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The Minstrel Boys |
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Faugh-a-Ballagh! |
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Recreating the role of the Irish in the American Civil War 1861-65 |
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History of the 28th Massachusetts Volunteers |
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The 28th assault Marye’s Heights at Fredericksburg. During the battle 28th were the only regiment of the Irish Brigade to carry their green flag. The other regiments having sent theirs back to New York for repair. Picture by Don Troiani. |
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Raised from the Irish population of Boston, the 28th Massachusetts Volunteers officially became a regiment in the union army on the 31st December 1861. After being involved in a number of minor actions along the coast of South Carolina, the regiment was transferred to the Army of the Potomac just in time to be badly mauled at the battles of 2nd Bull Run and Chantilly, where they lost over 200 men killed, wounded and missing.
At the bloody battle of Antietam in September 1642, the regiment was stationed on the left of the Union Army as part of Gen. Reno’s IX Corps. During the battle they crossed ‘Burnside’s Bridge’ and occupied the town of Sharpsburg, only to find themselves outflanked by C0nfederate reinforcements and forced to retire. |
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had gone forward and been shot down, now it was the turn of the Irish Brigade. Placing sprigs of boxwood in their caps, the Irish came forward bravely only to be met by a storm of lead. Again and again they rallied and attacked, many coming to within a few feet of the wall, only to be mown down by the deadly hail of fire directed against them. When nightfall mercifully brought the battle to a close, the 28th had lost 157 dead, wounded or missing. The army retreated into winter quarters where the 28th and the other regiments rebuilt their shattered ranks. A more detailed account of the Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg can be found here.
Gettysburg The rest of the winter of 1862/63 saw the regiment in winter quarters rebuilding after the heavy losses at Fredericksburg. The regiment again took the field in May 1863 where they were involved in the fighting at Chancellorsville. Although not heavily engaged, they played an important role in saving the guns of the 5th Maine from capture.
The 2nd July found the Irish Brigade involved in the titanic struggle at Gettysburg. Stationed on the left of the Union army at the southern end of Cemetery Ridge, the brigade advanced into the Wheat Field, driving the Confederates back before itself being forced to halt by the sheer volume of fire thrown against it. Once again the 28th suffered heavy losses with 107 men killed, wounded or missing. The heavy fighting in the Wheat Field was of vital importance in preventing the collapse of the Union army’s left flank.
Grant’s Campaigns 1864 By the spring of Gen. Grant had taken charge of the Army of the Potomac and decided on a strategy of continuous battles of attrition to wear down the outnumbered Confederates. As a consequence, throughout the months of May and June the regiment was involved in attack after attack on strong Rebel positions in difficult terrain. At the Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor the 28th suffered over 280 casualties. At Spotsylvania they bravely charged the ‘Bloody Angle’ taking the Confederate positions at Bayonet point before being driven back by weight of numbers. The losses in these battles were such that by the summer of 1644 when the survivors settled down to the siege of Petersburg, the 28th no longer constituted a regiment in anything but name.
The End Although the 28th was reinforced during the winter of 1864/64 and took part in a number of minor skirmishes during the spring, the war was effectively over. In June the regiment was mustered out of service of the Union and the men returned home. The regiment was repeatedly cited for its heroism and reckless courage under fire, and altogether, some 257 men (25%) of the 1,796 who served in this regiment gave their lives in the service of their new country. Another 444 (43%) were discharged from the regiment due to wounds and other disabilities. According to Fox, the 28th Massachusetts ranks 7th in the total number of combat-related losses of all the regiments that served the Union.
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The Irish Brigade In November the Regiment was transferred to the famous Irish Brigade under Gen. Meagher, becoming the 4th Regiment in the Brigade. The Regiment also took charge of a new green flag bearing the harp, the traditional symbol of Ireland and the regimental motto ‘Faugh-a-Ballagh’ Irish for ‘Clear the Way’. The following month they marched with their new comrades to the town of Fredericksburg.
Fredericksburg On the 13th December General Burnside decided to attack the Confederates strongly entrenched on high ground known as Marye’s Heights. At the foot of the Heights was a stone wall bristling with Confederate rifles. Other brigades |
