Kevin O'Beirne
01-01-2008, 07:31 AM
I found this in some of my old scribblings and thought it worth posting to observe the start of a new year.
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Below is an excerpt from the January 17, 1863 issue of the New York City newspaper, Irish American, written by a commissioned officer of the 69th New York National Guard Artillery [this regiment was renamed as the 182nd New York Volunteer Infantry in early 1864], regarding the arrival of the Irish brigade known as Corcoran's Irish Legion [comprised of the 69th NYNGA, 155th NY, 164th NY, 170th NY, and 175th NY] in the town of Suffolk, Virginia in the final days of December 1862:
"The few ... residents to be found are Secessionists to the heart's core; and, at the hotel where I stayed a few days, their impression of the Corcoran Legion was that we were barbarian Irishmen, who were to go through the town like ogres of old, destroying and devouring everything before us. They seemed surprised when we paid our bills; and when I told the landlord to have a tender young rebel cooked for General Corcoran's dinner, he did not appear to be sure whether I was joking or not; while the little .... slave cleaning the table looked almost white with consternation."
Regarding celebration of the New Year's holiday in camp, the same article noted,
"New Year's Day passed off very quietly with us; there were not as many sore heads next morning as some of us would have were we in New York; and we regretted that we had no opportunity of entertaining the men as we would like."
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Happy New Year! :)
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Below is an excerpt from the January 17, 1863 issue of the New York City newspaper, Irish American, written by a commissioned officer of the 69th New York National Guard Artillery [this regiment was renamed as the 182nd New York Volunteer Infantry in early 1864], regarding the arrival of the Irish brigade known as Corcoran's Irish Legion [comprised of the 69th NYNGA, 155th NY, 164th NY, 170th NY, and 175th NY] in the town of Suffolk, Virginia in the final days of December 1862:
"The few ... residents to be found are Secessionists to the heart's core; and, at the hotel where I stayed a few days, their impression of the Corcoran Legion was that we were barbarian Irishmen, who were to go through the town like ogres of old, destroying and devouring everything before us. They seemed surprised when we paid our bills; and when I told the landlord to have a tender young rebel cooked for General Corcoran's dinner, he did not appear to be sure whether I was joking or not; while the little .... slave cleaning the table looked almost white with consternation."
Regarding celebration of the New Year's holiday in camp, the same article noted,
"New Year's Day passed off very quietly with us; there were not as many sore heads next morning as some of us would have were we in New York; and we regretted that we had no opportunity of entertaining the men as we would like."
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Happy New Year! :)