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Show !i THE OLD IRISH BRIGADE s ! I . " . . . j ; THE FLAG THAT WAS GIVEN AS A TOKEN" OF HEROISM. How the Gallant Sixty-Third Faced the Victorious Confederates at the Battle of Bull Run. One of the most highly prized relics '"' of the civil war is the battle flag of the Sixty-third regiment, New York state volunteers, that . hangs in the large vest parlor at the university of Notre Dame. This regiment, commonly known as the Irish Brigade, and commanded by Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher, was composed almost entirely en-tirely of Irish Catholics from New, York City. In the early lattles of the war in Vest Virginia and Maryland, particularly at the first battle of Bull Run, the regiment, distinguished Itself by such valorous deeds that the attention atten-tion of the whole country was called to its brilliant work. After the Union army was routed at the battle of Bull Run and the disorganized disor-ganized and panic-stricken men were pouring along the road leading to the great bridge that spans the Potomac at Washington, there were few regiments that retained sufficient organization to Je of any service in preventing the massacre or capture of the entire Union army engaged. One of the regiments available for the purpose of covering the retreat was the Irish Brigade. The order w'as given to it to bring up the rear, and the men g-rimly prepared themselves for one of the most brilliant achievements of the war. Removing all superfluous clothing in, fact every-, every-, thing from the. waist up the bare-breasted bare-breasted soldiers faced the onslaught of the victorious Confederates, and, when their ammuni'tion was exhausted, grimly received the charges of the enemy on their bayonets. FLAG GIVEN IN TOKEN OF HEROISM. HERO-ISM. For this heroic work the regiment was presented with a battle flag, which it afterward carried into action in every battle of importance fought by i ibo Army of the Potomac during the ivil war. The flag is five feet square, of green siik, with a harp of gold in the upper loft hand corner, and under ihe harp the words, "Irish Brigade." In the lower left hand corner is the following: Presented by the citizens of New-York New-York to the Sixty-third New York Volunteers, Vol-unteers, Brigadier General Thomas Francis. Meagher, commanding. In grateful appreciation of their gallant and brilliant conduct in the battlefields battle-fields of Virginia and Maryland in the war to maintain the national domain and American union. November, 1862." Along the right hand margin of the flag, so numerous that they occupy the entire width, are the names of the following fol-lowing battles iro which the flag was rarripfl Vv th standard-hearer of the regiment: "Fredericksburg. Chancellorsville, Yorktown. Fair Oaks, Gaines' Mill, Alien's Farm, Savage Station, White Oak Bridge, Glendale, Malvern Hill, Antiotam, Gettysburg. Bristoe's Station." Sta-tion." The flag is literally shot into ribands; its edges are torn and serrated, and through the body of the flag are innumerable in-numerable holes that show the passage of bullets. .The trophy is enclosed, in a beautiful oaken frame with a glass front, and is an object of curiosity and interest to hundreds of people who visit Notre Dame with the primary object of seeing it. In the battle of Fredericksburg the Irish Brigade lost more men killed and wounded, in proportion to the number of men engaged in battle, than . any other brigade, not only in America, but in Kurope. in a single battle, during the last fifty years. One-third of the men who entered the battle were disabled dis-abled r killed outright. ABSOLUTION TO A BRIGADE. The state of New York put forth great efforts to purchase this flag from General James Brady, into whose custody cus-tody it was given, but he refused, ow ing to his own inclination and the desires de-sires of the survivors of the regiment to present the trophy to the Very Rev. William Corby, chaplain of the brigade brig-ade during the war. The devotion of the priest to his men and their -reat love for him made possible one of the sublimest s-enes during the great strife. At the battle of Gettysburg orders were given for the Irish Brigade to charge. Amidst the shot and shell of the enemy, standing on a large rock, a target for any stray bullet. Father Corby gave the entire brigade general absolution the only time that general absolution has been given on abattle-Hcld abattle-Hcld in America. " - The brigade stood in column of regiments regi-ments close in mass.. Father Corby stood on a large rock in front of the brigade.- Addressing . the men he explained ex-plained what he was about to. do, saying say-ing that each One could receive the benefit ben-efit of. the absolution by making a sincere sin-cere act of contrition and firmly "resolving "resolv-ing to embrace the first opportunity of confessing his sins, urging. them to do their duty, and reminding them of the high and sacred nature of their trust (hs soldiers and the noble object for which they fought. The brigade was standing at '"order arms." As he closed his address every man. Catholic and non-Catholic, fell on his knees; with head toward the brigade Father Corby pronounced the words of the absolution. absolu-tion. The scene was more than impressive it was awe-inspiring. Near by stood a brilliant throng of officers who had gathered to witness this unusual occurrence, oc-currence, and while there was profound pro-found silence in the ranks of the Second Sec-ond corps, yet over to the left, out by the Peach Orchard and Little Round Top, where Weed and Vincent and Hazlitt were dying, the roar of the battle bat-tle rose and swelled and re-echoed through the woods, making music more sublime than ever sounded through cathedral aisle. The act seemed to be in harmony with the surroundings. There was not a man in the brigade who did not offer up some kind of a, prayer. For many it was their last; they knelt in their grave clothes. In less than half an hour many of- them were numbered with the dead of July 2. G. A. R. POST IN A RELIGIOUS ORDER. In 3865, after the close of the war, Father Corby was made vice-president if the University of Notre Dame, and in lSGti was made president of the university. uni-versity. Mostly through his efforts the G. A. R. Post at Notre Dame was organized. This post is unique among Grand Army posts, for all of its mem-Ixts mem-Ixts are religious, belonging to the t Order of the Holy Cross. Among these religious warriors are some who have attained great distinction. The Very Rev. William Corby was the first com- j mander and died shortly after the post was organized. General William A. Olmsted, the present Commander of Notre Dame Post, has a brilliant war record. He entered the service in April, 1861, as captain of Company B, Second Infantry, In-fantry, New York Volunteers. He was promoted to be lieutenant colonel of the Second New York Infantry on June 30, li61, at Big Bethel, and afterward was commissioned as colonel of the j Fifty-ninth New York Veterans, and assigned as brigadier general, by brevet, to the command of the First Brigade, Second Division, Second Army Corps. The Rev. P. P. Carrier relieved Archbishop Ireland before Vioksburg in 1S63. The Rev. Thomas Kennedy was a member of the Twenty-fifth New-York New-York Infantry. The Rev. James Boyle was a member of the Forty-second Massachusetts Infantry. James Mc-Lain Mc-Lain served in the Fifteenth Infantry United States Regulars. Mark A Willis (Brother John), Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania Infantry; Nicholas Bath (Brother Costmas), Tenth Maryland Infantry; Jaines Mantel (Brother I ' . s Benedict). First Pennsylvania Artillery; Artil-lery; James M alloy (Brother Raphael), One Hundred and Thirty-first Infantry; In-fantry; Ignace Myer (Brother Ignatius), Igna-tius), One Hundred and Fifty-seventh Pennsylvania Infantry; John Mclnery fBrother Kustaehius), Eigthy-third Ohio Infantry; Joseph Staley (Brother Agatos), Eight Indiana Infantry. The Rev. Paul Gillen. chaplain of the Corcoran Legion; the Rev. Joseph Le Verque. the Rev. James Dillon, Brother Sebastian, Brother Velarion, and a number of other true and brave men rest in their graves within the shadows of Notre Dame University. ... |