The Irish standard., 1910-05-28

the national government vice presi-
dent, Hon. John Cabell Breckenridge,
has been represented in several of the
executive departments and in both
branches of congress.
It has given Virginia five governors
Mcdowell, Campbell, Preston and
the two Floyds - and to Kentucky,
Missouri, and California one each,
in Governors Jacobs R.. Gratz
Brown and Miller; Thomas Hart
Benton, John ]. Crittenden, William
c. and William Ballard Preston. lead
ing molders of public sentiment: the
Breckinridges, DR.. Robert j. and Will
lam L., distinguished theologians of
Kentucky; Professors Holmes, Vena-
BILE and Cabell Of the University of
Virginia, besides other distinguished
educators. To this family also be-
longed Generals Wade Hampton, AL
bert Sydney Johnston, Joseph E. john
ston; John B. Floyd. John c. Breckin-
ridge and John S. and William c.
Preston.
The families Of Charles Carroll of
Maryland and John Sullivan of Massa-
chusetts with their collateral branches
became as distinguished if not as nu-
merous as the Preston family. can
not dismiss this part of my subject
without mentioning one other distin-
guished Irish immigrant, the re-
nowned Dean of Derry, known later as
Bishop Berkeley, the friend of Swift
and the founder of the school of phi
losophy which bears his name. He
was a native of Kilkenny. He came to
America to found college for the
conversion and education of Indians.
Before he returned to Ireland he gave
his private library to Yale college, the
most magnificent collection of books
that had been brought to America down
to that day. Our State University
across the Bay is named after him.
Let me call attention briefly to the
part the Irish element played in the
Revolution. Did they ally themselves
with the patriots of the day and were
their services in any degree common
surate with their numbers and their
wealth? In regard to the numbers of
Irish in the Revolutionary army, the
following testimony should be consid-
cred conclusive:
In the British House of Commons
report, fifth session, fourteenth Parlia-
men, vol 10, page 1903, the following
report of an Investigation of the causes
of the defeat in the war with the COL
onies will be found. The investiga-
ton was held in 1919. Major General
Robertson, who had served "a years in
America, was asked: "How are the
provincial corps composed, mostly from
native Americans or from emigrants
from various nations of Europe?" He
answered. -0e,ee,.4.'nr. pi
"Some Of the corps mostly Of ma
tives; others, I believe the greatest
number are enlisted from such people
as can be got in the country and many
of them may be emigrants. I remem-
Der Gen. Lee telling me he believed
half the rebel army were from Ire
land"
In vol. 10, British Commons reports,
page 431, Joseph Galloway, a native
of Pennsylvania, speaker Of the assem-
bly, Of the colony for IL years and a
oelegate to the first Continental Con-
gress, who became a violent Tory in
1878, was examined for several days
by members of the House of Com
mons. Among the questions asked
was: "That part of the rebel army
that enlisted in the service Of congress,
were they chiefly composed of natives
of America, or were the greater part
of them English, Scotch or Irish?"
Galloway answered: 1.-THE names and
! places of their nativity being taken
down, I can answer the question with
precision. There were scarcely one
fourth natives of America, one-half
Irish, the other one-fourth English and
Scotch" So much for the rank and
| file.
Among those who distinguished
themselves during the Revolution
were: Gen. John Sullivan the son of
an Irish teacher; O'Brien, who with
his sons, won the first naval battle
of the Revolution, known as the LEX
ington of the Seas" Montgomery who
after capturing Fort st. John and Mon
treal, was killed at Quebec; Gen. Knox,
commander of the artillery in the
American army, and who commanded
the American troops when they
marched into New York after the
evacuation of the British; Gen. Reed,
Gen. Moylan, Major General Stark, the
| hero of Bennington, Gen. Walter Stew
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