Joe Clark’s Reviews > The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero > Status Update

Meagher goes down hill when the fruit of his preaching turns out to be his his beloved Irishmen dying by the thousands
He turns to drink and is forced out of the army
He decides to move west and gets a political appointment to Montana - where he immediately finds himself Acting Governor of a lawless territory ruled by a ruthless cabal

Meagher is forced into the Civil War by the attack on Fort Sumter. He raises a company of scruffy Irish immigrants. Their reckless valor makes them effective at the first Battle of Bull Run but Sherman, the commanding general has only contempt for the ragamuffins.
A brigade of Irishmen is raised and marches on Richmond with McClellan Their valor stands out but the losses are horrendous and heartbreaking.

Mawr meets Elizabeth Townsend and the two fall instantly in love but there are problems - he's a poor Irish immigrant and a Catholic at that. She's a rich WASP. But they it out - he becomes a highly successful barrister and she converts.
Tensions are rising throughout the 1850s. Mawr sides with those who oppose slavery but are unwilling to call for abolition in the South where it is legally established

Mahr marries and fathers a child while banished to the prison island of Tasmania His wife's love rekindles his spirit He escapes to America where he's hailed as a savior
He goes on speaking tours His wife reaches America but is unhappy with the hustle and bustle. She returns to England where he cannot step foot because of his so-called crimes. She dies giving birth to the second child
A depressed Mawh begins drinking