Gettysburg Daily

St. Patrick’s Day: The 9th Mass. Infantry With LBG Stuart Dempsey

The “9” on the monument to the 9th Massachusetts, located on Sykes Avenue at the foot of Big Round Top, is enclosed in shamrocks. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey presents a topical post on the 9th Mass. Infantry at Gettysburg. The Association of Licensed Battlefield Guide’s Fall Seminar, on September 9-11 will be on Irish troops at Gettysburg.

In addition to tours at Gettysburg National Military Park, Stuart also conducts tours at other historic sites in North America and Europe. He invites you to have a look at his website: www.battlegroundhistorytours.com.

To email Licensed Battlefield Guide Stewart Dempsey, please click here to reveal his address.

Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey introduces today’s St. Patrick’s Day post and its focus on the 9th Massachussetts Volunteer Infantry.

Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey, pointing to Brinkerhoff’s Ridge in the background. This view was taken facing east at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey describes the actions of the 9th Massachussetts on the evening of July 2nd and the morning of July 3rd from southern end of Cemetery Ridge along Hancock Avenue.

The monument to the 9th Massachusetts was erected in 1885. It sits here at the northern foot of Big Round Top near the monument to the 10th Pennsylvania Reserves Regiment. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey gives some background on the 9th Massachussetts and their commanders. (During this video Stuart of course meant to say that Col. Patrick Guiney attended Holy Cross College and not Holyoke).
Col. Patrick R. Guiney, C.O. of the 9th Mass. Infantry at Gettysburg. Guiney was born in County Tipperary, Ireland in 1835, and emigrated with his family as a child, settling in the Boston area. He was an attorney in Roxbury, MA, before the war and enlisted as a captain commanding Co. D (“Meagher Guards”). Guiney was severely wounded at the Wilderness on May 5, 1864, resulting in the loss of an eye. Unlike many Irish-Americans, Guiney was a Republican and held abolitionist views.

The marker to Sweitzer’s Second Brigade, located in the Wheatfield describes the actions of the brigade on July 2nd, 1863. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, March 15, 2010.

Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey offers the various interpretations about the casualty figures on the monument and tells the story of Sergeant Joseph Ford.

The grave of Sergeant Joseph Ford, located in the National Cemetery at Gettysburg. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, March 15, 2010.