Irish Confederates: The Civil War's Forgotten Soldiers

by Phillip Thomas Tucker

Contemporary Civil War scholarship has brought to light the important roles certain ethnic groups played during that tumultuous time in our nation's history. The axiom that the winners of wars write the histories is especially valid in regard to the story of the Irish who fought for the Confederacy from 1861–1865. Throughout the course of the Civil War, Irish Confederates made invaluable contributions to all aspects of the war effort. Yet, the Irish have largely been the forgotten soldiers of the South. In Irish Confederates: The Civil War's Forgotten Soldiers, Tucker illuminates these overlooked participants.
 

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2007

About the author

Phillip Thomas Tucker, Ph.D. has been recognized today as "the Stephen King of History," and the most groundbreaking historian in America, because of his great productivity of high-quality books (more than 185 books of history) in many field of history, including the American Revolution, Women's History, Civil War History, African American History, etc.
A winner of national and state book awards, Tucker has recently optioned out three books--Cathy Williams, Anne Bonny, and Mia Leimberg--for Hollywood films.
No American historian has authored more history books than Dr. Tucker. America's most prolific and innovative of historians has won international acclaim for breaking much new ground in history by authoring more than 180 history books of unique distinction. In total, he is the author of more than 225 works in history, including both books and scholarly articles.
Significantly, the vast majority of these groundbreaking books have a distinctive "New Look" focus, including five volumes of the Harriet Tubman Series and Haitian Revolutionary Women Series. An award-winning scholar of highly-original and uniquely human history, he has most often explored the remarkable lives of forgotten men and women in powerful historical narratives long ignored by other historians.
Most important, Dr. Tucker has emerged as one of America's leading Revolutionary War historians. He has authored groundbreaking Revolutionary war books, including "How the Irish Won the American Revolution"; "George Washington's Surprise Attack": "Saving Washington's Army"; "Brothers in Liberty"; "Kings Mountain"; "Alexander Hamilton's Revolution"; "Alexander Hamilton and the Battle of Yorktown"; "Captain Alexander Hamilton and His Forgotten Contributions at the Decisive Battle of Trenton"; and others no less distinguished.
The author has also written four books about female Buffalo Soldier Cathy Williams. In addition, he has completed groundbreaking New Look Glory 54th Massachusetts Regimental Series of four volumes. This important series has focused on the heroic story of the first black regiment from the North during the Civil War.
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Tucker has revealed some of the most overlooked chapters of America's hidden history to present new insights and fresh perspectives. The author's books have most often broken historical boundaries, while going well beyond traditional history in bold "New Look" narratives.
As America's leading myth-busting historian with three degrees in American history, including a Ph.D. from prestigious St. Louis University where he graduated summa cum laude, America's most prolific author has mined American history's obscure depths to present unique historical narratives long unexplored and forgotten. Tucker has long focused on illuminating the previously untold stories of forgotten women (black and white), who have been long overlooked. By revealing their distinguished hidden history that had been previously lost to the American public, the author has paid long-overdue tributes to these remarkable women of great courage and outstanding character. Ahead of their time, these dynamic women defied the odds in carving out their own unique destines with their hard work, enduring faith, and perseverance.
Dr. Tucker has authored groundbreaking books in many fields of study: African American, Women's, Irish, American Revolutionary War, Buffalo Soldiers, Civil War, Tuskegee Airmen, Little Bighorn, Caribbean, Private, Spanish American War, Second World War, George Armstrong Custer, and Southern history. He has long focused on telling the forgotten stories of lost souls, outcasts, renegades, misfits, rebels, deserters (like Buffalo Soldier David Fagen), iconoclasts, refugees, nonconformists, and outliers, whose unique lives deserve attention at this late day.
The author's award-winning books have often focused on iconic turning point moments in American

Reviews

[Caitlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

if you are looking for analysis on race and class or even just a useful footnote, you will not find it here. At its best, it is a droll military history. At its worst, it becomes perilously close to romanticizing the confederacy and erasing what the civil war was about. Mercifully short though.

[Andy Hart · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is somewhat of a pebble-dash history of some of the Irish who fought in the regiments of the southern states during America's civil war.

Sadly, what could have proved a brief if detailed study, instead offered little more than a rambling eulogy doused in a sentimental litany of lace-curtain Irish-America. I am proud of all of my Irish military heritage - warts and all. But too often the problems of dealing with drunken and ill-disciplined soldiers are ignored in favour of perpetuating the nonsense of a Celtic south whose military prowess owed more than has ever been admitted to the 30-odd thousand Irish-born in its armies' ranks.

As an Irish soldier I was pretty disappointed by the book, which truly lacks any scholarly merit.

[Sean Chick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poorly written and sparse on details.