Irish Immigrants in the American Revolution

By the early 1600s, the English had conquered much of Ireland and begun settling there and persecuting the Irish people. The entire island was deforested to provide lumber for the British Navy, and many thousands of Irish prisoners were forcibly transported to the Caribbean and the American colonies to work.

The Irish During the Revolution

At the time of the American Revolution in the 1770s, all of Ireland was part of the British Empire, and many soldiers in the British Army fighting in North America originated in Ireland. After the Americans signed an alliance with France and the war suddenly became a global conflict, many Irishmen volunteered to serve in the Irish Volunteers. These militia units were intended to defend Ireland in place of British soldiers who had been removed from Ireland to defend the interests of the empire all over the world.

Pastel of James McHenry by James Sharples, Sr. (c. 1795)

Independence National Historical Park

At Valley Forge and Beyond

Quite a few Irish immigrants to North America also served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, including Doctor James McHenry and John Fitzgerald, both aides-de-camp to General George Washington at Valley Forge.

After the war, Doctor McHenry became the United States' third Secretary of War under President Washington. During his time as Secretary of War, Fort Whetstone at the entrance to Baltimore Harbor was expanded and renamed Fort McHenry, which later became famous for defending Baltimore Harbor from the British during the War of 1812 and for inspiring the Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States of America. Today, Fort McHenry is preserved as Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine.

John Fitzgerald was a prominent businessman in Alexandria, Virginia both before and the war. He became a director of the Potomac Company, which worked to make the Potomac River navigable by ship, and was eventually sold to the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Company, which today is remembered at the site of Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Fitzgerald died just 12 days before his friend George Washington, on December 2, 1799.