The Connecticut Irish American Historical Society

Upcoming Calendar of Events

Irish History Round Table

Important Meeting Announcement

CTIAHS will hold a meeting on Saturday, August 23 at 10 oclock at the Ethnic Heritage Center, 270 Fitch Street, New Haven.

The agenda will include the following-;
Genealogy Workshops - Our participation at the Irish Festival - A discussion about our Fall activities - An update on our computer status. Also, a report on our role at the Heritage Center and the latest on the Ellis Island bus trip(see below) - Plans on the placement of the 9th Regiment Monument in Vicksburg Miss. will also be discussed(see below) . And as usual, any other matters that may arise. Please mark your calendars.

Monument Dedication October 14, 2008 at Vicksburg, MS

The following thumbnails are etchings of the Soldier Scene which will be placed on the back side of the granite centerpiece. There are more images of this great project still to be added. We will post these as we receive them. The scenes provided by Kerry Sheldon are from photos taken at Goshen, CT during the summer of 2006 by volunteer re-enactors and superimposed on the actual canal area. The efforts of both Kerry and Stacy are very much appreciated, and also those who are involved to help bring this worthwhile project to a successful completion.

The following images are those of the 5,280lb granite centerpiece. The first, showing Stacy Matthieu standing behind the unpacked slab. The rest show her busy at work etching graphics on the piece. To see her completed work on the back side of the slab, click on the thumbnail labeled 'Finished Slab #15' above.

A Liberty Elm tree planting took place on April 30, 2008 at Bayview Park, New Haven. For an explanation on the Liberty Elm, go to Wickipidia.org. and search 'Liberty Elm'. Here are some thumbnails. The last photo shows Bob Larkin holding flag.

On Oct. 14, 2008, a 10-foot-tall, 10-foot-wide monument will be dedicated at the Vicksburg National Military Park in honor of the Ninth Connecticut Volunteers, the State's Irish regiment in the Civil War. The model of the monument pictured above was fashioned by Claddagh Carver Jim Sheehan, a highly skilled artisan and long-time CTIAHS member.
The campaign to honor the Ninth, which served at Vicksburg in 1862, has been spearheaded by Bob Larkin of Cheshire, Ct. a descendant of John Marlow of New Haven, who was among the 150 officers and men of the Ninth who died in the 1862 Vicksburg campaign. The Connecticut Irish-American Historical Society has been involved in raising funds and in the planning of the monument.
The etchings on the black granite centerpiece of the monument are being crafted by Stacey Matthieu of Southington. When the etchings are completed, the center shaft will be taken to the State Armory in Hartford, the headquarters of Connecticut's National Guard to be on public display this summer.
A small exhibit explaining the regiment's role at Vicksburg is already on display at the State Armory. A similar display soon will be placed in the Connecticut State Museum near the state Capitol. The museum features numerous artifacts and artwork about the role of Connecticut in the Civil War
. The theme of the Ninth Regiment displays is that no monument to Connecticut troops has ever been erected at Vicksburg, even though 1,345 monuments are there honoring the services and sacrifices of both Union and Confederate troops. The reason for the absence of a memorial to Connecticut soldiers is that Congress originally restricted eligibility to regiments that served in the 1863 campaign. In 1990, Congress revised that policy so that regiments serving in the 1862 campaign might also be honored.
In the 1862 campaign, the Ninth Connecticut with Massachusetts, Michigan, Wisconsin and Vermont troops, all under Gen. Thomas Williams, shipped 200 miles up the Mississippi from New Orelans to Vicksburg where they joined 1,000 black men pressed into service to excavate �Williams Canal.� The objective of the canal dig was to divert the Mississippi so that Vicksburg�s guns could no longer control river traffic.
The troops and the slaves dug with picks and shovels in 100 degree heat, in swamps infested with mosquitoes, and under fire from rebel batteries. After a month, the dig was abandoned. Upwards of 150 men of the Ninth died during the dig or in the months immediately after it from diseases contracted in the swamps along the Mississippi.
Although referred to as "The Vicksburg Monument", it will actually be placed in the section of the national park on the Louisiana side of the river where the canal effort took place.

Important - Funds are still being sought for expenses incurred in the construction and placement of the monument. Larkin has estimated that the cost of the completed project will be approximately $60,000. Some funding has been received from the Ct. Commission on Culture and Tourism, The Knights of Columbus, A T & T, the William & Allen Mortensen Foundation and numerous donations from people like you. Nonetheless, a shortfall of about $20,000 still exists. Additional donations will be used for a 20'x20' concrete slab, on which the monument will find its final resting place. Bob Larkin calls this step 'the finishing touch' and hopes that this step will come to fruition. We are asking all of our members to become a part of this worth-while project by making a donation, any amount will be greatly appreciated and is tax deductible.
Those who would like to donate can make checks payable to IHRT (Irish History Round Table) with a notation, 'Vicksburg Monument.' Checks should be mailed to-:

IHRT Inc., 9th Vicksburg Monument, P.O. Box 6028, Hamden, CT, 06517 For information about attending the dedication, contact Bob Larkin, (203)272-6301.
Please visit this site often as we intend to keep you posted on future project developments, especially as we approach October 14. Thank you all.

Our Shanachie editor, Neil Hogan, has prepared story boards on the 9th regiment and the monument project which are presently on display at the State Armory in Hartford. Photo of Armory below.
Conn. State Armory-Htfd

Centerpiece for 9th Connecticut Regiment Volunteers
Monument Arrives in Connecticut

The largest of the 4 granite pieces that will make up the monument to the 9th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers to be placed at the Vicksburg National Military Park arrived in Connecticut at the end of February. The "9th" was a New Haven Regiment and became known as Connecticut�s Irish Regiment. The centerpiece is the largest of the four granite pieces (including the base) that will comprise the monument. It measures 3 feet wide at the base and 8 feet 10 inches in height, it weighs 5,827 pounds. The granite was brought here to allow Stacy Mathieu of Southington (pictured) to etch artwork on both sides of the granite centerpiece. This will include the state seal, regimental flags and likenesses of some of the men in the Regiment. The accompanying photos show the artwork laid out for etching and the beginning of the etching on the state seal.
Composite Design Artist Kerry Sheldon of Durham, "casualclicks.com/vicksburg.html" , Jim Sheehan of Wallingford(carver and CTIAHS member), and descendants of members of the regiment contributed to the images, artwork and design of the monument. Also shown is some of the work done by Sheldon to restore and adapt a family photo of Colonel Cahill for use on the monument. When completed, the monument will be erected at the Grant�s Canal site opposite Vicksburg where so many members of the regiment lost their lives. October 2008 is the target date for the dedication in Vicksburg of this Connecticut state monument to the 9th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers.
The Connecticut Irish-American Historical Society is one of the sponsoring organizations that has worked to get approvals and funding for the monument. An ancestor of CTIAHS member Bob Larkin was a member of the regiment and Bob has been the moving force behind the project. He has worked long and hard to bring the project to reality - congratulations Bob on a job well done!! Check the Links section of this web page to find other sites where you can find more information on the regiment and the monument project. You can view photos of our annual wreath-laying ceremony at the New Haven monument to the regiment below these images.

Kerry Sheldon's Restoration Work of Col. Cahill

Completed Connecticut State Seal by Stacy Ct. State Seal

MASS & FLAG RAISING CEREMONY Sunday 30th March at 9am.

On Sunday 30th March a celebration of Mass for Peace and a Flag Raising was held on the Lower New Haven Green at 9:00 am to commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the Easter Uprising. Following the Mass, the Patriots of 1916 and those that were on hunger strike were honored. The Mass was followed by a breakfast, donated by Sonny Ryan, at the Playwright, New Haven to benefit the New Haven St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee. The following are some images taken at that event. Fr. Holt and Deacon Martin O'Connor

Congregation - New Haven Sen. Martin Looney in foregroung

Event Chairman Mike Lynch addresses the crowd

Above, Charlie O'Hagan displays Patrick Pearse's famous Proclamation in which Margaret O'Hagan read at the ceremony

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