Damian Shiels’s remarkable new book explores Irish American service in the United States military by analyzing the written correspondence of ordinary rank-and-file soldiers from across the Union’s armed forces. Drawn from a vast and largely untapped collection of letters penned by Irish American combatants to their families during the war, Green and Blue explains how these enlisted men navigated their duties from multiple perspectives—how they adapted to and experienced military life, engaged with their faith, and interacted with the home front. Join us and moderator Melanie McComb to learn more about Shiels’s research and findings and gain the most detailed and intimate picture yet of Irish Americans’ service in the United States military during the Civil War.
Event Recording:
Original broadcast: November 6, 2025
Resources/Links Shared in Chat During Live Event:
Damian Shiel’s helpful website, which includes many maps and resources - www.irishamericancivilwar.com
The Green and the Gray by David Gleeson - https://irishamericancivilwar.com/2013/11/17/book-review-the-green-and-the-gray-the-irish-in-the-confederate-states-of-america/
Civil War Bluejackets Project - https://civilwarbluejackets.com/
Andersonville Irish - https://irishamericancivilwar.com/andersonville-irish/
Compiled Military Service Records index - https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2344/
1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census - https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8667
Branches of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers - https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/spring/nhdvs-sidebar1.html
A recent webinar for anyone interested in identifying military service records - https://www.americanancestors.org/video-library/clues-service-determining-military-service-your-ancestors
Bull Runnings - https://bullrunnings.wordpress.com/
Note: There is an appendix at the end of Green and Blue with short biographical entries of the Irish soldiers profiled.
Additional Information:
If you purchased the $65 book bundle, a signed copy of Green and Blue: Irish Americans in the Union Military, 1861–1865 will be sent to you Priority Mail in the U.S., Media Mail in Massachusetts. If you need your book sent to a different address than the one you have on account or if you are ordering multiple to send to other addresses, please contact education@americanancestors.org with your name and the address the book should be sent to.
Damien Shiels is an historian and archaeologist. He has lectured and published widely on both social military history and conflict archaeology. Formerly a curator at the National Museum of Ireland, he established and runs the website irishamericancivilwar.com. Shiels’s previous books include The Irish in the American Civil War and The Forgotten Irish: Irish Emigrant Experiences in America.
Melanie McComb, Senior Genealogist at American Ancestors, assists members and visitors with family history research. She has particular expertise in Irish and Jewish genealogical research, tracing their families back to their ancestral homelands. She's also experienced in DNA and Atlantic Canada, and lectures internationally on various topics. She's a blogger known as The Shamrock Genealogist.