The Blue and the Green: The Irish of Portland, Maine During the Civil War is the compelling second volume in Matthew Jude Barker's series on the Irish experience in Maine. Following his acclaimed book Becoming American, this installment turns to the 1860s, exploring how Portland's Irish community navigated one of the most turbulent periods in American history.
As the Civil War erupted, Irish immigrants and their American-born children were faced with a difficult choice-remain on the fringes of society or fight for a country that had not yet fully accepted them. Many enlisted in the Union Army, joining Irish regiments and the famed Irish Brigade, seeking both patriotic purpose and social acceptance. Others contributed from the home front, working in the shipyards, organizing in churches, or sending sons and brothers off to war.
Barker draws from military records, newspaper accounts, letters, and parish archives to tell a vivid, human story. He introduces us to Irish soldiers from Portland who fought at Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg, and explores how the trauma and triumph of war shaped the city's Irish neighborhoods, churches, and civic life. We also see the tensions that arose-between nativists and newcomers, between North and South sympathizers, and even within the Irish community itself.
This is not just a military history-it is a story of identity, belonging, and transformation. Through war, loss, and resilience, Portland's Irish helped redefine what it meant to be both Irish and American. Their story is one of perseverance and pride, rooted in both "the Blue" of Union loyalty and "the Green" of Irish heritage.
Rich in detail and narrative power, The Blue and the Green fills a crucial gap in Civil War and Irish-American scholarship, making it a must-read for historians, genealogists, and anyone interested in Maine's multicultural roots.
