Irish Confederates: The Civil War’s Forgotten Soldiers - Softcover

Tucker, Phillip Thomas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1893114538 ISBN 13: 9781893114531

Publisher: State House Press, 2007

Synopsis

Contemporary Civil War scholarship has brought to light the important roles certain ethnic groups played during that tumultuous time in our nation's history. The axiom that the winners of wars write the histories is especially valid in regard to the story of the Irish who fought for the Confederacy from 1861–1865. Throughout the course of the Civil War, Irish Confederates made invaluable contributions to all aspects of the war effort. Yet, the Irish have largely been the forgotten soldiers of the South. In Irish Confederates: The Civil War's Forgotten Soldiers, Tucker illuminates these overlooked participants.
 

About this title

About the Author:

PHILLIP THOMAS TUCKER, winner of the Douglas Southall Freeman Award in 1993, has written fifteen books on Civil War, Irish, and African American history. He is an historian for the United States Air Force in Washington, D.C., and lives in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

In 1982, two respected scholars, Dr. Grady McWhiney and Dr. Perry D. Jamieson, produced the ground-breaking book: Attack and Die: Civil War Military Tactics an the Southern Heritage. The central thesis of this work was that the Confederacy bled itself to death by an over-reliance on the tactical offensive in part because of the offensive lessons of the Mexican War, before advances in weaponry--primarily the rifled musket--made those offensive tactics largely obsolete. This work maintained that the Southerners' heavy reliance on the tactical offensive throughout the war resulted from the cultural and historical legacy of a Celtic past. For centuries, Celtic warriors were not only noted for their ferocity in combat but also for their over-reliance on offensive warfare, regardless of the odds or situation.

About this edition

• Publisher: State House Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1893114538
• ISBN 13: 9781893114531
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128