On the eve of the Civil War, the Irish were one of America's largest
ethnic groups, and approximately 150,000 fought for the Union. Analyzing
letters and diaries written by soldiers and civilians; military, church,
and diplomatic records; and community newspapers, Susannah Ural Bruce
significantly expands the story of Irish-American Catholics in the Civil
War, and reveals a complex picture of those who fought for the Union.
While the population was diverse, many Irish Americans had dual
loyalties to the U.S. and Ireland, which influenced their decisions to
volunteer, fight, or end their military service. When the Union cause
supported their interests in Ireland and America, large numbers of Irish
Americans enlisted. However, as the war progressed, the Emancipation
Proclamation, federal draft, and sharp rise in casualties caused Irish
Americans to question--and sometimes abandon--the war effort because
they viewed such changes as detrimental to their families and futures in
America and Ireland.
By recognizing these competing and often fluid loyalties, The Harp and
the Eagle sheds new light on the relationship between Irish-American
volunteers and the Union Army, and how the Irish made sense of both the
Civil War and their loyalty to the United States.