Thomas Francis Meagher Thomas Francis Meagher ( ; August 3 , 1823July 1 , 1867 ) was an Irish nationalist and leader of the Young Irelander s in the Rebellion of 1848 . After being convicted of sedition , he was first sentenced to death , but received transportation for life to Van Diemen ' s Land in Australia . In 1852 he escaped and made his way to the United States , where he settled in New York City . There Meagher studied law , worked as a journalist , and traveled to present lectures on the Irish cause and married for a second time . At the beginning of the American Civil War , Meagher joined the U . S . Army and rose to the rank of brigadier general . He was most notable for recruiting and leading the Irish Brigade , and encouraging support among Irish immigrants for the Union . He had one surviving son , from his first wife . Following the Civil War , Meagher was appointed acting governor of the Montana Territory . In 1867 , Meagher drowned in the swift - running Missouri River after falling accidentally from a steamboat at Fort Benton . Family . Thomas Francis Meagher was born in what is now The Granville Hotel on the Quay in Waterford City , Ireland and from the age of two lived at Number 19 , The Mall ( a short distance from his birthplace ) . His father , Thomas Meagher ( 1796 – 1874 ) , was a wealthy merchant who had retired to enter politics . He was twice elected Mayor of the City , which he also represented in Parliament from August 1847 to March 1857 . He had lived in the city since he was a young man . The senior Meagher was born in St John ' s , Newfoundland , where his father , also Thomas ( 1763 – 1837 ) , had emigrated from County Tipperary just before the turn of the 18th century . From his life as a farmer , the grandfather Meagher became a trader , and advanced to merchant , and shipowner , in the only British colony where the Irish constituted a majority of the population . It was here that the senior Thomas Meagher married Mary , née Crotty , and established a prosperous trade between St . John ' s and Waterford . Later , the grandfather placed his eldest son Thomas in Waterford to represent their business interests . With his move to Waterford , the Meagher family had come full circle , returning to Ireland to prosper . The son Thomas became a successful merchant in Waterford , whose economic success was followed by political office . Thomas Francis Meagher ' s mother , Alicia Quan ( 1798 – 1827 ) , was the second eldest daughter of Thomas Quan and Alicia Forristall . She died when Meagher was three and a half years old . Meagher had four siblings ; a brother and three sisters . Of his siblings , only his older sister Christine Mary lived past childhood . Early life and education . Meagher was educated at Catholic boarding schools . When Meagher was eleven , his family placed him in the care of the Jesuits at Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare . It was at Clongowes that he developed his skill of oratory , becoming at age 15 the youngest medalist of the Debating Society . These oratory skills would later distinguish Meagher during his years as a leading figure in Irish Nationalism . Though he gained a broad and deep education at Clongowes , as was typical , it did not include much about the history of his country or matters relating to Ireland . After six years , Meagher left Ireland for the first time , to study in England at Stonyhurst College , a Jesuit institution in Lancashire . By the late 19th century , it was the largest Catholic college in England . Meagher ' s father regarded Trinity College , the only university in Ireland , as being both anti - Irish and anti - Catholic . Meagher established a reputation for developed scholarship and “ rare talents . ” While Meagher was at Stonyhurst , his English professors struggled to overcome his “ horrible Irish brogue ” ; he acquired an Anglo - Irish upper - class accent that in turn grated on the ears of some of his countrymen . Despite his English accent and what some people perceived as a " somewhat affected manner " , Meagher had so much eloquence as an orator as to lead his countrymen to forget his English idiosyncrasies . Meagher became a popular speaker " who had no compare " in Conciliation Hall , the meeting place of the Irish Repeal Association . Young Ireland . Meagher returned to Ireland in 1843 , with undecided plans for a career in the Austrian army , a tradition among a number of Irish families . In 1844 he traveled to Dublin with the intention of studying for the bar . He became involved in the Repeal Association , which worked for repeal of the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland . Meagher was influenced by writers of the " The Nation " newspaper and fellow workers in the Repeal movement . The movement was nationwide . At a Repeal meeting held in Waterford on December 13 , at which his father presided , Meagher acted as one of the Secretaries . He soon became popular on Burgh Quay , his eloquence at meetings making him a celebrated figure in the capital . Any announcement of Meagher ' s speaking would ensure a crowded hall . In June 1846 , the administration of Sir Robert Peel ’ s Tory Ministry fell , and the Liberals under Lord John Russell came to power . Daniel O ’ Connell tried to lead the Repeal movement to support both the Russell administration and English Liberalism . Repeal agitation was damped down in return for a distribution of generous patronage through Conciliation Hall . On June 15 , 1846 , Meagher denounced English Liberalism in Ireland , as he suspected the national cause of Repeal would be sacrificed to the Whig government . He thought the people striving for freedom would be “ purchased back into factious vassalage . ” Meagher and the other “ Young Ireland ers ” ( the epithet used by O ’ Connell to describe the young men of " The Nation " ) vehemently denounced any movement toward English political parties , so long as Repeal was denied . The promise of patronage and influence divided the Repeal Movement . Those who hoped to gain by government positions , also called The “ Tail ” , and described as the “ corrupt gang of politicians who fawned on O ’ Connell ” wanted to drive the Young Irelanders from the Repeal Association . Such opponents portrayed the Young Irelanders as revolutionaries , factionists , infidels and secret enemies of the Catholic Church . On July 13 , O ' Connell ' s followers introduced resolutions to declare that under no circumstances was a nation justified in asserting its liberties by force of arms . In fact , the Young Irelanders had not , until then , advocated the use of physical force to advance the cause of repeal and opposed any such policy . The “ Peace Resolutions ” declared that physical force was immoral under any circumstances to obtain national rights . Although Meagher agreed that only moral and peaceful means should be adopted by the Association , he also said that if Repeal could not be carried by those means , he would adopt the more perilous risky but no less honorable choice of arms . When the Peace resolutions were proposed again on July 28 , Meagher responded with his famous . Meagher held the Peace Resolutions were unnecessary . He believed that under existing circumstances , any provocation to arms would be senseless and wicked . He dissented from the Resolutions because of not wanting to pledge to the unqualified repudiation of physical force “ in all countries , at all times , and in every circumstance . ” He knew there were times when arms would suffice , and when political amelioration called for “ a drop of blood , and many thousand drops of blood . ” He “ eloquently defended physical force as an agency in securing national freedom . ” As Meagher carried the audience to his side , O ' Connell ' s supporters believed they were at risk in not being able to drive out the Young Irelanders . O ’ Connell ’ s son John interrupted Meagher to declare that one of them had to leave the hall . William Smith O ’ Brien protested against John O ’ Connell ’ s attempt to suppress a legitimate expression of opinion , and left the meeting with other prominent Young Irelanders in defiance , never to return . Irish Confederation . In January 1847 , Meagher , together with John Mitchel , William Smith O ' Brien , and Thomas Devin Reilly formed a new repeal body , the " Irish Confederation " . In 1848 , Meagher and O ' Brien went to France to study revolutionary events there , and returned to Ireland with the new Flag of Ireland , a tricolour of green , white and orange made by and given to them by French women sympathetic to the Irish cause . The acquisition of the flag is commemorated at the 1848 Flag Monument in the Irish parliament . The design used in 1848 was similar to the present flag , except that orange was placed next to the staff , and the red hand of Ulster decorated the white field . This flag was first flown in public on March 1 , 1848 , during the Waterford by - election , when Meagher and his friends flew the flag from the headquarters of Meagher ' s " Wolfe Tone Confederate Club " at No . 33 , The Mall , Waterford . Following the incident known as the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848 or " Battle of Ballingarry " in August 1848 , Meagher , Terence MacManus , O ' Brien , and Patrick O ' Donoghue were arrested , tried and convicted for sedition . Due to a newly passed " ex post facto " law , the sentence meant that Meagher and his colleagues were sentenced to be " hanged , drawn and quartered " . It was after his trial that Meagher delivered his famous . While awaiting execution in Richmond Gaol , Meagher and his colleagues were joined by Kevin Izod O ' Doherty and John Martin . But , due to public outcry and international pressure , royal clemency commuted the death sentences to transportation for life to " the other side of the world . " In 1849 all were sent to Van Diemen ' s Land ( Tasmania , Australia ) . On July 20 , the day after being notified of his exile to Van Diemen ' s Land , Meagher announced that he wished henceforth to be known as " Thomas Francis O ' Meagher " . Van Diemen ' s Land . Meagher accepted the " ticket - of - leave " in Tasmania , giving his word not to attempt to escape without first notifying the authorities , in return for comparative liberty on the island . A further stipulation was that each of the Irish " gentleman " convicts were sent to reside in separate districts : Meagher to Campbell Town and shortly after to Ross ( where his cottages still stand ) ; MacManus to Launceston and later near New Norfolk ; Kevin O ' Doherty to Oatlands ; John Mitchel and John Martin to Bothwell ; and O ' Brien ( who initially refused a ticket - of - leave ) to the " Penal Station " on Maria Island and later to New Norfolk . During his time in Tasmania , Meagher managed to meet clandestinely with his fellow Irish rebels , especially at Interlaken on Lake Sorell . Marriage and family . On February 22 , 1851 Meagher married Katherine Bennett ( " Bennie " ) . Katherine was the daughter of Bryan Bennett , a convicted highwayman . His fellow exiles disapproved of his marriage . Soon after they were married , Katherine became ill . Less than a year after his wedding in January 1852 , Meagher abruptly surrendered his " ticket - of - leave " and planned his escape to the United States . Meagher sent his " ticket - of - leave " and a letter to the authorities , along with notifying them he would consider himself a free man in twenty - four hours . When he escaped , Katherine was in an advanced stage of pregnancy and stayed behind . Following Meagher ' s departure from Van Diemen ' s Land , their son was born , but he died shortly after Meagher reached New York City . The infant son was buried at St . John ' s Catholic Church , the oldest Catholic church in Australia , in Richmond , Tasmania , Australia . The small grave is next to the church . A plaque notes his father Meagher ' s being an Irish Patriot and member of the Young Irelanders . Following Meagher ' s escape , Katherine was taken to Ireland . Eventually she was able to spend a short time in the United States with Meagher , before returning to Ireland pregnant and in poor health . She gave birth to Meagher ' s only child : a boy , who was named after his father . She died in Ireland in May 1854 , at the home of Meagher ' s father . Meagher never met his son , who stayed with the senior Meaghers and relatives . After Meagher settled in New York , he soon courted Elizabeth Townsend , the daughter of Peter Townsend and Caroline ( née ) Parish of Monroe , New York . The Townsend family were wealthy Protestants , who opposed Meagher ' s marrying their daughter but they eventually relented . Elizabeth converted to Catholicism , and in 1856 she and Meagher married . Emmigration to the United States . Meagher arrived in New York City in May 1852 . He studied law and journalism , and became a noted lecturer . Soon after , Meagher became a United States citizen . He eventually founded a weekly newspaper called the " Irish News " . Meagher and John Mitchel , who had also since escaped , published the radical pro - Irish , anti - British " Citizen " . After his escape , the question of " honor " was raised by Mitchel , among others . Meagher agreed to be " tried " by American notables , and vowed to return to Van Diemen ' s Land if they held against him . The simulated court martial found for Meagher , and he was vindicated . Prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War , Meagher traveled to Costa Rica , in part to determine whether Central America would be suitable for Irish immigration . He used his experiences as the basis for writing travel articles which were published in " Harper ' s Magazine " . He was commissioned as a captain in the New York State Militia . American Civil War . Meagher ' s decision to serve the Union was not a simple one ; before the onset on the war , he had supported the South . He had visited the South to lecture , and was sympathetic to its people . Further , his Irish friend John Mitchel , who had settled in the South , supported the secessionists . Meagher and Mitchel split over the issue of slavery . Mitchel went to the Confederate capitol in Richmond , Virginia , and his three sons served with the Confederate States Army . On April 12 , 1861 , the first shots were fired at U . S . held Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor , South Carolina . This action by the South pushed Meagher into support of the Union cause . In lectures , including a famous speech made at the Boston Music Hall in September 1861 , he implored the Irish of the North to defend the Union . He began recruiting , advertising in local newspapers to form Company K of the 69th Regiment . It became known as the " Fighting 69th " of the New York State Militia . One of his ads in the " New - York Daily Tribune " read : " One hundred young Irishman - healthy , intelligent and active - wanted at once to form a Company under command of Thomas Francis Meagher . " With the beginning of war , Meagher volunteered to fight for the Union . He recruited a full company of infantrymen to be attached to the U . S . 69th Infantry Regiment New York State Volunteers on April 29 , 1861 the regiment was added to Brig . Gen . Irvin McDowell ' s Army of Northeastern Virginia . Colonel Corcoran initially commanded them , but was captured during the battle . Despite the Confederate victory , the Irish of New York ' s 69th fought bravely , winning praise from the media and support from the Irish of New York . Following the First Battle of Bull Run , Meagher returned to New York to form the Irish Brigade . He was commissioned brigadier general ( effective February 3 ) to lead them in the Peninsula Campaign of 1862 . This reputation was solidified when the New York printmaker Currier and Ives published a lithograph depicting Meagher on horseback leading his brigade at bayonet charge . Following the Battle of Fair Oaks , Meagher was given command of a non - Irish regiment . This experiment was unsuccessful , and thereafter Meagher would only command Irishmen . Meagher ' s troops engaged during the Peninsula Campaign at the Battle of Gaines ' Mill on June 27 . The Irish Brigade arrived in battle after a quick march though the Chickahominy River , as reinforcements for Fitz John Porter ' s weakening forces . Later , this march and battle were considered by historians as the highlight of Meagher ' s military career . The Irish Brigade suffered huge losses at the Battle of Antietam that fall . Meagher ' s brigade led an attack at Antietam on September 17 against the Sunken Road ( later referred to as " Bloody Lane " ) and lost 540 men to heavy volleys before being ordered to withdraw . During the battle , Meagher was injured when he fell off his horse . Some reports said Meagher had been drunk . But , Maj . Gen . George B . McClellan ' s official report noted that Meagher ' s horse had been shot . Meagher had faced false reports of drunkenness at the First Battle of Bull Run . The high number of casualties at Antietam , and the rumors of being drunk on the battlefield , increased criticism of Meagher ' s command ability . The Irish Brigade suffered its largest losses at the Battle of Fredericksburg . Brigade chaplain Father William Corby later said , it was " a body of about 4 , 000 Catholic men marchingmost of themto death . " Meagher led 1 , 200 men into battle , and " two hundred and eighty men only appeared under arms to represent the Irish Brigade " the next morning . Meagher took no direct part in this battle , remaining at the rear when his brigade began their advance , due to , what he described in his official report as ' a most painful ulcer in the knee joint ' . Meagher spent the next four months recovering from his injuries and took charge of his command three days prior to the Battle of Chancellorsville . After limited engagement at Chancellorsville , Meagher resigned his commission on May 14 , 1863 . The Army had refused his request to return to New York to raise reinforcements for his battered brigade . The brigade was 4 , 000 strong in mid – May 1862 , but by late May 1863 it had only a few hundred combat - ready men left . Following the death of Brig . Gen . Michael Corcoran , another leading Irish political figure , the Army rescinded Meagher ' s resignation on December 23 . He was assigned to duty in the Western Theater beginning in September 1864 . He commanded the District of Etowah in the Department of the Cumberland from November 29 to January 5 , 1865 . Meagher briefly commanded a provisional division within the Army of the Ohio from February 9 – 25 , and resigned from the U . S . Army on May 15 . Territorial governorship of Montana . After the war , Meagher was appointed Secretary of the new Territory of Montana ; soon after arriving there , he was designated Acting Governor . Meagher attempted to create a working relationship between the territory ' s Republican executive and judicial branches , and the Democratic legislative branch . He failed , making enemies in both camps . Further , he angered many when he pardoned a fellow Irishman who had been convicted of manslaughter . The Territory of Montana was created from the eastern portion of Idaho Territory as its population increased with an influx of settlers following the discovery of gold in 1862 . When the Civil War ended , many more settlers entered the territory . Searching for riches , they often disregarded U . S . treaties with the local Native American tribes . In 1867 , the renowned Western explorer John Bozeman was reportedly killed by a band of Sioux , who attacked other settlers as well . Meagher responded by organizing a militia to retaliate . He secured funding from the federal government to campaign against the Native Americans , but was unable to find the offenders , or retain the militia ' s cohesion . He was later criticized for his actions . Meagher called Montana ' s first constitutional convention to develop a written constitution as a step toward statehood . Not enough residents voted for the constitution and statehood to qualify . In addition , copies of the constitution were lost on the way to a printer , and Congress never received copies for review . Montana at last gained statehood in 1889 , more than 20 years after Meagher ' s death . Disappearance . In the summer of 1867 , Meagher traveled to Fort Benton , Montana , to receive a shipment of guns and ammunition sent by General Sherman for use by the Montana Militia . On the way to Fort Benton , the Missouri River terminus for steamboat travel , Meagher fell ill and stopped for six days to recuperate . When he reached Fort Benton , he was reportedly still ill . Sometime in the early evening of July 1 , 1867 , Meagher fell overboard from the steamboat " G . A . Thompson " , into the Missouri . The pilot described the waters as " . . . instant deathwater twelve feet deep and rushing at the rate of ten miles an hour " ( i . e . , 3 . 6 m deep at a rate of 16 km / h or about 4 . 5 m / s ) . His body was never recovered . Because Meagher was outspoken and controversial , some believed his death to be suspicious . Since people prefer conspiracy and his body was never recovered , many theories circulated about his death . In 1913 a man claimed to have carried out the murder of Meagher for the price of $ 8000 , but then recanted . Some said that Meagher had been drinking , and simply fell overboard . Others have suggested that he might have been murdered by Montana political enemies or perhaps by a Confederate soldier from the war , and some have supposed that Native Americans were responsible . Meagher was survived by his second wife , Elizabeth Townsend ( 1840 – 1906 ) , and his son by his first wife Katherine Bennett . His son grew up in Ireland and never knew his father . " The Irish Brigade commander was born in Waterford City , Ireland on August 23 , 1823 ; a well educated orator , he joined the young Ireland movement to liberate his nation . This led to his exile to a British Penal Colony in Tasmania Australia in 1849 . He escaped to the United States in 1852 and became an American citizen . When the Civil War broke out , he raised Company K , Irish Zouaves , for the 69th New York State Militia Regiment , which fought at First Bull Run under Colonel Michael Corcoran . Subsequently Meagher raised the Irish Brigade and commanded it from February 3 , 1862 to May 14 , 1863 til later commanded a military district in Tennessee . After the War Meagher became Secretary and Acting Governor of the Montana Territory . He drowned in the Missouri River near Fort Benton on July 1 , 1867 . His body was never recovered . " External links . city