Richard ByrnesHis surname is sometimes given as "Byrne." (1832 – June 10, 1864) was an Irish-American officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, who rose to command the Union Army's Irish Brigade during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Life

Byrnes was born in

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...

, Ireland, and emigrated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1844. He enlisted in the regular army of the United States in 1851, joining the 2nd U.S. Cavalry, a regiment then commanded by Colonel E. V. Sumner. In this regiment young Byrnes distinguished himself in the Indian campaigns in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. As the

broke out he was, on the recommendation of Colonel Sumner, commissioned as First Lieutenant in the

5th U.S. Cavalry The 5th Cavalry Regiment ("Black Knights") is a historical unit of the United States Army that began its service on August 3, 1861, when an act of Congress enacted "that the two regiments of dragoons, the regiment of mounted riflemen, and the t ...

, one of the new regiments authorized by Congress. He remained with the regiment of regulars through the campaigns of 1861 and 1862, then was appointed to an Irish regiment by Governor

John Albion Andrew John Albion Andrew (May 31, 1818 – October 30, 1867) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He was elected in 1860 as the 25th Governor of Massachusetts, serving between 1861 and 1866, and led the state's contributions to ...

, Colonel of the 28th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, of which he took command on October 18, 1862. His new regiment was attached to

Thomas Francis Meagher Thomas Francis Meagher (; 3 August 18231 July 1867) was an Irish nationalist and leader of the Young Irelanders in the Rebellion of 1848. After being convicted of sedition, he was first sentenced to death, but received transportation for life ...

's Irish Brigade the following November, and with it participated in the fierce fighting in which the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

was subsequently engaged. At its head, Colonel Byrnes charged up the slope of Marye's Heights at the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

, and after it, like the other regiments of the brigade, had been almost wiped out in the sanguinary conflicts at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, he was sent back to

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

to recruit its ranks during the winter and spring of 1863 and 1864. When the campaign reopened in May, he returned to the front and as the senior officer took command of the Irish Brigade. Two weeks after assuming command, on June 3, 1864, Colonel Byrnes fell, mortally wounded, while leading the brigade during the attack on the entrenchments at

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

, Virginia. He lived long enough to be conveyed to

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, where his wife reached him before he died. His commission as

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

had just been made out by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, but he was dead before it could be officially presented to him, and so the promotion never took effect. His remains were sent to New York and buried in Calvary Cemetery.

References

;Attribution * The entry cites: **Conyngham, ''The Irish Brigade and its Campaigns'' (Boston, 1869); **''The Emerald'', files (New York, January 8, 1870). {{DEFAULTSORT:Byrnes, Richard 19th-century Irish people 1832 births 1864 deaths Irish soldiers Union Army colonels People of New York (state) in the American Civil War People from County Cavan Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War