America Go Bragh!

With Saint Patrick's Day upon us, I decided to reflect on the role of the Irish in the American Revolution. Make no mistake, the war for independence and its political roots were grounded in Yankee tradition—drawing from English and Scottish political thought. But as everyone knows, when it comes time for action, a few Irishmen are often needed. For the record, a large number (if not the majority) of British troops were Irish. The Patriot side, however, had relatively fewer Irish due to the small Irish immigrant population in America at the time. This blog will highlight just a few, but it is dedicated to all Irish who fought on either side.

The Statesman

The most famous family of Patriot Irish was probably the Carroll family, with Charles Carroll of Carrollton being the most prominent. He was the only Catholic signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He specifically added "of Carrollton" to set himself apart from other Charles Carrolls (like his father) and to ensure the king's men knew who to hang if the rebellion failed. Educated by Jesuits in Maryland and France, he later studied law in England, where he was admitted to the bar. At the time of the rebellion, he was among the wealthiest men in the colonies. His writings and advocacy significantly influenced Maryland's path toward rebellion and independence. He also played a role in Maryland's own "Annapolis Tea Party" and the burning of the Peggy Stewart in October 1774. During the war, Carroll represented Maryland in the Continental Congress and served on Maryland's Committee of Safety before the declaration. A notable failure was his 1776 mission to Canada, where he, along with Benjamin Franklin, failed to persuade French Canada to join the rebellion.

Charles Carroll of Carrollton

The Prelate

Charles Carroll's cousin, Father John Carroll, accompanied Benjamin Franklin on the Canada mission. The obvious goal was to appeal to Canadian Catholics. As a young man, John Carroll went to France for seminary training and then to Belgium to teach philosophy and theology at Bruges and Liège. The suppression of the Jesuits by Papal Bull in 1773 drove him to Britain, and when relations between Britain and America worsened, he returned to Baltimore in 1774. Carroll's greatest contributions came after the American Revolution. In November 1789, he was appointed bishop of Baltimore with a diocese covering the entire United States. Carroll established America's first institutions for educating and ordaining priests, including the Sulpician Seminary in Baltimore. He supported Roman Catholic religious orders coming to America. Through George Washington, he secured federal funding for missionaries to the Indians. By 1811, he had established four new dioceses: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Bardstown (Kentucky), and was named America's first archbishop. During his years leading the American church, the number of Roman Catholics increased nearly tenfold, from about 25,000 to 200,000.

Father John Carroll

The Seaman

John Barry is another notable Irish patriot. Though often overshadowed by the more flamboyant sailor (and native Scotsman) John Paul Jones, Barry is generally regarded as the Father of the U.S. Navy. Unlike Carroll, who was born into wealth as a third-generation American landholder, Barry was a typical Irish hardscrabble transplant. Born the son of a poor farmer in County Wexford, young Barry enlisted as a cabin boy on his uncle's fishing schooner. He eventually rose to become a renowned master of mercantile vessels and settled in Philadelphia. When the war broke out, Barry worked tirelessly to equip the first Continental Navy vessels for combat. His reward was commanding the brig Lexington, which he led in one of America's first victories over a Royal Navy ship. Barry turned down a lucrative offer to "come over" for cash and a Royal Navy commission from the British. During the dark days of late 1776, when no ships were available, he served on land as a Marine officer and played a role in the battles at Trenton and Princeton. Back at sea the following year, he fought numerous engagements—often outnumbered—and generally proved more effective than he was outgunned. After the war, he returned to merchant shipping. Nevertheless, in 1794, Secretary of War Henry Knox recalled him to build the first U.S. Navy vessels and led the Navy through its perilous early years, which included a naval war with France and the Barbary pirates.

Father of the US Navy, Commodore Barry

The Sniper

The most famous marksman in a war famed for its plethora of marksmen was Tim Murphy of Morgan's Rifles. Murphy is said to have fired the shot that killed General Simon Fraser at Saratoga in 1777. Legend has it that Morgan gave the order. Climbing a tree, Murphy fired at 300 yards, and Fraser fell, dying.

Some view that as the defining moment of the battle, the battle that changed the course of the war and maybe the world.  Fraser was General Johnnie Burgoyne's best commander, arguably the best field general in the British Army.  His death heralded the destruction of the British forces and the end to Burgoyne's dreams of crushing the rebellion from the north.

Sniper Tim Murphy takes aim at Bemis Heights

The Foe

Although a distinct minority, the Irish fought in many Continental Army units as both enlisted and officers. Some of the "French" generals given commissions by Congress (the notorious Conway and hapless Fermoy come to mind) were of Irish heritage. And nine of Washington’s generals were born in Ireland—two major generals and seven brigadier generals. However, of these, only Brigadier General Edward Hand from County Offaly was at Yorktown. There was another Irish general there, but ironically, he was serving with the British forces. General Charles O’Hara, the illegitimate son of British General James O’Hara, second baron of Tyrawley, was born in Lisbon. O'Hara lost his son during the Yorktown campaign and had the dubious honor of representing Lord Cornwallis at the surrender. There were no all-Irish regiments in the British order of battle at Yorktown, but many Irish soldiers were among the rank-and-file. For instance, the roster of the 76th Foot, a Scottish regiment at Yorktown, listed 114 Irish soldiers. Throughout the 1780s, the Dublin government funded a British military reserve of 12,000 troops, with Cork serving as the main logistical base for the British forces in North America. The renowned Royal American Regiment, which fought in the French and Indian War, had been posted to Ireland, and when it returned to America to fight the rebellion, most of its rank-and-file were Irish.

Brigadier General Charles O'Hara
substituted for the "indisposed"
Major General Cornwallis

The Family

Several of Washington's aides, his 'military family," were Irish or of Irish descent: John Fitzgerald, Peregrine Fitzhugh, James McHenry, Stephen Moylan, and Joseph Reed. Moylan and Fitzgerald were born in Ireland. Most notable was McHenry, who later became Secretary of War and whose namesake fort in Baltimore Harbor became the site of the battle that inspired the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Former aide James McHenry later became
Secretary of War

There is no connection between aide John Fitzgerald and the hoary-haired "Senior Intelligence Advisor"  in The Yankee Doodle Spies series, the fictional Robert Fitzgerald. However, Robert Fitzgerald and Jeremiah Creed represent the Irish and all immigrants who were caught up in the great struggle for liberty.