The Green and the Gray: The Irish in the Confederate States of America (Civil War America) - Softcover

Gleeson, David T.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1469627248 ISBN 13: 9781469627243

Publisher: University North Carolina Pr, 2016

Synopsis

Why did many Irish Americans, who did not have a direct connection to slavery, choose to fight for the Confederacy? This perplexing question is at the heart of David T. Gleeson's sweeping analysis of the Irish in the Confederate States of America. Taking a broad view of the subject, Gleeson considers the role of Irish southerners in the debates over secession and the formation of the Confederacy, their experiences as soldiers, the effects of Confederate defeat for them and their emerging ethnic identity, and their role in the rise of Lost Cause ideology.

Focusing on the experience of Irish southerners in the years leading up to and following the Civil War, as well as on the Irish in the Confederate army and on the southern home front, Gleeson argues that the conflict and its aftermath were crucial to the integration of Irish Americans into the South. Throughout the book, Gleeson draws comparisons to the Irish on the Union side and to southern natives, expanding his analysis to engage the growing literature on Irish and American identity in the nineteenth-century United States.

About this title

Review:

A well-written and thoughtful narrative.--Irish Studies Review

Gleeson persuasively demonstrates how the southern Irish readily assumed a Confederate identity but perhaps just as easily cast it aside once the Civil War ended. . . [A] solidly executed volume.--Virginia Magazine

Gleeson's latest offering reflects a more realistic approach to the Irish experience in the Confederate States than anything that has come before, and it is recommended to both general and academic readers. . . .The Green and the Gray will shape our views on the Civil War in these sesquicentennial years and beyond.--South Carolina Historical Magazine

A 'must have' book for your Confederate library!--The Lone Star Book Review

An extremely important and significant study. It is the most comprehensive analysis of the Irish in the Confederacy by some distance, and stands to remain so for some time to come.--IrishAmericanCivilWar.com

Gleeson's thoroughly researched study of Irish Confederates (both Catholic and Protestant) adds greatly to historians' understanding of the experience of ethnic soldiers and civilians during the war.--The Historian

A comprehensive, sophisticated, and fascinating study of the role that Irish immigrants and their descendants played in the life and afterlife of the Confederacy.--Arkansas Historical Quarterly

Very well researched. . . . By far the best-written book to date on the subject of Irish Confederates.--Blue & Gray Magazine

Gleeson offers a solid narrative of the Irish in the South in all aspects of the War and its immediate aftermath that is nicely nuanced and should serve as a starting point for future work.--Louisiana History

A remarkable achievement on a hitherto neglected subject. It is well argued, deftly written, and exhaustively researched. This book will surely become the standard text for anyone wanting to understand more about the Irish in the Confederacy.--West Virginia History

About the Author:

David T. Gleeson is professor of American history at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

About this edition

• Publisher: University North Carolina Pr
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1469627248
• ISBN 13: 9781469627243
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 328