New Books From McFarland Press : 149th PVI & Irish Rebels

149th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Unit in the Civil War, Richard E. Matthews, McFarland and Company, paperback, 296 pages, McFarland and Company, 109 photos, maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index, 346 pp, July 2007,

In 1861, Americans on both sides flooded to enlist for what all thought would be a short and glorious war. Anxious to prove their loyalty to their new homeland, thousands of America's Irish immigrant population were among those who hurried to join the fight on both sides. While the efforts of the Union's legendary Irish Brigade are well documented, little has been said regarding the role Irish American soldiers played for the Confederacy. This comprehensive history explores the Irish contribution to the Confederate military effort throughout the four major combat theatres of the Civil War. This is a paperback edition of the 1994 hardcover.

Table of Contents:
1. Recruiting the Companies 7
2. Assignment to Washington 17
3. Chancellorsville 39
4. Gettysburg 67
Between pages 76 and 77 are 16 plates containing 59 photographs
5. Northern Virginia 109
6. Richmond Campaign 127
7. Wilderness 131
Between pages 140 and 141 are 16 plates containing 58 photographs
8. Spotsylvania 151
9. North Anna 161
10. Petersburg 179
11. Elmira 213
Epilogue 221
Appendix A: Civilian Occupations 231
Appendix B: Regimental Roster 233
Appendix C: Chronology—Regimental Officers 272
Appendix D: Army Command Assignments 274
Bibliography 275




Irish Americans in the Confederate Army, Sean Michael O'Brien, McFarland and Company, hardcover, 3 photos, maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index,
264 pp. hardcover, July 2007.


Beginning with an overview of Irish Americans in the South, the book looks at the Irish immigrant experience and the character of the typical Irish Confederate soldier, detailing the ways in which Irish communities supported the Southern war effort. The main focus is the military actions in which Irish American soldiers were present in significant or influential numbers. With a combat death rate disproportionate to their numbers, the 40,000 Irish who served in the Confederate army played significant roles in the Army of Northern Virginia, the Army of Tennessee, the hotly disputed coastal areas and the Mississippi and Trans-Mississippi campaigns. Most major battles of the war are discussed including Manassas, Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, Shiloh, Murfreesboro and Appomattox. Appendices contain a list of various Irish commands and field commanders in the Confederate Army. First hardcover edition.

Table of Contents:
PART I. THE IRISH EXPERIENCE IN THE SOUTH
1. The New Country: Irish Immigrants in the South 11
2. Fighting Irish: The Character of the Irish Confederate Soldier 23
3. Home Front: The Irish Family, Community, and Church in War 33

PART II. THE IRISH IN THE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA
4. Green Flag Unfurled: Manassas and the Valley Campaign 43
5. Defending Richmond: The Seven Days, June 1862 53
6. Southern Offensive: Second Manassas and Sharpsburg, August–September 1862 64
7. “With Distinguished Gallantry and Coolness”: Fredericksburg, December 1862 79
8. “A Stubborn and Bloody Conflict”: Gettysburg, July 1863 87
9. “To No Avail”: Wilderness to Appomattox, May 1864–April 1865 100

PART III. THE IRISH IN THE ARMY OF TENNESSEE
10. Hornets’ Nest: The Irish at Shiloh, April 1862 109
11. “Gallantry and Courage”: Perryville and Murfreesboro, October–December 1862 116
12. The Contest for Chattanooga: Chickamauga to Ringgold Gap, September–November 1863 127
13. The Contest for Atlanta, May–September 1864 141
14. “Carnival of Death”: Franklin, November 1864 156

PART IV. THE IRISH IN THE COASTAL STRONGHOLDS
15. “Up-Hill Work”: Charleston, Savannah, and Fort Fisher 167
16. To the Last Ditch: From Fort Pickens to Fort Blakely, 1861–1865 177

PART V: THE IRISH IN THEMISSISSIPPI AND TRANS-MISSISSIPPI CAMPAIGNS
17. The Struggle for the Mississippi 189
18. West of the Sabine: The Irish in Texas 200
Epilogue: “Their Bones Lie on Every Battle-Field” 211
Appendix 1: Irish Commands in the Confederate Army 215
Appendix 2: Some Irish-American Field Commanders in the Confederate Army 226
Chapter Notes 237
Works Cited 247

Text and TOC from publisher.