Irish Brigade (U.S.) - Formation and Subordinate Regiments

Formation and Subordinate Regiments

The formation of an Irish Brigade was authorized by the United States Secretary of War in September 1861. The brigade originally consisted of the 63rd New York Infantry, the 69th New York Infantry, and the 88th New York Infantry. The three New York regiments were soon joined by a predominately "Yankee" regiment from Massachusetts, the 29th Massachusetts. The 29th was never fond of being brigade with three Irish "Fenian" regiments from New York and soon after the Battle of Antietam the 29th was replaced by the 28th Massachusetts Infantry regiment, made up mostly of Irish Immigrants. Soon after that, the City of Philadelphia offered a regiment to the brigade and soon after the 116th Pennsylvania was added to the brigade, bringing the total number of regiments in the Irish Brigade to five.

There were two core regiments of the Irish Brigade, the 69th and the 63rd. The 69th New York Volunteers, was largely made up of the pre-war 69th New York Militia, a unit which first gained notoriety prior to the Civil War, when Colonel Michael Corcoran refused an order to parade the regiment for the Prince of Wales during the latter's visit to New York City. The 63rd New York Volunteers, known as the "Third Irish" was composed mainly of the Irish in "the Old 9th" New York Militia and several hundred Irish recruited in Boston. The 63rd was organized by Lt Col Patrick Daniel Kelly and later commanded by Major then Colonel Richard C. Enright.