The Irish-Americans are perhaps the most closely associated ethnic group to serve during the American Civil War. Over 150,000 of them joined the Union army and many more also joined the Confederate army. In the north special Irish units were formed which recognized their Irish heritage in both the names and uniforms of regiments, while several Southern units did the same. Soldiers on both sides sang Irish songs around their camp fires, and Irish units became famous for their bravery under fire in battle. Unfairly despised and persecuted at home by the older generations of Americans, the Irish-American soldiers served with valor and bravery throughout the Civil War on both sides of the conflict.
     Throughout the war the Irish units were almost always at the most critical positions in battle and suffered highest casualties as a result. However, their efforts on the battlefield did little to help their unfair treatment in America society until many years after the war. Irish veterans came home to find the same anti-Irish prejudices they faced before going off to fight, and because of it many of them chose stay in the army to avoid such treatment, eventually creating one of the military's strongest ethnic traditions of service. Many other Irish simply chose to remain in the Eastern cities, hoping matters would improve as time went by. Unfortunely, it would be many long years before the ugly anti-Irish prejudice faded.

1st New York Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment	2nd New York Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment	3rd New York Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment
4th New York Irish Volunteers "The Irish Brigade"	9th Connecticut Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment	9th Massachusetts Irish Volunteer "The Fighting Ninth" Regiment
17th Wisconsin Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment	28th Massachusetts Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment (Boston)	37th New York Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment
63rd New York Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment	63rd New York Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment (Ceremonial)	69th New York Irish Prince of Wales Brigade Regiment
69th New York Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment	69th New York Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment (Ceremonial)	New York Irish Support Civilian Flag 1850
88th New York Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment	88th New York Irish Volunteer Brigade Regiment (Ceremonial)

     The Irish-Americans volunteers were not singled out and divided up as much in the Confederated army as in the Northern one. Instead they were absorbed into the army, and their songs and music, traditions, and even their way of talking became part of the Southern mystic. There were, however, two Irish-American units that made names for themselves and became a rich part of Irish military tradition and legend.

8th Alabama Irish Brigade Regiment 1864	10th Tennessee Irish Brigade Regiment 1864