Among the men of Irish descent in Lafayette’s army were Count Arthur Dillon, Aide-de-Camp Isidore de Lynch (who afterwards became the commander of the Irish-French regiment of Walsh), Lieutenant-Colonel Barthelemy Dillon. Theobald Dillon also saw service in America and was a member of the Cincinnati. Matthew Dillon also saw service here. M. de McCarty was an officer with the French army at Newport and in the Rhode Island campaign. Edward Stack, another Irishman, was with Rochambeau.
Some of the other Irishmen who served in America with the French were: Commandant O’Neill, wounded at Savannah; Captain James Shee, Captain MacDonnall, Captain Mullens, Lieutenant Taaffe, Lieutenant Farrell, James O’Moran, Lacy and Whalen. Charles Geoghegan, an Irishman in the French army, received the decoration of the Cincinnati at the hands of Washington.
In the navy we find the Irish race well represented. It is, of course, impossible to tell whence these sailors and marines came, but we know that they served.
John Murphy of Rhode Island commanded a privateer. William Malone was captain of the Harbinger. Francis Mulligan was the owner of the Chance. Oliver Reed was master of the privateer General Rochambeau. Peter Day commanded the Molly’s Adventure. M. Mackey was the commander of the Greyhound.
Stephen Ready, John Welch, Edward McGrath, William Kelly, John Murphy and Charles Buckley, all of Rhode Island, were imprisoned in England.
On the sloop Providence we find Patrick McMullen, Matthew McCaffray, Bernard Gallagher; on the Alfred, Patrick McNamara, George O’Hara, armorer’s mate, Patrick O’Brien and William Burns; on the Columbus, Edward Burke, Lieutenant of Marines, Thomas Burns, surgeon’s mate, John McLaughlin, Peter Morris, Charles McDonald, Arthur Nagle and Thomas Murray.
Mr. Field in his work, “Esek Hopkins, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy, 1775 to 1778,” tells us that in Hopkin’s command were many Irishmen, some of them being Anthony Dwyer, Richard Sweeney, Patrick Kaine, Thomas Doyle, John Connor, Andrew Magee, Thomas Dowd, John Roatch and George Kennedy.
We also find Captain Mellaly commanding a privateer and capturing the British sloop Crawford.
These are only a few of the names found in the records, but they show unmistakably the part played by the men and women of our race in our “Little Rhody” to and including the Revolution.
Some reliable writers have stated that the officers of the continental army were twenty-five per cent Irish. Some of them were Generals Stephen Moylan (first president of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick of Philadelphia), Henry E. Knox (first Secretary of War), John Shee, “Mad Anthony” Wayne, Matthew Irvine, Edward Hand, Richard Butler, Walter Stewart and William Thompson; Colonels John Nixon, Sharp Delaney, Charles Stewart, John Patton, George Lattimer, Thomas Robinson, Barrett, Smith and Davis; Captain Parker and many others. As we have seen, there were many officers of lesser rank, both in the army and the navy.