The Irish General: Thomas Francis Meagher

by Paul R. Wylie

Irish patriot, Civil War general, frontier governor—Thomas Francis Meagher played key roles in three major historical arenas. Today he is hailed as a hero by some, condemned as a drunkard by others. Paul R. Wylie now offers a definitive biography of this nineteenth-century figure who has long remained an enigma. The Irish General first recalls Meagher’s life from his boyhood and leadership of Young Ireland in the revolution of 1848, to his exile in Tasmania and escape to New York, where he found fame as an orator and as editor of the Irish News . He served in the Civil War—viewing the Union Army as training for a future Irish revolutionary force—and rose to the rank of brigadier general leading the famous Irish Brigade. Wylie traces Meagher’s military career in detail through the Seven Days battles, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. Wylie then recounts Meagher’s final years as acting governor of Montana Territory, sorting historical truth from false claims made against him regarding the militia he formed to combat attacking American Indians, and plumbing the mystery surrounding his death. Even as Meagher is lauded in most Irish histories, his statue in front of Montana’s capitol is viewed by some with contempt. The Irish General brings this multi-talented but seriously flawed individual to life, offering a balanced picture of the man and a captivating reading experience.

Genres: History, Civil War, American History, Biography

416 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a native of Montana, I am embarrassed to admit that Paul Wylie's text was my first introduction to Thomas Francis Meagher. With Meagher's heroic accomplishments in his native Ireland and in the United States during the Civil War, his brief stint in Montana territory could easily be overlooked if it had not been the site of his tragic demise. Wylie has provided a well-researched and engaging biography of the Irish General that spans his wide-ranging career. As a revolutionary leader, general and temporary territorial governor, Meagher's life was certainly both heroic and controversial. Paul Wylie's particularly impressive study of Meagher's time in Montana is emblematic of this dichotomy. For the most part, the author succeeds in presenting both of these sides to Meagher's legacy. However, if the book contains one fault it may be Wylie's sympathy for his subject and tendency to defend Thomas Francis Meagher's faults. Ultimately, I recommend The Irish General and look forward to further works by the author.

[Marc Lichtman · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a "Woke" book entitled How the Irish Became White which is so anxious to show that most Irish immigrants were racists that it fails to mention Thomas Francis Meagher. I think this was clearly intentional. Meagher was the leader of an attempt at Irish revolution in 1848, and like many of the German exiles from their failed revolution of the same year, wound up in the United States, and played a big role in the Union army.

Meagher, realizing what the war was about, became an abolitionist, something he hadn't really thought about before. He rose to the rank of brigadier general leading the famous Irish Brigade and was involved in other parts of the war as well. He's worth reading about.

[N.W. Moors · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew a little about Thomas Francis Meagher before I picked up this book on the recommendation of my sister. I'd stayed in the Granville Hotel and read the plaque there; the building was once Meagher's home where he was born in Waterford. I'm also a fan of the band Solas who put out a great album called Shamrock City about the Irish in Montana. But I knew little about the 1848 rebellion and decided to read this to find out more.
I came away a bit disillusioned. The author does a fine job in detailing Meagher's life using letters, newspaper articles, and other original material. Meagher and the Young Irelanders come across as spoiled rich men more interested in oratory and politics than the suffering of their fellow Irish in the famine. The sentence of transportation to New Zealand contrasts sharply with the hanging sentences of Henry Joy McCracken and Theobald Wolf Tone, or the later deaths in the 1916 uprising.
Meagher's escape to America again compares poorly to the many others who died or were forever exiled to Australia and New England.
His exploits in the Civil War were often personally brave, but it's hard to forgive his recruitment of Irish immigrants to be butchered on the battlefield since it appeared to me to be for his own aggrandizement. Maybe I'm being too hard on Meagher, but aside from his oratory, I find it hard to decide what made his life noteworthy. His later appointment in Montana was marred by his drinking and poverty. The biggest reason he seems to be remembered is the mystery of his death.
Mr. Wylie has done a fine job documenting this life and it's not his fault I didn't care much for Meagher or find his life intriguing.

[Catherine Wylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wylie's book is very well researched and well written. I not only learned about the very rich and flawed life of an infamous Irish general and rebel, but I also learned a good deal about the historical struggles in Ireland that inspired him. I learned much about the Civil War, as well as how communication and politics worked around the war. I learned still more about early Western history as it applied to newly developing territories.

If you have any interest in Montana history at all, this book is a must read. The author provides a colorful and detailed, very human picture of what Montana was like when it was first forming. This includes some history of the sociopolitical struggles between the settlers and the Native Americans as well.

Meagher was certainly a very colorful and very interesting character who suffered many ups and downs and wore quite a few important hats in his day. Even Meagher's mysterious death is well researched. "The Irish General" is a real page-turner overall.

[Gregg Sapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Francis Meagher (1823-1867) could be a cad, a blowhard, and a self-serving career builder. Twice, he abandoned his first wife when she was pregnant, and he never saw his only surviving son. He was a hard drinker whose alcoholic proclivities derailed promising careers in the military, on the lecture circuit, then in politics. However, he was a sincere and passionate revolutionary for the cause of Irish independence, who was at one time sentenced to death for espousing anti-British views.

Nobody was a more stirring orator. When asked if he’d forsake violence in support for Irish freedom, the 23 year old delivered his most famous speech:

“…Abhor the sword? Stigmatise the sword? No, my lord, for at its blow, and in the quivering of its crimson light a giant nation sprang up from the waters of the Atlantic, and by its redeeming magic the fettered colony became a republic. Abhor the sword? Stigmatise the sword? My lord, I learned that it was the right of a nation to govern itself… This, the first article of a national’s creed, I learned upon those ramparts, where freedom was justly estimated, and the possession of the precious gift was purchased by the effusion of generous blood.”

Lionized as “Meagher of the Sword,” he proved his mettle in his native Ireland, as well in America during the Civil War, when he led the famous Irish Brigade. So, while Meagher could certainly “talk the talk,” he also “walked the walk” with conspicuous swagger.

Paul Wylie’s readable and impeccably researched biography of Meagher is at once fast-paced enough for general readers (ex., where it cover’s Meagher rabble-rousing in Ireland, his exile in Tasmania, his myriad travels before reaching New York, the vicissitudes of his life in America) and sufficiently detailed to satisfy historians and scholars (such as the complexities in Meagher’s war record). While Meagher is hardly among the most famous actors of the Civil War era, and he is likewise largely forgotten in his role as the de facto first territorial governor of Montana, his adventures are well worth re-telling.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw this book over the weekend at the Bull Run gift shop. One of my favorite historical people, looking forward to reading the book.

A good overview of Meagher's life, which looks at both his faults and accomplishments.

[Marvin Soroos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sound history, but more detailed than I would have liked.