#OnThisDay 1827 Brig General Michael Corcoran was born in Ballymote, Sligo. He went to America after leaving the RIC police force during the Famine because of their repressive attitude to the starving poor of Ireland. After marrying he joined the New York Militia as a private& became the Colonel in the #NewYork ‘Fightin 69th’ Regiment & later formed Corcoran’s Irish Legion during the U.S. Civil War. His Legion excelled during the war. Corcoran died suddenly while riding his horse in 1863, possibly due to a stroke.
The Irish at War 