Commanding Boston's Irish 9th

These are the collected Civil War letters of Patrick Robert Guiney, an Irish immigrant from Country Tipperary who relocated to Boston, Massachusetts. When the Civil War broke out, Guiney volunteered to defend the Union and quickly rose from First Lieutenant to Colonel, to command the ninth Massachusetts regiment. A fervent supporter of Lincoln and passionately opposed to slavery, Guiney felt that, in his service to his new country, he was doing his part to gain freedom for the slaves. Being politically outspoken, Guiney was often criticized for his views by other Irish-Americans. His letters reveal not only the experiences and thoughts of an Irish Catholic soldier, but also the hidden tensions within his immigrant community. His views and observations not only illuminate his personal independence of thought, but also the political landscape which he tried to improve.

Library Journal

The Ninth Massachusetts Infantry, which saw duty with the Army of the Potomac, was composed primarily of Irish immigrants and their descendants who hailed from Boston. One officer, Patrick R. Guiney, eventually rose to command the regiment as a colonel prior to suffering a service-ending wound in 1864. He left a full record of his men's activities in his letters to his wife, Jeannette; the letters also reveal that Guiney's political views, which leaned toward Lincoln and the Republicans, were not shared by most of his fellow officers or men. Editor Samito has provided a rather detailed prolog and annotation for the letters, which tell us as much about Guiney as a husband as they do about matters at the front. Among the numerous collections of Civil War letters that appear in print, these are distinguished for the author's forthright discussion of political and military affairs. Recommended for larger public and academic libraries.Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State Univ., Tempe

Christian G. Samito is editor of Commanding Boston's Irish Ninth: The Civil War Letters of Colonel Patrick R. Guiney, Ninth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and History of the Ninth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Fordham).