Green and Blue: Irish Americans in the Union Military, 1861-1865
Green and Blue: Irish Americans in the Union Military, 1861-1865
Green and Blue: Irish Americans in the Union Military, 1861-1865
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Description
Description
Damian Shiels's Green and Blue explores Irish American service in the United States military by analyzing the written correspondence of ordinary rank-and-file soldiers drawn from across the Union's armed forces. Using a vast and largely untapped collection of letters penned by Irish American combatants to their families during the war, Shiels explains how these enlisted men navigated their duties from multiple perspectives, including how they adapted to and experienced military life, how they engaged with their faith, and how they interacted with the home front. Green and Blue offers the most detailed and intimate picture yet of Irish Americans' service in the United States military during the Civil War.
About the Author
About the Author
Damian Shiels is a postdoctoral research fellow at Northumbria University.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Damian Shiels makes a substantial contribution to the literature on Irish participation in the Civil War. His examination of a large body of fresh evidence illuminates the attitudes and actions of common soldiers who served the Union cause in a range of theaters and units. Green and Blue is the obvious first place to explore the topic."--Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Enduring Civil War: Reflections on the Great American Crisis
"Green and Blue provides an exceptionally rich portrait of Irish American soldiers and sailors beyond the 'ethnic' units that have garnered most of the attention of historians. By surveying these men's prewar lives, motivations to enlist, and what they and their families endured, this study adds to our broader appreciation of the Civil War soldier experience."--Lesley J. Gordon, author of A Broken Regiment: The 16th Connecticut's Civil War
"Through an extraordinary feat of archival research, Shiels has transformed our understanding of the Irish contribution to the Union war effort. Moving past the familiar narrative of ethnic regiments, he tells the story of the enlisted rank-and-file men, why they fought, and what they thought about race and politics. An original addition to Civil War studies and the history of the Irish diaspora."--Kevin Kenny, author of The American Irish: A History
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
LSU Press
Pub date:
2025-04-17
Length:
318 pages
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