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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Irish Zouaves Make Civil War History at SLCHA Brown Bag Lunch

How did Union soldiers from St. Lawrence County end up in an Irish regiment dressed like North African troops during the U.S. Civil War? The answer to this colorful and convoluted question will be revealed on Thursday, January 20th at the noontime Brown Bag Lunch program “St. Lawrence County’s Irish Zouaves” at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House, 3 East Main St., Canton. This free program by Ron Semple is open to the public, begins at noon and is part of the SLCHA’s Commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which began in 1861.

Semple will spin the entertaining yarn of the 164th NYS Volunteers - Corcoran's Irish Zouaves. As a Colonel in the 69th New York State Militia Regiment, Michael Corcoran helped to bring Irish Immigrants to the Union Army. He led the 69th regiment in action during the First battle of Bull Run, where he was wounded and taken prisoner. After Corcoran’s release as a prisoner of war he returned to the Union Army, recruited more Irish volunteers and commanded the 164th New York State Regiment, Corcoran’s Irish Zouaves- which was one of only two all Irish Brigades in the Union Army. The 164th NYS Regiment fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Company A of the 164th was comprised of men from St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties.

The original Zouaves were North African troops serving in the French Army beginning in the 1830’s. They had a reputation for discipline and bravery on the battlefield and rowdiness off. Their uniforms were colorful with trim/braid with brass buttons and usually consisted of a fez, turban, baggy pants, vest, short jacket, and leggings. “Zouave Fever” spread across the U.S. in the years prior to the Civil War and many Zouave units were active during the war.

Ron Semple is a retired newspaperman and a member of the board of trustees of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association. He is also the descendent of Irish immigrants who arrived in America in the 19th and 20th Centuries.

The St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House is open Tuesday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m., Friday noon to 8 p.m. Admission to the museum is free; admission to the archives is free for members and children, $2.50 for college students, and $5 for the general public. The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is located at 3 E. Main St., Canton. Parking is available in the back of the SLCHA, next to the museum’s main entrance.

Remember the SLCHA’s gift shop for all the needs of the history buffs in your life and gifts for yourself as well! A few of the Civil War related items in the gift shop include: the children’s book Abe’s Honest Words; a replica letter from General U.S. Grant to General Robert E. Lee; Civil War Map in a Bottle (you have to see it to believe it); Gallantry in the Field: Potsdam and the Civil War; and No Middle Ground: Thomas Ward Osborn’s Letters from the Field (1862-1864). This last book is a collection of letters from Osborn, who enlisted in Watertown and commanded Battery D, First New York Light Artillery which was made up of men from the North Country.

For more information, call the SLCHA at 315-386-8133 or e-mail info@slcha.org. Visit the SLCHA’s website, www.slcha.org for more information on St. Lawrence County history. SLCHA exhibits and programs are made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

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