Respect

Respect. Respect is the thing we give when we look up to someone. When we want to be like them. And while respect can be earned in many ways, the Irish Brigade was respected for their bravery and their loyalty. With most of the Irish Brigade coming from Ireland, many of them fought to abolish slavery while others fought for money and less Irish discrimination(Irish). This monument memorializes the Irish Brigade for not only giving their lives for the battle in wheatfield but also being a Brigade that led the Union forces to victory. 

The Irish Brigade fought in the battle of Fredericksburg in a fight to take Richmond in which they needed to take Fredericksburg first. However, They were severely disadvantaged because Lee’s army had the high ground. Burnside ordered 4 separate charges on Fredericksburg but even with 120,000 men, many of them were demolished before they could reach Fredericksburg. After all four of the charges on Fredericksburg failed, Burnside instructed the Irish Brigade to take the fifth charge. During the charge, a person named William Corby led and shouted absolutions to the men as they fought. (William)He urged them to fight harder but even with the Irish Brigade’s efforts, many were killed and they were forced to retreat.(Central)Despite further efforts, they could not take over Fredericksburg and retreated. However, the Irish Brigade shows an important facet of the war. Even when all 4 charges had failed, the Irish Brigade still advanced forward to charge. That shows the bravery of the people who fought in the Civil War and also shows how bloody it was.

The Irish Brigade monument is located to the south of Gettysburg on Sickles Avenue and sits on Stony Hill west of the Wheatfield. The monument was sculpted by William R. O'Donovan in September 1861 and was dedicated on July 2, 1888 which is made up of a granite base and a bronze cross. It is quite a large monument, standing at 19 feet and a half feet tall(Hawks). Next to the stem of the monument are five circular medallions representing the three New York regiments. The regiments include the 63rd New York Infantry Regiment, organized on Staten Island and the 69th and 88th New York Infantry Regiment, organized in the Bronx. Next to the circular medallions is a dog symbolizing honor and fidelity(Reed 80). There is also a trefoil that is the symbol of the Second Corps(Gindlesperger133). On the sides of the monument are inscriptions telling readers of the different traits of the Irish Brigade. These inscriptions read “In memory of Capt. James McK Rorty and four men who fell at the Bloody Angle July 3, 1863. The battery was mustered in December 9, 1861 as part of the Irish Brigade” and “This, in the matter of size and structure, truthfully represents the Irish wolf-hound, a dog which has been extinct for more than a hundred years, It was detached therefrom and at Gettysburg was consolidated with Battery B 1st N.Y. Artillery”.  On the sides read”The brigade entered the battle under command of Colonel Patrick Kelly 530 strong, of which this contingent, comprising three battalions of two companies each, numbered 240 men. The original strength of these battalions was 3,000 men. The brigade participated with great credit to itself and the race it represented, in every battle of the Army of the Potomac in which the Second Corps was engaged, from Fair Oaks, Jule 1, 1862, to Appomattox Court House, April 9, 1865.” This monument serves to tell the bravery of the Irish Brigade and tells readers about the different aspects of the Irish Brigade. The Irish Brigade had the third most casualties in the war and even so, they were one of the most influential(Harp). The Irish Brigade monument shows that even without any strength, you still have the power to push through and improve. It shows how important loyalty is especially when you have the choice to stop being loyal.

Each monument is different in Gettysburg but they all tell us about the person or group it honors. For example, the Irish Brigade monument shows a Brigade of commitment and bravery. And because of that, the monument still shapes the present to this day. Monuments like these don’t only show a battle however, they show a story of the Brigade. The fights it’s been through, the hardships it’s gone through and the joys it’s been through. These monuments show readers the brutality of war and paint a picture on what war was like. It shows the different aspects of the historical thing it honors. These monuments also give advice to people who read it. For example, the Irish Brigade tells readers to be brave and to keep fighting even when you are knocked down. The advice from the different monuments teaches us a lot about different aspects of life. 

Physical monuments tell us a lot about the Brigade and different historical events. Because of that, physical monuments teach us more than just reading a textbook or watching a video. Monuments are a better way of learning about historical events because each monument tells us not just about the things the monument honors, but also who they are as a whole. For example, the Irish Brigade monument shows an Irish wolfhound that perfectly represents the Irish Brigade. The wolfhound is loyal and brave but also shows how gentle the Irish Brigade is. These physical representations show a different side of the monument and give another perspective on the thing the monument honors. Even though books and websites are easier to find individual facts on the subject, a monument gives a new perspective to it. That different perspective can allow us to learn something about them that we couldn’t by reading about things like the values of the brigade or the personalities of the person. In conclusion, because monuments give us a different perspective and individual facts, monuments teach us more than textbooks or websites do. 

Monuments don’t only give a new perspective on the historical event, however. These monuments change what we think about the historical events, too. The monuments make a resemblance to the historical event that makes it easier to understand. For example, The Irish Brigade monument has many visual depictions of their brigade. The depictions on the monument depict what the Brigade was like, for example. The trefoil represents the symbol of Second Corps, the dog resembling the Irish Brigade’s personalities or the sides of the monuments giving further information on the historical event(Hawks). All of these tangible parts of the monument are small but give so much meaning to the monument.

In the Civil War, different Brigades had different reasons for fighting. Some of the brigades  fought for the liberation of slaves and others fought to keep slavery. And like many other Brigades, most of the Irish Brigade fought for a Union cause(Irish). Many of them fought to keep democracy and for work because many of the Brigade came from Ireland where they fought for less Irish discrimination and to keep the same democracy in the government(Irish). “More than 150,000 Irishmen, most of whom were recent immigrants and many of whom were not yet U.S. citizens, joined the Union Army during the Civil War. Some joined out of loyalty to their new home. Others hoped that such a conspicuous display of patriotism might put a stop to anti-Irish discrimination”(History). This quote shows that while some fought for loyalty, others fought for less Irish Discrimination.  Less Irish discrimination also meant more work opportunities which was a big motivation for the people who fought in the Irish Brigade. 

The Irish Brigade monument is an important monument that shows and honors the Irish Brigade’s bravery and loyalty. The monument and others like it still change people’s thoughts on the Irish Brigade to this day. The Irish Brigade monument inspires people and it helps people understand how the Irish Brigade changed the Civil War. Other monuments in Gettysburg are also just as inspirational and it goes to show how much monuments change the modern day. Overall, the Irish Brigade monument shows the Irish Brigade’s contributions to the Civil War and has many details on what the Irish Brigade was. Each part of the monument is a different aspect of the Irish Brigade which shows the different personalities of the Irish Brigade.

Works Cited

Gindlesperger, James, and Suzanne Gindlesperger. So You Think You Know Gettysburg? Winston-Salem, North Carolina, John F. Blair, 2010.

Hawks, Steve A. "Irish Brigade Monument at Gettysburg." Stone Sentinels Gettysburg, 2024, gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/union-monuments/new-york/new-york-infantry/irish-brigade/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.

"The Irish Brigade." History, 14 Mar. 2019, www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/the-irish-brigade. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.

"The Irish Brigade at Gettysburg." YouTube, Forward America, 29 Jan. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb1SeRVaeP4. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.

McGinley, John Joe. "The clash of the Irish Brigades at the Battle of Fredericksburg." Irish Central, 13 Jan. 2022, www.irishcentral.com/opinion/others/clash-irish-brigades-battle-of-fredericksburg. Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

Reed, Leon. Stories the Monuments Tell: A Photo Tour of Gettysburg, Told by itonumens Mts. Gettysburg, Little Falls Press, 2018.

"Under Erin's Harp: The Irish Brigade." National Museum of Civil War Medicine, 13 Mar. 2023, www.civilwarmed.org/irish-brigade/#:~:text=Several%20months%20later%2C%20in%20September,absolution%20while%20going%20into%20battle. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Wikipedia. 1 Aug. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Brigade_(Union_Army). Accessed 26 Sept. 2024.

Wikipedia. 31 Oct. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Corby. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.