Gettysburg 151: The Immigrant Experience

[Pat Young]

This week at The Immigrants' Civil War we remembered the immigrant soldiers who fought at Gettysburg 151 years ago. In popular memory, the immigrant role is confined to "the Germans ran away" and the blessing of the Irish Brigade before battle. In fact, immigrant involvement was much richer, from the beginning to the end of the battle.

I am going to post links to the articles in the Gettysburg series here. Please post your own info on immigrants at the battle as well.

The first article examines the experiences of an Irish immigrant in the 6th Wisconsin Regiment of the Iron Brigade during the march to Gettysburg.

http://www.longislandwins.com/columns/detail/iron_brigade_immigrants_arrive_at_gettysburg

 

[Pat Young]

The next article tells the story of the 6th Wisconsin going into the fight:

http://www.longislandwins.com/colum...ts_go_into_battle_the_first_day_at_gettysburg

 

[Pat Young]

The next article looks at the XI Corps on July 1. It is amazing to me that even today pretty rank prejudice is often at work in descriptions of what happened:

http://www.longislandwins.com/columns/detail/the_german_xi_corps_at_gettysburg_july_1_1863

 

[Pat Young]

Was JLC the only "Hero of Little Round Top"? This article looks at an Irish colonel who died there.

http://www.longislandwins.com/colum...se_of_little_roundtop_on_the_second_day_at_ge

 

[Pat Young]

Now we get to the iconic blessing of the Irish Brigade.

http://www.longislandwins.com/colum..._for_the_irish_brigade_gettysburg_july_2_1863

 

[Pat Young]

Why do we call it Pickett's Charge instead of naming this iconic action after the victor's? This article looks at the moment that the Confederate High Tide broke on the Rock of Erin, the 69th Pennsylvania.
http://www.longislandwins.com/colum..._ended_picketts_charge_gettysburg_july_3_1863

 

[Pat Young]

This article takes us back to the weeks before the battle when an Irish Brigade soldier paused between Chancellorsville and Gettysburg to explain why he joined the army to his father in law in Ireland.
http://www.longislandwins.com/colum...ldier_between_chancellorsville_and_gettysburg

 

[Pat Young]

As Lee's army moved towards Gettysburg, its actions generated large flows of black refugees trying to escape being kidnapped by Confederates.

http://www.longislandwins.com/columns/detail/lees_army_moves_towards_gettysburg_black_refugees_flee

 

[Brendan]

Thanks for sharing, Pat--these are great! Also fighting to stem the High Tide of Pickett's Charge was that famous immigrant melting pot crew, the 39th New York, "Garibaldi Guard," as well as the 42nd New York, the "Tammany Regiment," which was recruited in NYC by Tammany Hall and contained many immigrants, especially Irish and Germans. There were also Irish on the other side of the stone wall, like Willie Mitchel of the 1st Virginia Infantry, discussed here on Damian's Irish in the American Civil War blog:
http://irishamericancivilwar.com/20...king-john-mitchels-son-after-picketts-charge/

 

[Brendan]

I nearly forgot one particularly remarkable immigrant who fought at Pickett's Charge--Chinese native, Corporal Joseph Pierce of the 14th Connecticut Infantry, who stood at the stone wall and volunteered for the attack on the Bliss Farm:

http://www.gdg.org/Research/People/jpierce.html

 

[Deleted member 8452]

Was JLC the only "Hero of Little Round Top"? This article looks at an Irish colonel who died there.

http://www.longislandwins.com/colum...se_of_little_roundtop_on_the_second_day_at_ge

When I went on my tour at Gettysburg last year, our tour guide talked about the 14oth New York and their defense on Little Round Top. I really think people only focus on the 20th Maine, even though there were plenty of other regiments who fought just as hard as them on LRT, including the 140th.

 

[Pat Young]

Thanks for sharing, Pat--these are great! Also fighting to stem the High Tide of Pickett's Charge was that famous immigrant melting pot crew, the 39th New York, "Garibaldi Guard," as well as the 42nd New York, the "Tammany Regiment," which was recruited in NYC by Tammany Hall and contained many immigrants, especially Irish and Germans. There were also Irish on the other side of the stone wall, like Willie Mitchel of the 1st Virginia Infantry, discussed here on Damian's Irish in the American Civil War blog:
http://irishamericancivilwar.com/20...king-john-mitchels-son-after-picketts-charge/

Thanks. I am trying to get one of my correspondents who is descended from a Jewish member of the 39th NY to come on here as well to talk about this.

 

[Pat Young]

I nearly forgot one particularly remarkable immigrant who fought at Pickett's Charge--Chinese native, Corporal Joseph Pierce of the 14th Connecticut Infantry, who stood at the stone wall and volunteered for the attack on the Bliss Farm:

http://www.gdg.org/Research/People/jpierce.html

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Pat Young]

When I went on my tour at Gettysburg last year, our tour guide talked about the 14oth New York and their defense on Little Round Top. I really think people only focus on the 20th Maine, even though there were plenty of other regiments who fought just as hard as them on LRT, including the 140th.

Great point. Our Ranger tour emphasized half a dozen people, besides JLC, who were the heroes of LRT.

 

[Pat Young]

Finally, here is the story of a German woman who helped bury the dead in the months before the Gettysburg Address.

http://www.longislandwins.com/columns/detail/a_german_immigrant_womans_gettysburg_address

 

[Pat Young]

Anyone else?

 

[Pat Young]

Here is an index to the series.

http://www.longislandwins.com/columns/detail/the_immigrants_civil_war_gettysburg

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Finally, here is the story of a German woman who helped bury the dead in the months before the Gettysburg Address.

http://www.longislandwins.com/columns/detail/a_german_immigrant_womans_gettysburg_address

Her story makes me a little crazy. She was in charge of the Gatehouse, in lieu of her husband who was away fighting this war. She'd done a great job, too- but was alone, an immigrant woman with children in a new country. Dependent on the decree of their landlord, she was forced into her solitary burial duties those long, hot pregnant days after the battle. The cemetery management came to inspect the property, saw all the dead soldiers and demanded she bury them- HER, that she just get it done, no bones about it. Then he left. Would he have expected his wife, sister, mother- any of the females he was acquainted with to DO such a monstrous job? Good God no- an immigrant woman was socially less than a farm animal, dependent on others.

You see him interviewed after she became somewhat famous for her grueling, awful task- like he got to take pride in it. He basically bullied this little, defenceless immigrant woman because he knew he could- you want to reach back through Time and throttle his well fed backside. Elizabeth's child she was famously pregnant with died very young and she always put that down to her long days ensuring these men were buried.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Don't give up on the thread, Pat Young, there's massive scope here. A lot of the time it just takes awhile for folks to get to something they have, you know? For instance, there's a quote by General Webb I KEEP meaning to go find and haven't had the chance. I'd make a mess of it if I tried to repeat the story- it's about German troops who filled a gap he badly, badly needed. It's always stuck with me because for some reason all you hear ( Ok, it's Shaara and ' Those Dutchmen ran again ' thing ) is how Otis Howard's Germans broke at Gettysburg. Super, super story- I ' think ' the version I liked was Sear's, must go check!

 

[Pat Young]

Don't give up on the thread, Pat Young, there's massive scope here. A lot of the time it just takes awhile for folks to get to something they have, you know? For instance, there's a quote by General Webb I KEEP meaning to go find and haven't had the chance. I'd make a mess of it if I tried to repeat the story- it's about German troops who filled a gap he badly, badly needed. It's always stuck with me because for some reason all you hear ( Ok, it's Shaara and ' Those Dutchmen ran again ' thing ) is how Otis Howard's Germans broke at Gettysburg. Super, super story- I ' think ' the version I liked was Sear's, must go check!

Thanks. I agree with you that the scope of immigrant involvement in the battle is extremely wide. I wrote 9 articles of nearly 20,000 words on the battle and still left out a lot. There was just too much there for me to cover.

Look forward to you posting what you find.