The New York 69th Infantry Regiment was the famed center of the Irish Brigade of the Union Army during the Civil War. Composed mainly of newly arrived Irish immigrants, the regiment fought in the most famous battles of the war, including Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Antietam.
Colonel Michael Corcoran led the Regiment in early action of the war and was captured as a POW after the Battle of Bull Run. The 69th infamously suffered nearly 60% causalities at the "Bloody Lane" during the Battle of Antietam and popular legend holds that it was here where General Robert E. Lee first called them the "Fighting 69th" in acknowledgement as one of the most hard fighting Union Regiments.
Song: "The Fighting 69th" by The Wolfe Tones (1976)
