Show 0 C 0 ons n ra C 4 by ELMO SCOTT WATSON S MARCH ARCH 17 approaches and thousands of americans not only those of irish blood but others as well prepare to honor the pa tron saint of tl e emerald isle by wearing earing m a bit av green on st pat nek rick a day it Is fitting that they give some thought to the contribution alich wl ich these sons of st patrick tt e irish tune haie made to the build ng of this nation and to asprec ate that significance it Is necess necessary arV to go back to the beginning of the re public and to inquire into tl if e num ber of irish who were in this coun try when nhen the revolution began and who remembering the censures cen centar tures es of oppression behind tl if em in ireland before they came to america were mere among the first to take up arms in this newest straggle struggle for liberty from english domination the researches of historians in recent years hae hane bi ought to light the fact that a surprisingly large percentage of tl e patriots of 76 were fighting irish singly large in view of the popular adea that the majority of the colonists were of pure I 1 anglish blood they have also ren repealed eal ed that nearly I 1 MO officers and 12 OW of the rank and file in the revolutionary army navland nav navy yand and militia bore characteristic irish names in heiting tl it at they were either born in ireland or NN were ere of irish ancestry but the greatest contribution of the irish to the patriot cause was that of lea dersh p as hown by the fact that in tl if e list of generals in the continental army there were mere eleven who were born in ireland and elbit others wl 0 were the sons of irish parents add to that list of irish born patriots three signers signer 9 of the declaration of independence the sea captain m wl I 1 ose name Is pre nerved in history as the father of f the american navy avy and th the e surgeon who mho served as wasi wasl ing tone tons secretary in the revolution and who later became secretary of war under IN washington ashington and id ims and it will be seen why there is 41 N I 1 fry GEN EDWARD HAND good reason to honor the memories of these sons of st patrick on march 17 outstanding among the military leaders was richard montgomery born near raphoe graphoe ireland decem ber her 2 1738 1736 who entered the arit ish army at the age of e and won renown at the siege of Lou louisberg Louls burg isburg during the french and indian war and in the IN west est indies but whose nule ame is best remembered because of his connection with alth the ill fated expedition against quebec during the revolution one of eight brigadier generals appointed by congress at the outbreak of the war montgomery led the forces which captured forts st johns john s and chambly and with gen philip schuyler next captured montreal montrea I 1 then he and gen benedict arnold laid siege to quebec and when their demand on sir guv carleton he the british commander to der was refused attempted to car ry the town by assault the at tempt w m as made during a hi bl snowstorm on december 21 1775 and montgomery was killed wl NO I 1 e leading his troops al dinst a barr cade defended by artillery three other irish born generals all veterans of the french and in dian ilan war who also seri ed in ili tl e canadian expedition but it 11 ed to perform valuable services for the cause of liberty nicie eie NN william illiam thompson william alvine and wll wil ilant maxwell to thompson born in ireland in 1725 fell tl tie e d stine tion of being placed in command of the first troops raised by order of the continental congress this was the battalion of e companies of pennsylvania riflemen which were recruited in the summer of 1775 and which thompson as colo nel led to the s ege of boston he ile mas w as made a br gad er general in march and tl if e folloN following vIng month was sent with four regiments as reinforcements for the caladi an expedition upon meeting the retreating army he took command in place of gen john tl TI omas who was ill and later turned over that command to gen john sullivan in carrying out sullivan s order to attack the enemy at tl TI ree rivers 5 tl ompson on aa was taken prisoner boner but two months later was mas al allowed to return to philadelphia on parole it ia wis nearly two years before he was N as ixil anaed and he d ed in car lisle pa in the last jear of the war m ar irvine irn ine alo m I 1 0 was wa born near inn s killen irelan fo NoN november ember 3 was mas a colonel in bri gade and shared with it in in tl e 11 ree rivers attack and in tl if e cap which follo followed ned after his ex change in 18 he was mas placed in con mand of tie second penns pennsyl I 1 ania br brg gide ile promoted to briga dier gemeril ii in 1 9 and served with ith lord stilling St filing and mad n thony tholly wane IN aa tie tie if e following follo ing 5 vear ear 44 4 1 1 j I 1 40 4 Y r P GEN WILLIAM IRVINE in he was gh en the d assignment of com commande mandu ii g at I 1 ort pitt and guarding tl ti e bortl western frontier from ind an attacks as well ell as adjusting tie ti e d 3 between tl tie e virginians irgin lans and the pennsy iranians over the ip lp of that region he ile filled the post tion so admirably and so m won on ta tie e esteem of washington that in the first president place 1 him in command of the troops which sup pressed the famous W lusky re be bellion of that bear maxwell maxiell was mas born in ireland but came to tl ti is country with his parents who settled in ne sev v jer sey after making a record for himself as a gallant and skillful skill fal soldier dill duding ing ta tie e colon al wars he became colonel of the second new jersey regiment at the ait oit it break of the I 1 eNo evolution lution and took tool part in montgomery s cai cal ad an ex tion he ile was mas promoted to brigadier general in 17 6 served under general schuyler on lake I 1 ake champlain and in the early part of 1777 commanded the advance guard of the american forces near el zabeth to N n N J he ile fought bravely at the head of a new jer sey brigade at brandy wine and germantown spent tie winter at valley forge and at the battle of monmouth contributed largely to th amerlean Am eilean victory after vilich wh cl he harassed the enemy as it re treated he ile served under gen john sullivan la lia the tion against the iroquois in 19 and retired from the army in general Max maxwell viell d ed november vember So 12 1 98 when col cot william villiam NI tl ompson led his battalion of pennsylvania riflemen to the s ege of boston his lieutenant colonel was a brother irishman edward hand born in kings county december 21 1744 he ile I 1 ad entered the british service and in 1774 m was as a me denber aber of the eighteenth royal irish regiment which he accompanied to america as a surgeon surgeons s mite after the reorganization of the continental army early in hand was made colonel of a rifle regiment which so d itself at tl ti e battle of long island and in tl it e cam laign through the jersey jerse s that tie tl e name a hand rifleman became synonymous with daring and gal lantry in action in 1777 hand IN was as k COMMODORE JOHN BARRY made a brigada er general the next year he be helped guard the bortl ern new york frontier under gen john stark and in 1 9 he distin distill gulshen himself during the duill van expedition tion in hand mas w as placed in cl arge of a brigade and later he became adjutant general of the army after the war he served in congress and d ed sep 3 1802 akin to the distinction of be ng a hand riflemen was m as that of be ing a riflemen ri after the expert marhan en if f the conti cental irmy I 1 d been or nied in 1777 into a r corps the corn com mand of v 1 kh v m is g glen N ell to that doughty belter gen ell dwiel diniel mor gan of ot virgin irgin I 1 a d lie ile lieutenant lieuten int tnt colonel of that ight A v s anoil er irisha in it 11 1 cl I ard P atler I 1 0 had been I 1 euten int t lone lotief of oz 01 e of the pennsylva Penn sylv na il bents recruited it tl if e beg n in ing f tl tie e revolution AM gh h P r itley s services er lees tie I 1 ev h lit t n were NN ere list ngu sl ed elou I 1 h s greatest grei test tet time cai e I 1 ter in I 1 ie e was mas appo i te I 1 t f r ii it d an an in as nuj mij r gen bial ei at in tl it e un ted st tes regular irmy ie coil i d I 1 tl tie e agit r gl t wing of pen cen at aati it r st 1 ails I ill 8 army v I 1 ich ell hid I 1 e n sent 11 t it st the I 1 ostile in I 1 dm am in lit tl if e old N ol 01 ti west on the i 0 nig n i g of no 0 o arbr 4 1 1 bean oi 01 e of ta tie e grei tut I 1 Is s rhth m it ch has ever befallen be fillen aar can drools s bt chirs deceit and ni at ong tie slain after i it 11 it 11 hut but f e de tense as ag dinst tl if e san savage age hoide was N as brave brav e cen cori P cl aid I 1 utter oi 01 e of tl ti e g eanest ind in fight eis if t is country his bis ever eier known at ie st rt he was NN as corin an ler in one of tie if P teate reate t in ein battles ever dougi t in bin n erica erlea vas N as ardrew lewis h rn in D negil ireland al at out I 1 20 11 II fati er v as the fi fl st wl ite ile settler ii aug ista coun tv narg arg nia and the son early sl 0 ed CA a fondness for military mili tiry life serving is i i major in the regi ment commended com minded I 1 v NN ashington ahin ton in the 01 io to cacti agn ot of and 1 55 he ile led tl if e sandy gandy creek ex ped tion of 1 oc X and m h ie serving under the british Bri tich gei get eral era grant crant in was m as captured captai ed by tie tj e french ind held as a prisoner in montceil Mont reil for some time but ti tie e 3 jear car 1774 was m as tie ti e h gh pent po nt in I 1 ih career for in tl at year as brigadier gen eral era of tl e N lr arg P nil nn mil tia he corn com banded the frontiersmen who defeated the shawnees Sh aNnees nees under their fa T GEN RICHARD montgomery great ellef cl cef cornstalk in the fi pi battle of point I 1 beasant dur ing lord dunmore Dun mores s war m ar this has haq been called the first all amer lean battle in I 1 1 astory s nee it wes the first time that american fron tiers men without tl if e a ad d of crit brit ish troops fought a major engage ment with tie indans ind ans in 1776 at the si of wasi was ington vi who ho knew tl e ability of lewis he was mas appointed briga d er general in the continental inny irmy and soon thereafter defeated the anglish forces under his former goNer governor nor I 1 lord ord dunmore palling t health compelled levis lev is reigna res gna tion from tl ti e army before he had bad a cl arce to d ish h himself fur ther and he d ed septell er 27 I 1 sa s1 1 rhe oti er irish born generals alter stewart john armstrong and stephen moylin were viere not so outstanding as tl ti ose previously limed but their records were hon arable enough to bring considerable distinction to them moylan Is chiefly noted for being a member of ashington s staff and tor for be ing appointed corn a general a position which he resigned to re era t the first pennsylvania regi nent n ent of cavalry of which he was mas colo el ng at valley forge with mith aane ne in the tle north and with mith gen in the south he became a bildad bi agad er beneral en eral in 1 82 and after the war served ed as anted un ted states commis loner of loans asing april 11 1811 18 john armstrong was more noted for ballint service buting ti tie e frencl and ind an war thin dur ing tl if e I 1 evolution although he be rose to t e rink of brig dier gen era eral in the continental Contin entil arna a post wl NI ch I 1 e re ignec in 1 17 I 1 roud as Is tl e record of the sons of st patrick in the con tin arav there is even greater reason for pride in their con tribu tion don to our naval h story I 1 or the first american Ame officer to capture a british ship was as an irishman commodore join pairy at the outbreak of the reo revolution lution he lie was a wealthy shipmaster ship mister in philadel phia when the continental con gress in october 1 5 authorized the purchase of two sl fps and their conversion into men of mar w ar barry b i t sailed his mere antman blich blick I 1 rii ce into tl ti e I 1 arbor and sold her to congress congre s she was mas renamed the alfred and later became the fl of tl e first american fleet more afore ships were mere added later and I 1 arry is as comin ss boned a captain and i I 1 laced in command of the I 1 r g I 1 ex ington on oil april 17 the I 1 elint n cai cal aured the british tender I 1 ivard inird IN ird tl e arst friye ever token taken ly 1 a reu regularly reul arly lirly commissioned of of 0 tie e un te I 1 states nan navy y but I 1 S most brill int fejt feat vas as in kihen hen in coan nd of the A al 1 an e I 1 1 p topped off tt e capture of A 0 6 wl JAMES mchenry several british privateers by hav ing a fight with two british vessels both of which were mere better armed tt tl an his vessel and capturing both barry was both sailor and solder sold er for he took wasi wasl ington across ta tie e del delaware am are and faugl t at trenton princeton and elsewhere after the revolution he tended the build buil drig ng of the frigate united states and commanded her until she was ras retired from service he ile in was as the fir t senior officer N with ith the rank of commodore after the reorganization of ti tie e navy in and he d ed in philadelphia sep 13 every american knows blat tl at our national nat loni anthem tl TI e star span aled banner was written during the british attack on port fort mellen ry in it tie e war of 1812 bit few of them know that tha th A this fort was nias named for or an irish doctor tames was born in lit ireland no v ember 16 la 13 13 came to amencia in stud ed tinder under the cele dated dr bealim n push of PI 11 II idelphia and on the outi reak of the revolution not interred inte ered in the cent cental arms he ile served as surgeon to a biegi ment merit was made a grisor prisoner sorer er by the british when fort A Is illington islington ington was as captured and was mas not exel 1 angel until 1778 he was wis then ap pointel secre secretary tiry to washington and from that time was a close friend of tl e commander in diet ellef who mho ahen he became president made Mel mcinenry lenry secretary of war mar in 1 98 06 1 le con linued in this position through the administration of pres dent john adams retiring in 1801 and dying tn in baltimore may 3 1816 of the tl ree it ah I 1 orn s g rs of the declarant arat on of indel ende ce james smith george taylor talor and matthe matthev v thornton tl ornton the latter up held the fight ng insl trad tion by being bem both a sol so er pr as we me I 1 as a statesman tate aman Us ils fatter ulon emigration to amer ca settled tn in massachusetts al wl ere mattl mattle e v was wis w is educated he studied med c ne tie in lelce leicester and bu it up a profitable table practice pric tice in londonderry N H D ling ong the french and ind an war mar V MATTHEW THORNTON he went is qs a with the new hamasi ire broons in the expedition against louisa arg I 1 iter I 1 e was appointed a justice of the peace and iso served as a in I 1 tia da colonel he ile w as is chosen speaker of tie tl e as embly in january 5 and in septet her of tl at year was vi as elected delegate to the continental con gress As in the case cise of the penn balvan a delegates he was allowed t to 0 sign h s name to the engrossed copy of tl e Dee declaration albl ough he was wis elected after its passage ai at d 1 I did not take his seat in the congress until november of lie ile was mas re elected reelected for another vear in december but retired from pub I 1 c office in 1 I ventrally ventu ally he settled in newburyport port mass where he died tune 24 1803 nc 1931 western newspaper union A ats se idt v |