Note -- The American Civil War provided the Irish in America with a superb, if grim, opportunity to disprove the nativist claim that they would never make loyal, patriotic citizens. More than 144,000 Irish-born served in the Union Army. In addition tens of thousands of American-born Irish also served. One of the reasons so many Irish served in the Civil War was their relative poverty. Many Irish immigrants stepped off ships in America and were immediately confronted by Union Army recruiters offering two- to three-hundred dollar cash bonuses for enlistment. For penniless immigrants with no specialized skills, this offer, equal to a year's pay at the beginning of the war, was too good to refuse. Another inducement to enlistment was an appeal to nationalism. Many regiments were formed under ethnic names like Mulligan's Brigade and Corcoran's Legion. The recruiting posters often made clear that ENGLAND, Ireland's historic oppressor, was sympathetic to the CONFEDERACY. Some hoped to gain military experience that they could later use in an uprising in Ireland against British rule. Indeed, many of the most ardent Fenians of the late 1860s were veterans of the Union Army. Although the 144,000 Irish who served in the Union Army are better known, 30,000 Irish also served in the Confederacy. The came principally from the South's cities, such as New Orleans, and formed some of the hardest fighting Confederate units. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jean R." <jeanrice@cet.com> To: <IRISH-IN-UK-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, December 09, 2005 10:24 AM Subject: [UK-Irish] Patriotism and War - ACW/"The Blue and the Gray," Francis Miles FINCH > THE BLUE AND THE GRAY <snip>