""The Flag that Has Given Protection to Persecuted... " Topic

…Countrymen': An Irishman's Service to Union & Parents.

"Perhaps one of the best known of all Irishmen to serve during the American Civil War was Buster Kilrain of the 20th Maine Infantry. Buster plays a major role in Michael Shaara's novel The Killer Angels, and was portrayed by actor Kevin Conway in the film Gettysburg. Kilrain, a loyal soldier and confidant of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, died of wounds received during the 20th's famed actions on Little Round Top at Gettysburg. Of course Buster Kilrain is a fictional character– no one of that name ever served with the 20th Maine. However, real Irishmen were present in the regiment's ranks. One of them was Tommy Welch, who like his fictional countryman was among the defenders of Little Round Top. Tommy shared other traits with Kilrain; both were among the older men in the regiment, and unfortunately both were destined not to survive the war. The pension file that was created as a result of Tommy Welch's death reveals much about his pre-war life and circumstances. It includes a letter he wrote home– transcribed below– which not only explains one of his reasons for fighting, but also mentions the 20th Maine's actions at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Tommy's character is further revealed thanks to his popularity among the Maine men, which saw him remembered many years later by former comrades such as Theodore Gerrish when they sat down to record their memories of life during the American Civil War…"
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