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Brigadier General
Thomas Francis Meager
The Irish Brigade commander was born in Waterford City, Ireland on 23 August 1823. A well-educated orator, he joined the Young Ireland Movement to liberate his nation. This led to his exile to a British penal colony in Tasmania, Australia in 1849. He escaped to the United States in 1852 and became an American citizen. When the Civil War broke out he raised Company K, "Irish Zouaves" for the 69th New York State Milita Regiment, which fought at First Bull Run under Colonel Michael Gorgoran. Subsequently Meagher raised the Irish Brigade and commanded it from 3 February 1862 to 14 May 1863. He later commanded a military district in Tennessee. After the war Meagher became secretary and acting Governor of the Montana Territory. He drowned in the Missouri River near Fort Benton on 1 July 1867. His body was never recovered.
Granite from County Wicklow, Ireland |