The Green and the Gray: The Irish in the Confederate States of America. By David T. Gleeson. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2013. Pp. xiii, 307).
A large portion of studies on the Irish in the Civil war focus on the Union and the Irish’s involvement in the North, but the Irish played an important part for the Confederacy as well. In The Green and the Gray: The Irish in the Confederate States of America, David Gleeson highlights the role of the Irish in the service of the Confederacy, the problems faced by the Irish during the war, and how the Irish integrated into white society after the war.
Because many more Irish fought for the Union than the Confederacy, Irish Confederates have not received a great deal of study and have been subject to studies which were lacking. This book gives Irish Confederates proper credit and places them squarely in the middle of the Civil War. Gleeson defines Irish as “someone born in Ireland or the descendant of an Irish person who displays an Irish ethnic awareness.” (6) This definition greatly cuts down traditional numbers because it eliminates many Southerners who simply have Irish last names.
Irish Confederates faced problems different from other Confederates. They faced the task of transitioning from their new home, America, into an even newer home, the Confederate States of America. Some Irish, such as A. G. Magrath and John Mitchel, were ardent secessionists and even supported the idea earlier in the 1850’s. Many Irish quickly volunteered and served faithfully. However the majority of Irish Southerners were Unionists until their state seceded. Because of this, native Southerners worried about the loyalty of the Irish to the cause. Some of these worries were well-founded as many POWs quickly took the Oath of Allegiance to the Union. Other Irish helped occupying Union forces by supplying help and information on local Confederate sympathizers. These contradictory positions created problems for the Irish as the war dragged on.
Falling morale at home created problems such as desertions and a greater rate of those willing to take the oath to the Union. This caused native Southerners to resent those Irish who appeared to shirk their duty to the Confederacy. Attempts to buy substitutes and obtain exemptions because of their status as foreigners were looked down upon. Irish women faced criticism for being the leaders of bread riots and being involved in goods speculation. However, Gleeson finds that foreigners, particularly the Irish, participated proportionately smaller than natives. Owing to their foreign status and perceived hesitant secessionism, the Irish made for easy targets of criticism. With Confederate losses mounting, Irish Confederates were forced to look to other venues, such as religion, for comfort and support. The Catholic Church played a major part in buoying people’s spirits and trying to bring the Pope into helping mediate between the Confederacy and the Union. After Confederate defeat, the Irish were forced to deal with the new realities of their world.
A large majority of Irish Confederates readily accepted Presidential Reconstruction and took the Oath of Allegiance, but Radical Reconstruction pushed many to become more conservative. To commemorate Irish involvement in the Confederacy, former soldiers readily accepted lost cause mythology and became involved in veterans clubs. By doing this, the Irish brought erased many negative feelings about their involvement in the Confederacy and pulled them further into Southern society. Irish experience was one of extremes; they supported the Confederacy but many willingly accepted a return to the Union when it became prudent to do so. They were indeed ambiguous Confederates.
Gleeson has thoroughly researched and written on a difficult subject. However, some problems do exist. Owing to the concentration of Irish in specific areas, it is hard to ascertain overall feelings about the Confederacy and secession. Many of Gleeson’s examples are more prominent citizens instead of those in the general populace. These issues aside, the work gives a new perspective on Confederate nationalism and its limits, gives Irish Confederates a place in Civil War history, and shows how the Irish came to become a part of the civil religion which gave rise to lost cause mythology.
Texas Christian University Blake Hill