
the finest fighting brigade of the
North. OF other men rapidly pro-
NOTED, against whom objection had
been made, some for bad habits and
some for bad morals, President Lin.
coin said, as If that were sufficient
answer, that they were fighting men
and that fighting men was what he
wanted. And yet upon the best fighter