| American male citizens between 18 and 45 were | | | | York's welcoming arms. Doheny and the other exiled |
| subject to military service in the state militias and | | | | Young Irelanders as well as American Irish leaders in |
| nation. American Irish leaders adopted the idea that | | | | New York and elsewhere embraced Meagher. |
| service to New York State and by extension the | | | | Meagher also received an invitation from General |
| United States, could be used as a vehicle to create an | | | | Sandford to review the first division which he |
| Irish liberation army within the ranks of the militia. | | | | accepted. |
| The Irish Republican Union formed in New York City | | | | Meagher stood on the reviewing stand with Sandford. |
| for the purpose of aiding those of their countrymen | | | | His chest swelled as the Irish companies and regiments |
| who arrived sick and starving as a result of the Great | | | | of the division'sregiments passed in review. Meagher's |
| Famine find food, shelter and work. The Union formed | | | | agile mind quickly grasped thescene unfolding before |
| a military company in 1848. The leaders of the Union | | | | him. If these men had been Ireland four years ago, the |
| began to lobby for membership in the New York State | | | | revolution possibly would have succeeded rather than |
| Militia undergoing reorganization during this period.Their | | | | fizzle out as the Crown forces moved to arrest the |
| effort received a boost when the escaped leaders of | | | | leaders and drove others into exile. Meagher |
| the Young Ireland Movement arrived in New York and | | | | determined to call for a general muster of all Irish |
| began their efforts to free Ireland from England. They | | | | companies and regiments of New York City and |
| found sympathy and support from the American Irish | | | | State. |
| in the city. | | | | Tuesday 27 July 1852 was the time and Battery Park |
| Michael Doheny, a principal leaders of the Young | | | | the place chosen to parade New York's Irish military |
| Irelanders, saw that if these uniformed, trained Irishment | | | | organizations. America had never seen such a |
| had been In Ireland in 1848, the outcome of the failed | | | | gathering of Irish soldiers. New York City mustered all |
| rebellion might have been decidedly different. A lawyer | | | | its companies and regiments; Brooklyn and |
| by trade, Doheny gained admittance to the New York | | | | Williamsburg ( a separate city) sent their Irish units |
| bar and founded several Irish newspaper that agitated | | | | across the river; Jersey City, Newark and Paterson |
| for Ireland's independence from England. He melded | | | | represented New Jersey's Irish companies. The |
| with American Irish leaders such as James Huston and | | | | parade completed, the officers of the Irish regiments |
| Michael Phelan to push efforts to create an army for | | | | reparied to Castle Garden to deliver an address |
| service in Ireland when the time was right for another | | | | honoring Meagher. The Sixty-ninth's Lieutenant Colonel |
| try at revolution. | | | | Michael Dohany delivered the address. |
| The Union's military organization had grown to muster | | | | Meagher's reply called for an increase in Irish military |
| a regiment regularly organized according to the Militia | | | | organization in New York and other states with large |
| Law of New York. Michael Phelan, one of the | | | | numbers of Irish.The officers from New York's First |
| best-known Irishman in America, handled negotiations | | | | Division initiated steps to enlist another Irish rifle |
| with the division commander of New York City, Major | | | | regiment, the Fourth that day. |
| Charles W. Sandford and their provisional brigade | | | | Michael Phelan joined Doheny in agreeing to recruit and |
| commnder Brigadier General Charles Yates. Both | | | | train the new regiment. Phelan had a reputation for his |
| officers recommended inclusion of the Irish in the militia | | | | military acumen among the more militant members of |
| and Governor approved the petition 21 December | | | | the Irish Confederation.He had a hand in organizing the |
| 1849; the regiments was designated the Ninth | | | | Irish regiments in the city. The nucleus for the new |
| Regiment (1st Irish). The Ninth New York had organized | | | | regiment was the "Mitchel Light Guard" commanded |
| in 1799 and had a long and distinguished career of | | | | by Captain Joseph Brennan; the officers and men of |
| service to the state and nation. The Ninth, in common | | | | the company, except for Brennan himself, hailed from |
| with many other militia regiments, numbers had fallen | | | | County Waterford, meagher's home. The Smith |
| so it was a regiment in name only. The Militia Act of | | | | O'Brien Cadets were prevailed upon to join the Mitchel |
| 1846 consolidated or disbanded companies and | | | | Guard in the new regiment. This company had formed |
| regiments that were no longer viable organizations.The | | | | with the intention of joining the Ninth Regiment. The |
| old Ninth disbanded and the Irish Regiment assigned its | | | | new regiment numbered Seventy-fith in the New York |
| number. The First Irish Regiment, "The Michell Guard," | | | | Line, became known as the "Republican Rifles" with |
| became the first all Irish regiment in the New York | | | | Meagher as Colonel and Doheny Lieutenant Colonel in |
| State Militia. Benjamin Fenton Ferris commanded the | | | | 1852. |
| regiment. Doheny commanded Company C "Irish Pike | | | | The year 1852 was significant for the foundation of |
| Guard." Phelan commanded a company of the Ninth | | | | the "Silent Friends," later known as "Sinn Fein" |
| also. | | | | (Ourselves Alone). The movedment was founded by |
| The Ninth Regiment was the first regimental sized unit | | | | James Huston, a captain in the Ninth Regiment; the |
| in the New York Militia. Irish companies could be found | | | | idea and society rapidly caught on in the Ninth and |
| in almost all militia regiments of the state. Brooklyn, an | | | | Sixty-ninth Regiments and other Irish units in the city |
| independent city during the years prior to the Civil War, | | | | and spread across the East River to the Irish |
| located across the East River in King's and Queen's | | | | regiment and companies in the Second Division. All the |
| Counties, had a substansial Irish community. The | | | | Young Irelanders joined with American Irish in the new |
| Fourteenth Brooklyn Regiment boasted three Irish | | | | society. |
| companies and the Seventieth Regimanet (Cavalry) | | | | The Irish brigade began to unravel in 1854. The |
| had an Irish artillery company. The State Legistlature | | | | Seventy-second had become a |
| authorized a new regiment for King's and Queen's | | | | predominantly German as Irish members left the area |
| Counties to be numbered Seventy-second, eventually | | | | for other parts of the state and nation. One all Irish |
| becoming the "National Gurd" and later the "National | | | | company remained in the regiment. The Fourth Irish |
| Rifles" | | | | languished as Meagher, its titular commander |
| Irish patriot leaders decided to form a second Irish | | | | frequently left New York for speaking engagements |
| regiment following the plan to create an Irish Brigade | | | | to Irish citizens in other states and cities of the Union. |
| within the New York Militia. The Second Irish Regiment | | | | Meagher's message hammered home the creation of |
| opened recruiting offices in October 1851. The new | | | | a liberation army created by Irishmen forming |
| regiment mustered into state service 1 November | | | | armed and uniformed companies for the state |
| 1851and numbered Sixty-ninth. Dohney left the Ninth | | | | militias where they resided. Doheny was the defacto |
| Regiment and was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel | | | | commander of the regiment. December 1854 the |
| of the new regiment. Phelan remained with the Ninth. | | | | regiment was reorganized. The Christmas Day edition |
| These two regiments technically formed a brigade as | | | | of New York Times carried an article on the |
| the state militia statues stated brigades could be from | | | | accpetance of the reorganized regiment once |
| two to four regiments. The Ninth and Sixty-ninth | | | | commanded by Colonel Doheny. The retained the |
| served in the Second Brigade of the First Division, | | | | number Seventy-fifth, but the nom de guerre was "Irish |
| whose headquarters were in the city. The | | | | Rifles." The regiment had seven full companies, about |
| Seventy-second served in the Second Division. | | | | 350 men; John H. McCunn was commissioned Colonel. |
| By 1852 six thousand men were enrolled in the | | | | The Adjutant General's Report to the State Assembly |
| uniformed milita. Twenty-six hundred, one-third were | | | | stated that the Ninth and Seventy-fifth regiments were |
| Irish serving in the Ninth, Sixty-ninth regiments and | | | | amalgamated. The reports usually detailed is silent on |
| companies in other regiments within the city. | | | | the reason of consolidation. It might have been caused |
| The milita regiments of the first division played host to | | | | by the Panic of 1857 or the migration of Irishmen to the |
| visiting dignataries stopping the city. Lajos Kossuth, | | | | California and Colorado goldfields. It is also possible that |
| leader of the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1848, | | | | the declared intention of the Irish militia was the |
| stopped in the city on his tour of the United States. | | | | liberation of Ireland, may have triggered a diplomatic |
| Major General Sandford invited Kossuth to review the | | | | protest from England to the U.S. government. |
| division Twuesday 16 December 1851. Many leaders | | | | The final blow to the First Irish Brigade was the |
| and participants of failed revolutions that erupted | | | | decision in 1858 to consolidate the Ninth and Sixty-ninth |
| across Europe in 1848 making their way to the United | | | | regiments; leaving the Sixty-ninth the only all Irish |
| States for refuge and new opportunities. The Irish | | | | regiment in the city militia district. The Irish Republican |
| viewed their exile as temporary and had undertaken | | | | Brotherhood was founded t the same time in the law |
| the task of building an Irish Liberation Army within the | | | | office of Michael Doheny. Meagher, Phelan, Huston and |
| framework of the various state militias. | | | | others were founding members. The Brotherhood took |
| This effort received a powerful boost when Thomas | | | | firm hold in the Sixty-ninth. |
| Francis Meagher, the leading orator of the movement, | | | | Three years later the Irish Brigade would rise again as |
| escaped from his exile in Australia and reached New | | | | Civil War gripped the nation. |