the gallant services of the renowned Corcoran Legion, for, in simple
justice, all of the regiments composing the Brigade and the Legion must
be regarded as branches of the parent tree, the root of which was the
old 69th Regiment of ’51, which has continuously flourished so far for
nigh a decade more than a full half century. The exchange of Colonel
Corcoran as a prisoner of war was effected through the instrumentality
of President Lincoln, August 15, 1862, more than a year after his having
fallen into Confederate hands, and he was at once commissioned Brigadier
General, with rank and pay dating from the day of his capture over a
year before. His reception upon his return to the City of New York was
most enthusiastic, he having endeared himself to its people, not only by
his brilliant and daring actions in the field, but by his heroic conduct
in refusing liberty upon the condition that he would not again take up
arms in his country’s cause. The Legion was at once organized and was
composed of the 155th, 164th, 170th and 69th (subsequently changed to
the 182d to avoid confusion) Regiments, New York Volunteers. General
Corcoran reported with his command to General John A. Dix, at Fortress
Monroe, in November, 1862. The Legion was in active service for nearly
three years and participated in many of the bloodiest battles of the
war, among them Suffolk, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Reams Station and
Port Hudson. Upon these and other fields it served and fought, lavish of
blood, reckless of life, mindful only of the honor of the race and the
preservation of our glorious Union of States. After Fredericksburg, the
remnant of the 69th Regiment continued in the service, fought at
Chancellorsville May 3d, 1863, and at Gettysburg July 1st, upon whose
historic ground a beautiful Celtic Cross has since been erected by the
State of New York as a testimonial of appreciation of the splendid
services rendered to the Union cause by the Irish Brigade and of the
heroism, sacrifice and patriotism of its members.
After Gettysburg, recrossing the Potomac, the regiment participated in
actions at Auburn Ford, Bristow Station and the Mine Run Campaign. By
this time it was practically wiped out and returned to New York City
January 2, 1864, where it was recruited nearly up to its original
strength and returned to the front. On May 4th, crossing the Rapidan, it
took part in the Battle of Spottsylvania, May 8, where it met with heavy
loss. It was again in action May 27th at Totopotomoy Creek, and at Cold
Harbor on June 3d. It later participated in the siege of Petersburg.
Colonel Nugent, who had commanded the regiment through the greater part
of its long campaigning, was again with it at Hatchers Run, Five Forks,
Southerland Station, South Side Railroad, Amelia Springs, Farmville, and
down to Appomattox, April 9, 1865.
When General Grant determined upon demanding the surrender of the
Confederate forces, the first communication upon this subject was
carried by Colonel Nugent to an officer of General Lee’s Army. This
famous order was as follows:
“April 7, 1865.
“_General_:
“The result of the last week must convince you of the hopelessness of
further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia in
this struggle. I feel that it is so, and regard it as my duty to shift
from myself the responsibility of any further effusion of blood by
asking of you the surrender of that portion of the Confederate States
Army known as the Army of Northern Virginia.
“(Signed) U. S. GRANT,
“_Lieutenant General_.”
Thus from Bull Run to Appomattox, from the firing upon Sumter to the
fall of Richmond, the 69th Regiment was in continuous service,
participating in all the decisive battles of a four years’ war
unsurpassed in magnitude and fierceness. When mustered out of the
service, after passing in the grand review at the National Capitol, May,
1865, with decimated ranks and shattered banners, it could claim the
proud record of never having disobeyed an order, of never having lost a
flag. In Fox’s Regimental Losses in the Civil War the 69th heads the
roll of regiments recruited in the Empire State in the number of killed
and wounded.
By Chap. 477, L. 1862, passed April 23, entitled “An Act to provide for
the enrollment of the Militia, the organization and discipline of the
National Guard of the State of New York, and for the public defense,”
the uniformed and equipped militia of the State became recognized as the
National Guard. The 69th Militia as the 69th regiment, National Guard,
entered the service of the United States in May of that year and served
until the September following, when it was mustered out. It was again in
the service of the United States for the thirty days between June 25th
and July 25th, 1863, and again in 1864, it was mustered into the service
of the general government for three months, or until October of that
year. Colonel Bagley was in command of the regiment during these years
and until February, 1866, when General Martin T. McMahon was selected to
succeed him. This distinguished citizen soldier merits more than passing
notice. He, with two of his brothers, served with distinction during the
great war; one of them—John Eugene McMahon, Colonel of the 164th
Regiment, New York Volunteers, Corcoran Legion, died of disease
contracted in the service in March, 1863, and the other, James Powers
McMahon, who after serving as Lieutenant Colonel of the 155th New York
Volunteers, was selected to succeed his deceased brother as Colonel of
the 164th. This daring soldier was killed in action at Cold Harbor, June
3, 1864, while planting the colors of his regiment on the breastworks of
the enemy, in the midst of a hailstorm of bullets, and performing “as
proud a feat of arms” as was ever recorded in history. The following
extract of a letter from General Thomas Francis Meagher shortly
preceding his death describes in glowing words the heroism of James P.
McMahon, at Cold Harbor:
“Next came the news that McMahon—planting his colors with his own hands
on the enemy’s works—planting them there with a boldness worthy of the
grand soldier name he bore, and which perhaps the recollection of the
Malakoff and its Irish Conqueror may have inspired, was stricken down by
the bullets he so splendidly defied. Who of the old Brigade—the favorite
Brigade of Sumner and Richardson—can forget the dashing, handsome,
indefatigable soldier, with his strictly defined features, oftentimes
with the enthusiasm, sometimes with the scorn and haughtiness of a true
blooded Celt, with a heart for hospitality, with a soul for glory, and
scorn and sarcasm for what was mean, and a quick look and blow for what
was treacherous—who can forget his fine bearing, erect and graceful, his
rare heartiness, the decisive character of his intellect, his high
pride, his humor, his physical activity, all those healthy and superior
gifts which made him a soldier at the start, and qualified him even in
the first hours of boyhood to be a conspicuous exponent of his martial
race and kindred—who can forget all this whenever that grand picture of
McMahon, planting the colors of his regiment in the face of the fire
storm, and foot to foot with the desperate foe, is spoken of in the Camp
and by the Survivors of the Irish Brigade of the Army of the Potomac?”
The survivor of these three young Irish American brothers, General
Martin T. McMahon, had a distinguished career alike in civil and in
military life. He was appointed Captain and Aide-de-Camp on the Staff of
General George B. McClellan, October 25, 1861, and on the 29th of
October, 1862, became Adjutant and Chief of Staff of the 6th Army Corps,
successively commanded by Colonels W. B. Franklin, John Sedgwick, and
Horatio G. Wright. He was brevetted Colonel August 1st, 1864, and
Brigadier and Major General, March 13, 1865. In civil life General
McMahon was most distinguished; he was a member of the Bar of the State
of New York, of recognized standing and ability for a great many years,
and served as a public officer in the National, State and City
Governments with ability and integrity, winning general public approval.
He was appointed United States Minister to Paraguay in 1868, and was
subsequently Corporation Attorney of New York City, Receiver of Taxes,
and in 1885 was appointed by President Cleveland United States Marshal
for the Southern District of New York. He served in the Senate and
Assembly of the State of New York, and at the time of his lamented death
on April 21, 1906, was a Judge of the Court of General Sessions, the
highest court of exclusive criminal jurisdiction. His honored remains
were accorded soldierly sepulchre in the National Cemetery at Arlington,
where thousands of his comrades of war’s dread days rest peacefully,
awaiting the trumpet of the resurrection, and over whose arched
entrances are engraven the touching lines of the hero-poet:
On fame’s eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread,
And glory guards with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead.
A splendid type of an American and a true scion of the stock that has
furnished statesmen and soldiers to many lands and had given to the
Second French Empire its ablest Marshal, and to the Republic of France a
President, whose fame is so universal that a single descriptive word
would be superfluous.
General McMahon’s successor was Colonel James Cavanagh, a veteran of one
hundred fields, known to many of us and beloved by all, who was retired
December 1st, 1893, with brevet rank of Brigadier General, who was
followed in command by Colonel George Moore Smith, August 9, 1895, who,
on July 1, 1901, was commissioned Brigadier General, and in October
following was assigned to the command of the First Brigade of the
National Guard.
The breaking out of the War with Spain in the Spring of 1898 afforded
another opportunity for the conspicuous display of the spirit of valor
and loyalty that at all times animates the officers and men of the 69th.
Major General Roe, the commander of the National Guard of the State of
New York, at that time was desirous of ascertaining the number of
members in the different regiments that could be relied upon to
volunteer for service beyond the territorial boundaries of the State,
and directed the various regimental commanders to question their
officers and men upon the subject. Lieutenant Colonel Edward Duffy was
then in command of the 69th, and his answer was immediate and
characteristic: “The 69th will volunteer to a unit to serve anywhere
that the country might require its services.” Upon his return to the
Armory after this interview with General Roe, Colonel Duffy issued Order
No. 47, which bears date April 1st, 1898, and contains the following
stirring words:
“The Commanding Officer, mindful of the record and traditions of the
regiment, rests assured of the enthusiastic support and co-operation
of every member, and takes occasion to impress upon all the necessity
for the vigorous recruiting of the different companies, so that our
ranks may be swelled to full numbers. The example of our heroic
predecessors of 1861 should be always before us, and it should be our
pride to emulate their glorious conduct if called upon to vindicate
the nation’s honor and defend in any quarter the flag of our country.”
The strength of the regiment at this time was thirty-one officers and
five hundred and twenty-nine enlisted men. On the 28th of April Colonel
Duffy received authority to recruit the regiment to twelve companies of
three officers and eighty-one men each, and so rapidly was this work
performed, that on the 2d of May the regiment left its armory for Camp
Black, Hempstead Plains, Long Island, with full ranks, and was mustered
into the service of the United States on May 19th following, on which
occasion it was presented with a stand of colors by the Friendly Sons of
St. Patrick of the City of New York. Describing the scene of this
presentation in _The Criterion_ the distinguished Irish-American
dramatist, poet and journalist, Joseph I. C. Clarke,[4] said:
“The deeper notes in the diapason of history vibrate in us, and Irish
brigades of other centuries and other lands seem once more enacting
their outlined braveries beneath many skies, under many banners
fluttering in a breeze as fresh as that blowing cool and damp in our
faces now. In a good round voice a civilian orator, Judge Fitzgerald,
is telling without oratorical periphrase what the gathering means. His
sentences tell clearly that the thousand men before him love the great
land of their adoption, the great State that sends them forth and the
land that gave them or their fathers birth—a Shamrock of love, he says
poetically. As he speaks, flag after flag is unfurled—first the red,
white and blue of the Stars and Stripes, eagle crowned; next the white
figured flag of the State of New York, and last the green sunburst
flag of Ireland, surmounted by a gold pikehead, all brave and
beautiful, and each one flapping and whipping from its staff like a
great tropical bird first trying its bright wings upon the wind. Cheer
upon cheer rises from the crowd, and rolls back as in echo from the
regiment. Colonel Duffy salutes, and says briefly that his regiment
thanks the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick for their silken gift, and
says for his men that they will carry the flags to the war with pride
and bring them home without stain. It is all very simple and in
proportion touching.”
The regiment left Camp Black, on Hempstead Plains, for Chickamauga,
under orders to report to General John R. Brooke, of the United States
Army, at that point, and its march through the City of New York on May
24th was a memorable and notable event. The _New York Herald_ of the
succeeding day said:
“Not since the stirring days of ‘ ’61’ has New York so thrilled with
patriotic fervor as it did yesterday, when the 69th Regiment marched
through the city on its way to the front. If they had been
battle-scarred heroes of one hundred fights, Colonel Duffy and his
boys could not have received a more enthusiastic welcome than that
which greeted them. From East to West through the city they marched
amid a flourish of flags, and the tramp of their feet was lost in the
cheers that roared from tens of thousands of throats. Fifth Avenue and
Tenth Avenue united in enthusiasm. Truck drivers and longshoremen did
not shout louder than bankers and clubmen, and the fluttering flags in
Fifth Avenue were not less numerous than the banners that waived from
factories and tenements.”
Sub-joined is a list of the officers composing the Field, Staff and Line
of the Regiment as it marched through the City on that bright May day,
when, after thirty-five years of peace, the dark shadow of war again
clouded the horizon of the Republic.
FIELD AND STAFF.
Colonel—Edward Duffy.
Lieutenant Colonel—Joseph L. Donovan.
Majors—Thomas F. Lynch, Michael J. Spellman, Edward T. McCrystal.
Adjutants—John A. Davidson, May 2–Nov. 19th; Granville T. Emmet, Sept.
21–Jan. 31st.
Quartermaster—James M. Cronin, May 2–Oct. 17th.
Surgeons—George D. Ramsey, Francis L. Oswald.
Assistant Surgeons—John H. Fuchsius, Robert M. Daly.
Chaplain—Rev. William J. B. Daly.
Co. “A”—Michael Lynch, Captain; Patrick M. Harran, 1st Lieut.; William
F. Guilfoyle, 2d Lieut.
Co. “B”—Peter W. Maguire, Captain; John J. Henry, 1st Lieut.; Martin
L. Crimmins, 2d Lieut.; Martin O’Neill, 2d Lieut.
Co. “C”—John J. Kennedy, Captain; Patrick J. McKenna, 1st Lieut.;
Felix McSherry, 2d Lieut.
Co. “D”—James Plunket, Captain; James J. Tuite, 1st Lieut.;
Christopher H. R. Woodward, 2d Lieut.
Co. “E”—Michael J. Ryan, Captain; John F. Bolger, 1st Lieut.; John P.
Scanlan, 2d Lieut.
Co. “F”—Anthony J. Griffin, Captain; Phillip E. Reville, 1st Lieut.;
James H. Little, 2d Lieut.
Co. “G”—John E. Duffy, Captain; Bernard F. Cummins, 1st Lieut.;
William J. Costigan, 2d Lieut.
Co. “H”—Daniel C. Devlin, Captain; Timothy H. Leary, 1st Lieut.;
William W. Bryant, 2d Lieut.
Co. “I”—Charles Healy, Captain; Patrick J. Mollohan, 1st Lieut.;
Daniel P. Sullivan, 2d Lieut.
Co. “K”—Daniel McCarthy, Captain; Francis J. Keaney, 1st Lieut.;
Edward P. Gilgar, 2d Lieut.
Co. “L”—Hugh J. Barron, Captain; Francis J. Cronin, 1st Lieut.;
William J. P. McCrystal, 2d Lieut.
Co. “M”—John J. Roche, Captain; John P. Devane, 1st Lieut.; Leo F.
Rooney, 2d Lieut.
May 27th the regiment arrived at Chickamauga and was attached to the 2d
Division of the Third Army Corps, and on May 30th proceeded to Tampa,
Florida, under orders to report to General Carpenter, and was assigned
to the 2d Brigade, 2d Division, 4th Army Corps. June 5th it was placed
in the 2d Brigade of the 3d Division, commanded by General Guy V. Henry,
and was sent forward to Fernandina, Florida. The regiment was honored by
visits from Governor Black of New York, Governor Shaw of Iowa, and
Secretary of War Alger, and took part in the general review of the 4th
Corps, at Huntsville, Alabama, September 23, 1898. Impressed with the
appearance of the regiment upon this occasion, the Brigade Commander
addressed the following note of congratulation to Colonel Duffy:
“_My dear Colonel_:
“I desire to express my admiration of the magnificent appearance made
by your regiment today. The Sixty-ninth is certainly a fine example of
the volunteer soldier, and you can well, with your brother officers,
feel proud of so efficient a regiment. Promptness is the foundation of
all military efficiency; your command was halted in position assigned
for the formation for review exactly on time. With best wishes for
yourself and splendid command.
“Respectfully,
“(Signed) JAMES RUSH LINCOLN,
“_Brigadier General Vols._”
The regiment remained in the service of the United States until the 31st
of January, 1899, on which date it returned home and received a
magnificent welcome, significantly demonstrative of the warm affection
and pride in which its officers and men were held by the people of the
City of New York. On the evening of this day the regiment was honorably
mustered out of the service of the United States. Upon its discharge by
the general government, the regiment at once resumed its former position
in the National Guard of the State.
The cornerstone of the new Armory was laid April 23, 1904, the
forty-fourth anniversary of the departure of the regiment for the Civil
War. This splendidly equipped building, from a military standpoint, on
the west side of Lexington Avenue, between 25th and 26th Streets, was
completed within two years. It occupies the entire front on the Avenue,
extending in depth over 300 feet, and is provided with every modern
requirement. On October 13, 1906, the regiment left its old armory over
Tompkins Market, and made its formal entry into its new home, on which
occasion it was escorted by the 7th Regiment, the Old Guard, 1st and 2d
Batteries of New York, and the 9th Regiment of Boston, that justly
renowned Irish-American Military organization of the old Bay State.
At the Dinner given by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick on the evening
of May 20, 1902, in honor of the representatives of the government of
the French Republic, at the unveiling of the Rochambeau Statue at
Washington, the delegates were escorted by the 69th to Delmonico’s. In
response to a toast, Admiral Fournier of the French Navy said: “The 69th
Regiment reminded me by its very appearance of a crack French regiment
on parade.”
[Illustration:
CAPTAIN JAMES CONNOLLY,
of Coronado, Cal.
Vice-President of the Society for California.
]
Again on the 17th of March, 1905, the regiment escorted the Hon.
Theodore Roosevelt to the 121st Annual Dinner of the Friendly Sons of
St. Patrick, the first appearance of Mr. Roosevelt at any public
function in his native city after his installation in the high office of
President of the United States for the term for which he had been
elected. In his address upon that occasion President Roosevelt said:
“I wish to express at the outset my special sense of obligation—and I
know that no one present will grudge me doing so—my special sense of
obligation to Colonel Duffy and the officers and men of the 69th, who
were my escort today. I shall write Col. Duffy later making formal
acknowledgment to the regiment of my appreciation, but I wish to
express it thus fully tonight.”
Colonel Duffy commanded the regiment during the Spanish War and for many
years after its discharge from the service of the United States and
return to its position in the National Guard of the State. He is
entitled to great credit for the energy, industry and persistency with
which he labored, happily successfully, to secure for the regiment the
new armory into which he had the pleasure of leading it. Colonel Duffy
enlisted as a private in Company “E,” June 3, 1867; promoted Corporal
May 14, 1868; Sergeant, September 10, 1868; First Lieutenant, March 14,
1871; Regimental Adjutant, December 31, 1874; Major, September 10, 1875;
Lieutenant Colonel, March 25, 1896; Colonel, April 13, 1898, and was
brevetted Brigadier General August 14, 1903, for long and meritorious
service, and after forty-two years of continuous service was retired, at
his own request, in 1909, with the rank of Brigadier General, since
which time the regiment has been under the command of Lieutenant Colonel
Louis D. Conley, a young officer of experience and capacity, who is
zealously laboring to maintain the high record of the regiment for
efficiency.
A grave injustice has resulted for years owing to the defective records
of the Adjutant General’s Office, no mention appearing therein of the
services rendered during the Civil War by the 69th Volunteers of the
Irish Brigade or of the Irish Legion. These omissions are about being
supplied, as appears from the following letters, composing a part of a
correspondence upon the subject, and as it is a most interesting matter
of recent occurrence, I give them in full as kindly furnished me by the
courtesy of Colonel Conley:
“SIXTY-NINTH REGIMENT INFANTRY NATIONAL GUARD, NEW YORK,
“68 Lexington Avenue,
“New York, December 17th, 1909.
“LIEUT.-COLONEL CHAUNCEY P. WILLIAMS, ALBANY, NEW YORK.
“_My dear Colonel Williams_:
“Under date of August 9th, 1909, we forwarded to the Adjutant General,
S. N. Y., a summary of the record of the regiment for insertion in the
official register, together with a list of engagements for which we
requested authority to place silver service rings on our colors.
“Receipt of our communication was acknowledged over your signature on
September 3, 1909, and further information was asked in regard to
certain engagements, and as to difference in dates of others. We sent
the required information through the channel on October 8th, 1909,
together with a revised list of engagements, and we have not heard
anything further in regard to the matter.
“We would like very much to have the matter adjusted in time to permit
of its being included in the official register for 1909, and to have
the required authority as to the silver rings published in orders
before the end of the year.
“Knowing your familiarity with the subject and feeling that had you
remained at General Headquarters the matter would have been favorably
acted upon by this time, I am taking the liberty to ask if you would
be kind enough to use your good offices with the Adjutant General to
have the matter approved before January 1, 1910.
“With best wishes, I am,
“Yours sincerely,
“(Signed) LOUIS D. CONLEY,
“_Lieut.-Colonel_.”
“HEADQUARTERS DIVISION NATIONAL GUARD, STATE OF NEW YORK, “CAPITOL,
ALBANY, December 20th, 1909.
“COLONEL LOUIS D. CONLEY, 69TH REGIMENT, N. G. N. Y., NEW YORK CITY.
“_My dear Colonel Conley_:
“I have just received your favor of the seventeenth instant, having
been on duty in New York City on Friday and Saturday last.