The Green and the Gray: The Irish in the Confederate States of America by David T. Gleeson (review)

David T. Gleeson has written an engaging and penetrating study of the Irish experience in the South during the mid-nineteenth century. While there have been some recent studies on the Irish in the North during the Civil War era, there have been few studies to explore the Irish in the South during the same period. In the six chapters of the book, Gleeson considers questions related to the Irish in the Confederacy, including slavery, war, immigration, nationalism, the influence of the Catholic Church, and Irish identity. In The Green and the Gray, Gleeson aims “not merely to outline the Irish involvement with the Confederacy but to analyze its significance, for both the Irish and the Confederacy” (1). Most importantly, Gleeson believes, the book “will add to our comprehension of the Confederacy and Irish America in general, ultimately challenging popular images of each” (1). The author considers the Irish experience during this period by examining a number of key southern cities with significant Irish populations, including Mobile, Alabama. It offers an informative look at how the Irish in Mobile responded to secession, war, and Reconstruction.

Gleeson begins his examination by addressing the issue of Irish reluctance to support secession and their relationship with the national Democratic Party. Despite the South’s clamor for secession, “many Irish remained loyal to the national Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Stephen Douglas of Illinois,” (10) in the presidential election of 1860. This support prevented the Irish from totally embracing secession. The party continued to receive support from Irish immigrants who were “attracted to its rhetoric of the common man as well as its pro-immigration platform” (10). In Mobile, Douglas received “more than double his statewide percentage” (32). However, Lincoln’s election provided the motivation for the Irish to break with the national Democrats in support of secession.

Once the war began, Irish Confederates desired to be recognized as loyal supporters of the Confederacy, but it also became important to them to be identified with their ethnicity. Consequently, as Confederate military units were being organized “Irish heroes and themes dominated the specifically Irish ethnic units that served in the Confederate army” (46). Confederate Protestants and Catholics united in their desire for victory over their common enemy. While few Irish owned slaves, this was not an impediment to their willingness to fight to preserve it. The author’s analysis of the Irish Confederate casualty and desertion rates exhibits valuable information to understanding the Irish Confederate war experience. Among the Irish Confederate units listed, the Emerald Guards of Mobile experienced the highest casualty rate. As the war dragged on, some Irish began to lose their enthusiasm for the fight. The hardships of war were becoming a reality at home and on the battlefield.

Gleeson describes in impressive detail the influence of the Catholic Church in the Confederacy and its significance in motivating Irish to support the southern cause. The Roman Catholic Church held a prominent place in the lives of the Irish immigrants and “it was the Catholic clergy and sisters who natives saw as the leaders and role models of the Irish community” (150). Gleeson argues, “the position of the Catholic Church on the Confederacy was fundamental [. . .] in determining significant Irish support for the new nation” (150). Irish-born Bishop John Quinlan of Mobile, for example, strongly supported secession. The author concludes that, with few exceptions, the “Catholic Confederate bishops remained paragons of Confederate patriotism even as the euphoria of 1861 subsided” (161).

With the collapse of the Confederacy in 1865, the Irish accepted the outcome and began to come to terms with what this would mean for them. However, like most southerners, “the Irish became implacable opponents of the Radicals and efforts to integrate African Americans into southern politics” (187) during Reconstruction. Due primarily to their...