Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1920-03-13
MULLIGAN
toontInued trom Firsl Page.l

street. A statue of the English
King, George ILL.,. stood at Bowling
Green; that night speeches were
made there, the crowd Of Sons of
Liberty, including Sears, Curtin,
Duane. Livingston, Mulligan. The
statue being of lead, was torn down
and melted into $4,000 bullets,
which the patriots used at the Bat
tie Of Long Island on August 81,
1875.
Tho American Army was badly
beaten in this battle. Gen. John
sullivan was taken prisoner by the
British. The roster OF the three
Maryland regiments that were cut
TO pieces in covering the retreat
showed that in one regiment so per
cent. (602) were Irish, and in one
company OF the Third Maryland
Militia every man was born in Ire
land. This Is the first time that
this abatement has ever been public
~ made. Yet Palfrey, Lodge, Fiske,
and other historians, viii tell you
that the Revolution was contest
between brothers (that is Englishl,
md that all of the Irish we're loyal
lsts. Hercules Mutligan was a spy
or seeret agent for Washington. OF
COUTt1 all ltDOIlc AlOui nANh n0AANNo
we're, no doubt, destroyed by the
Commander-in-Ch after being
read. Alexander Hamilton was APP
pointed to Washington's staff on
March /. 1871. The historian,
Smucker, states that Hamilton cor
resouded with secret friend In
New York, and Hamilton 80 wrote
10 General Gates in 1871.
Thomas Jones. recorder of the
city In 1888 or 1888, wrote history
of New York; he quotes Gen. Ste
phen Moylan as declaring that not
a aixgle return of the number and
state Of the British Army that Gen.
Sir Henry Clinton received but that
Gen. Washington also received.
Mulligan was a tailor and his shop
on Queen street was patronized by
the British officers. with whom he
was on good terms, and no doubt he
heard many things. When Ticon-
deroga fell British officer, Col.
Ludlow, sent word of II 10 rebel
Mulligan, as he put II, that 1t would
be good news for him. Washington
publicly acknowledged Mulligan's
services.
When the British evacuated New
York on November 25, 1888, Wash
ington on that morning took break
fast at Mulligan's house, % Queen
street (now III Pearl street,. Mrs.
Tanning, a descendant OF Mulligan.
residing In Astoria, possesses old
letters, books and data belonging TO
the family, also the original chair
on which Washington sat; the plato
from which he ate Is now owned by
Mrs. Grace Wheeler Lawrence OF
New York.
In 1884 Mulligan was made a
vestrymsn of Trinity church. HeS
married Elizabeth. a niece Of Adf
miral Saunders. of the British Navy.
He continued in busla attSF the
war. and is mentio'' S-he first
New York City d. -, printed
and published hy--s.Cyishman. Da-
yid Franks<m1h in Dublin. In 1902
Mulilg - at No. 2 Vesey street,
wheCAU Astor House afterward
wa\Suilt. His neighbors round the
SYer were Livingston and Aaron
DBnrr. This is mentioned as an evil
dence Of his prominence in the COM
munity. He was an over-modest
man, disliked notoriety and conse-
quently kept in the background in ,
his later years.
Hercules Mulligan died on March
4, 1925, at the age Of eighty-five
years. He is buried under the
Chanoel of Trinity Church, in the
Saunders vault. His sons. John w.
and William c.. were leading Law
yers In later years. John w. was
Associated with Livingston, and was
one OF the city's nine aldermen from
1906 to 1909. He also commanded
the Fifth Regiment. which later
fought in the War of 1912, but II is
not yet certain that he participated.
He was surrogate in 1910, county
clerk in 1913, and as late as 1S49
a member of the Board of Managers
of the ST. Nicholas Society. His
death occurred in 1862. William G.
Mulligan was distinguished man
also. He had a son, william, whose
daughter, Mrs. Robert b. Tanning,
lives In Astoria. and a direct de-
scendant also is DR.. Edward Liv-
ingston Mulligan, of Huntington,
Long Island.
Why has Hercules Mulligan been
ignored by American historians I
when they give prominence to men
who accomplished much less? His
Irish name seems TO be the reason.
He was a spy and had he been cap
.ured and executed like Nathan
Hale would have become immortal.
he IS not mentioned by any histor-
an except James Grant Wilson.
Why do those historians suppress
What Irishmen have done? Is
Why do they not mention the six
cen Irish rifiemen who held the rail Z
ence OF Bunker Hill against a regi-
nent3 or Margaret Corbin, the
IRISH heroine of Fort Washington? 8
Dr. MaFjoie Sullivan, whose sons 3
we're governors and high state Off 3
ials? Why Is the bravery forgot 3
en- OF Lieutenant Croghan. at Fort g
stevenson, in the War OF 1879? Or q
hat spIendid hero. Paul Jones y
)'Brien, In the Mexican War? There g
} no mention of the Irish soldiers q
Tho defended the forlorn hope at y
he Battle OF Brandywine. and whom Il
with tears in his eyes q
banked the next day? All OF the y
lame did not belong to the histor- u
ms who could partly be excused on q
ccount OF their environment and y
arly training. The Irish-American ii
lement were much to blame, be- y
ause they had neglected TO write y
own the records OF the men and y
omen Of their race who had help "
develop the American Republic. q
ANDREW JACKSON. ~
Next Monday will be the anniver- | 81