"Like an avalanche into the very jaws of death" - Meagher's Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg

lelliott19

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The charge of Meagher's Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg - described by Christopher Columbus Sanders, then Lt Col 24th Georgia Infantry. On the "receiving end" of the charge that day, the 24th Georgia was behind the stone wall under the command of Irishman, Colonel Robert McMillan. (Cobb's brigade, McLaws' Division, Longstreet's Corps, ANV)

C C Sanders was born in 1840 (or alternately reported 1837) and was of Irish descent. Sanders' maternal grandfather was an Irish immigrant from Dublin. In 1861, CC Sanders graduated from the Georgia Military Institute (Marietta) and was commissioned Lt Col of the 24th Georgia Volunteer Infantry at age 21 (or 23.)

Col. C. C. Sanders of Gainesville, colonel of the 24th Georgia,
favors me with a graphic description of the charge of Meagher's
Irish Brigade. He says :

" The writer was an eye witness to the charge of the Irish brigade
at Fredericksburg. General Lee had, at the time, the finest army
in history. Two formidable lines of battle were protected by a rock
wall and defended by Cobb's and Kershaw's brigades of McLaw's
division (one fourth of whom, I suppose, were Irishmen or of Irish
extraction), and the famous Washington Artillery. In our immedi-
ate front one could walk on the dead for hundreds of yards. We
were pained to see the noble fellows coming up in steady columns
to be mowed down before our lines of solid flames of fire from our
entrenched position behind the rock wall and the terrible fire from
the Washington Artillery on Marie's Hill, just in our rear and com-
manding every inch of approach.

"The Irish Brigade would receive our well-directed fire steady
and firm, and when great gaps were cut through their ranks by
the artillery, would reform under the incessant fire, come again,
sink down and rise again, trample the dead and wounded under
foot and press the stone wall of liquid fire, then recede a few feet
and come again, like an avalanche into the very jaws of death,
until strength and endurance failed, having been forced back by
shell and the deadly mini ball that no human being could with-
stand. The field of battle ran great streams of blood, and the
immortal Irish Brigade recoiled before the living wall of fire in
glory.

"I know of no charge upon the field of battle in history to
compare to the charge of the Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg,
unless it was Pickett's Division at Gettysburg, or the Old Guard
at Waterloo. The immortal Irish Brigade were soldiers indeed.
I have heard, but I do not know whether it is correct, that after the
Fredericksburg battle the United States government mustered
out the Irish Brigade from service and placed all upon the pen-
sion roll. You can examine records or see for yourself as to its
correctness. I have always felt proud of my one-fourth Irish blood.
The Irish have fought the battles of all countries. I wish you
success in your address, and three cheers for the Immortal Irish
Brigade !''

Source: The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society by Thomas Hamilton
Murray, Secretary-General, Volume III, Boston, Mass. Published by the
Society, 1900. pp 104-105
 
I have heard, but I do not know whether it is correct, that after the
Fredericksburg battle the United States government mustered
out the Irish Brigade from service and placed all upon the pen-
sion roll. You can examine records or see for yourself as to its
correctness.

This is a great account of the Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg.

They weren't mustered out of service after that battle but continued on into the 1864 Wilderness Campaign, IIRC. I'm not the expert and maybe one will come along but there was politics involved with General Meagher that prevented him from recruiting to replenish his ranks (Always, politics {rolls eyes}).

Thanks for posting!
 
This is a great account of the Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg.

They weren't mustered out of service after that battle but continued on into the 1864 Wilderness Campaign, IIRC. I'm not the expert and maybe one will come along but there was politics involved with General Meagher that prevented him from recruiting to replenish his ranks (Always, politics {rolls eyes}).

Thanks for posting!

The Irish Brigade remained with the Army of the Potomac until Appomattox.

In regards to Meagher himself, he did resign his commission just after Chancellorsville, complaining that the army was wasting his gallant Irishmen. There is some evidence that he was going to raise another Irish brigade but the Draft Riots put an end to that idea.

Ryan
 
This is a great account of the Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg.
They weren't mustered out of service after that battle but continued on into the 1864 Wilderness Campaign, IIRC.
The Irish Brigade remained with the Army of the Potomac until Appomattox.

Right, but I find it interesting that Sanders did not know that in 1900. He was involved in the reunions and in historical endeavors. I wonder why he didnt know that or hadn't found out?
 
The charge of Meagher's Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg - described by Christopher Columbus Sanders, then Lt Col 24th Georgia Infantry. On the "receiving end" of the charge that day, the 24th Georgia was behind the stone wall under the command of Irishman, Colonel Robert McMillan. (Cobb's brigade, McLaws' Division, Longstreet's Corps, ANV)

C C Sanders was born in 1840 (or alternately reported 1837) and was of Irish descent. Sanders' maternal grandfather was an Irish immigrant from Dublin. In 1861, CC Sanders graduated from the Georgia Military Institute (Marietta) and was commissioned Lt Col of the 24th Georgia Volunteer Infantry at age 21 (or 23.)

Col. C. C. Sanders of Gainesville, colonel of the 24th Georgia,
favors me with a graphic description of the charge of Meagher's
Irish Brigade. He says :

" The writer was an eye witness to the charge of the Irish brigade
at Fredericksburg. General Lee had, at the time, the finest army
in history. Two formidable lines of battle were protected by a rock
wall and defended by Cobb's and Kershaw's brigades of McLaw's
division (one fourth of whom, I suppose, were Irishmen or of Irish
extraction), and the famous Washington Artillery. In our immedi-
ate front one could walk on the dead for hundreds of yards. We
were pained to see the noble fellows coming up in steady columns
to be mowed down before our lines of solid flames of fire from our
entrenched position behind the rock wall and the terrible fire from
the Washington Artillery on Marie's Hill, just in our rear and com-
manding every inch of approach.

"The Irish Brigade would receive our well-directed fire steady
and firm, and when great gaps were cut through their ranks by
the artillery, would reform under the incessant fire, come again,
sink down and rise again, trample the dead and wounded under
foot and press the stone wall of liquid fire, then recede a few feet
and come again, like an avalanche into the very jaws of death,
until strength and endurance failed, having been forced back by
shell and the deadly mini ball that no human being could with-
stand. The field of battle ran great streams of blood, and the
immortal Irish Brigade recoiled before the living wall of fire in
glory.

"I know of no charge upon the field of battle in history to
compare to the charge of the Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg,
unless it was Pickett's Division at Gettysburg, or the Old Guard
at Waterloo. The immortal Irish Brigade were soldiers indeed.
I have heard, but I do not know whether it is correct, that after the
Fredericksburg battle the United States government mustered
out the Irish Brigade from service and placed all upon the pen-
sion roll. You can examine records or see for yourself as to its
correctness. I have always felt proud of my one-fourth Irish blood.
The Irish have fought the battles of all countries. I wish you
success in your address, and three cheers for the Immortal Irish
Brigade !''

Source: The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society by Thomas Hamilton
Murray, Secretary-General, Volume III, Boston, Mass. Published by the
Society, 1900. pp 104-105
Thanks for posting this memory.
 
They weren't mustered out of service after that battle but continued on into the 1864 Wilderness Campaign, IIRC. I'm not the expert and maybe one will come along but there was politics involved with General Meagher that prevented him from recruiting to replenish his ranks (Always, politics {rolls eyes}).

Thanks for posting!
The Irish Brigade was in existence during the Appomattox Campaign, but it was briefly broken up in 1864 after it was devastated during the Overland Campaign (particularly at the Muleshoe).

Meagher left the brigade when Stanton blocked him from further recruiting.
 
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