Brief History:

Following the defeat at First Manassas (July 1861), the state governor, John A. Andrew, called for the raising of two additional regiments from the largely Irish population of Massachusetts.  (One had already been raised at the start of the War, namely the 9^th. Massachusetts).

The 28 ^th. Massachusetts, generally known as "The Irish Brigade" was instituted on September 24, 1861, with recruitment starting on October 8^th at Camp Cameron, Cambridge (just north of Boston). Major support for the Irish regiments (there were three, the 9^th, 28^th and 29^th Infantry) was given by the newspaper owner Patrick Donahoe, who published the influential Irish-American newspaper The Pilot.

 

The Brigade soon earned a reputation for gallantry on the field of battle, with the quotation from George A. Townsend "When anything absurd, forlorn, or desperate was to be attempted, the Irish Brigade was called upon" speaking volumes for their efforts.

 

The regiment was mostly engaged in the eastern theatre of the war, and suffered heavy casualties with Fredericksburg (1862), the Wilderness (1864) and Spotsylvania (1864) accounting for many.