Irish Brigade, 63rd, 69th & 88th New York Infantry Monument (Gettysburg)
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Units Represented: 63rd, 69th & 88th New York Infantry
Battlefield: Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania
Location: Sickles Avenue
Map Coordinates: 39.79705,-77.24503
Part of: II Corps, 1st Division, 2nd Brigade
Commanded by: Colonel Patrick Kelly
- 63rd NY Commanded by: Lt. Col. Richard C. Bentley & Capt. Thomas Touhy
- 69th NY Commanded by: Capt. Richard Moroney & Lt. James J. Smith
- 88th NY Commanded by: Capt. Denis Francis Burke
Men Engaged at Gettysburg: 313 men
Gettysburg Casualties: 17 killed, 41 wounded, 18 missing
Monument Text
- "The brigade entered the battle under command of Colonel Patrick Kelly 530 strong, of which this contingent, composing three battalions of two companies each, numbered 240 men. The original strength of these battalions was 3,000 men. The brigade participated with great credit to itself and the race it represented, in every battle of the Army of the Potomac in which the Second Corps was engaged, from Fair Oaks, Jule 1, 1862, to Appomattox Court House, April 9, 1865."
- "14th New York Ind'pt Battery. In memory of Capt. James Mc.K. Rorty and four men who fell at the bloody angle July 3, 1863. The battery was mustered in December 9, 1861, as part of the Irish Brigade. it was detached there from and at Gettysburg was consolidated with Battery B, 1st N. Y. Artillery."
Monument Details
Artist: O'Donovan, William Rudolf, sculptor; Power, Maurice J., contractor; Duncan, John Hemingway, architect.
Dedicated: July 2, 1888
Dimensions: Overall: 19 ft. 6 in. x 10 ft. 2 in. x 8 ft.
Description: A polished granite shaft with inset bronze carved in the shape of a traditional Celtic Cross. At the top of the cross is the trefoil symbol of the 2nd Army Corps. Beneath it are five medallions with the numeric designation of the three New York regiments that made up the Irish Brigade, the New York State Seal, and the seal of Ireland. At the base lies a life-size Irish wolf hound in bronze, representing faith and devotion. A bronze plaque on the right face of the base represents a section of an artillery battery in action and honors Captain James Rorty's 14th New York Independent battery.
Remarks: The monument honors three New York regiments of the Irish Brigade, a unit organized by former Irish revolutionary Thomas Francis Meagher.
Cost: $5,000
Battlefield Location Map
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