The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero

In the aftermath of the New York draft riots, the reputation of the Irish in America plummeted. The media depicted the Irish immigrants involved in the riots as violent and destructive; prominent figures like political cartoonist Thomas Nast and lawyer George Templeton Strong criticized them harshly. Amidst this backlash, Meagher could not defend the rioters and instead focused on a broader cause.

Meagher became a vocal opponent of slavery. He publicly defended Lincoln and the Union cause, emphasizing the fight against the enslavers of the South. This stance alienated him from many in the Irish American community and led to harsh criticism from the Irish American press. Despite the hostility, Meagher continued to support Lincoln, even meeting with the president in November 1863 while Lincoln was ill. Meagher sought a new role in the Union Army and expressed his commitment to the Fenian Brotherhood, pledging to work for Ireland's liberation. Tragedy struck when Meagher's friend and fellow Irish officer, Michael Corcoran, died suddenly in December 1863. This loss deeply affected Meagher.

In 1864, Meagher was sent to Tennessee to protect a crucial Union supply line. His forces, known as the Provisional Army of Tennessee, successfully repelled Confederate attacks. However, discipline issues among his troops led to criticism from Union leadership, and Meagher was eventually relieved of command.

Despite the turmoil, Meagher campaigned for Lincoln's re-election in 1864. Lincoln's electoral victory was bolstered by military successes, including General Sherman's capture of Atlanta. After Lincoln's assassination in April 1865, Meagher gathered with former officers of the Irish Brigade to honor Lincoln and contemplate his own future.

By mid-1865, Meagher decided to start anew in the West. He planned to move to Montana Territory, hoping to find financial success and reunite with his son. At 41, Meagher embarked on this new venture, seeking a fresh start after years of war.

Setting off to the West, Meagher first stopped in Minnesota, where he secured a job with James L. Fisk, guiding emigrants to the gold-rich lands of Montana. Motivated by Fisk’s description of Montana as a land full of opportunities and gold, Meagher decided to relocate there permanently, hoping to establish a home and new life for himself and Libby.

The idea of creating a “New Ireland” in the American West took shape. This concept, supported by some, envisioned a refuge for Irish immigrants in a healthier and more prosperous rural landscape, away from the overcrowded and toxic urban slums of the East. Meagher was inspired by the potential for Irish immigrants to build a dignified life in the open spaces of the West.

In Minnesota, Meagher learned that President Andrew Johnson had appointed him Secretary of Montana Territory, the second-highest office there. This new role filled Meagher him with hope and ambition. Preparing to organize and govern the new territory, he dreamed of leading a second great migration of Irish immigrants to Montana, where they could claim land under the Homestead Act, which displaced Indigenous peoples to allow the US to expand and colonize.

Meagher reached Montana Territory, traveling through Bannack and Virginia City, where he encountered a rough and lawless environment dominated by the Vigilance Committee, a group that practiced extrajudicial killings to enforce their version of justice. The Committee’s actions, including the hanging of the sheriff Henry Plummer without trial, shocked Meagher.

Governor Sidney Edgerton abruptly left, making Meagher acting governor. This unexpected responsibility meant dealing with the Vigilance Committee's unchecked power. Meagher's arrival in Virginia City earned admiration from Irish immigrants and suspicion from the established vigilantes and their supporters. Meagher set to work, advocating for public education, and planning infrastructure. However, his progressive ideas, opposition to monopolies, and support for the rights of Irish immigrants and formerly enslaved people earned him the ire of the Committee and Freemasons who controlled local politics.

The Committee continued its murder spree, maintaining their grip on power through fear. Meagher’s efforts to bring law and order were met with violent resistance. When he granted reprieve to a man convicted of manslaughter, the man was lynched by vigilantes eager to send a warning. Despite ongoing threats, Meagher was determined to fulfill his duties and create a fair and just society in Montana Territory.

At Fort Benton, Meagher witnessed the arrival of steamships bringing prospectors and settlers deeper into Montana. The Blackfeet tribe, suffering from starvation and loss of land, reminded him of his own people's suffering under British rule. Finding solace among Jesuit priests, Meagher reflected on the similarities between the oppression of the Irish and the plight of Indigenous peoples. Meagher thought that even while attempting to convert the Blackfleet people, the Jesuits showed some respect for their ways. The federal government's more disdainful treatment was evident during a treaty negotiation, as the Blackfeet reluctantly ceded their lands. Meagher was dismayed but stayed silent. Meanwhile, the Sioux, led by Chief Red Cloud, intensified their resistance against settlers, leading to increased violence.

As acting governor, Meagher convened the territorial legislature, aiming for fairness and inclusivity. His efforts to keep religion out of public schools and maintain public ownership of roads and rivers angered the vigilantes and Freemasons. Despite his efforts, extrajudicial killings by vigilantes continued. On St. Patrick's Day, Meagher delivered a speech, drawing parallels between the struggles of the Irish and the challenges faced by immigrants in Montana, emphasizing loyalty to both Ireland and America, and denouncing bigotry. His wife, Libby, joined him in Montana, bringing familial support despite their financial difficulties.

Eventually, Meagher formed a bond with the new governor, Green Clay Smith. However, Wilbur Sanders, a leading Republican and vigilante supporter, undermined Meagher in Washington, DC, resulting in the nullification of the 1866 legislative session; direct threats from vigilantes also continued—one was a drawing depicting Meagher’s hanging.

In the summer of 1867, Meagher journeyed to Fort Benton, plagued by illness and reflecting on his years of exile from Ireland. His mission was to retrieve a cache of arms for defense against Indigenous tribes, to counter resistance led by Red Cloud and the closure of the Bozeman Trail. Despite his efforts to organize a militia, Meagher's heart was not in the conflict, and he avoided bloodshed.

In Fort Benton, Meagher felt threatened by the hostile environment. Aboard the steamship G.A. Thompson, he met with his political adversary Sanders, and with Johnny Doran, the ship’s pilot. That evening, Meagher expressed his fears to Doran and retired to his stateroom. Around 10 pm, cries and a splash were heard from the ship. Meagher's body was never found despite extensive searches.

Wilbur Sanders quickly shaped the narrative of Meagher's death, suggesting suicide or an accidental fall, despite widespread disbelief among Meagher's friends and supporters. Many suspected assassination by his enemies, given his strong swimming abilities and the threats he had faced. Meagher was mourned by communities across the East, where his contributions to the Irish Brigade and his efforts for Irish independence were celebrated.

Elizabeth Meagher departed Montana; Meagher’s death marked the end of her involvement in their shared cause. Wilbur Sanders and others expected Meagher to be forgotten, but his legacy endured as a symbol of Irish struggle and American patriotism.

On July 4, 1905, a large crowd gathered at the capitol in Helena, Montana, to unveil a statue of Thomas Francis Meagher. The event was backed by Marcus Daly, a powerful Irish American capitalist, and was supported by many Irish immigrants who had settled in Butte, Montana, transforming it into a thriving community known as "the richest hill on earth" (309). The Irish American residents of Butte established a vibrant community with societies, clubs, schools, and churches, making it a new Ireland in America.

Elizabeth Meagher, unable to attend, sent her regrets from her home in New York. She lived modestly on a Civil War widow’s pension and remained devoted to her husband's memory. The ceremony in Helena featured the reading of the Declaration of Independence and the unveiling of Meagher’s bronze equestrian statue, which faces the Missouri River. Former Senator Wilbur Sanders, a key figure in Montana's history and a longtime rival of Meagher, remained secluded in his nearby home, ill and nearing the end of his life. Sanders had shaped the historical narrative of Montana to justify the actions of vigilantes during the territory's early days.

Sanders had added new details to his account of Meagher’s last day, suggesting Meagher had expressed suicidal ideation, a claim contradicted by other witnesses. I.G. Baker, who hosted Meagher, and Johnny Doran, the steamship pilot, both maintained that Meagher was sober and not distraught. Later, a man named Frank Diamond claimed to have been paid to murder Meagher, but he eventually recanted. Sanders had a motive for wanting Meagher out of the way: Meagher's popularity threatened Sanders' political ambitions.

Years later, when US President John F. Kennedy visited Ireland to honor his heritage and reflect on the Irish struggle for independence, he praised Meagher’s contributions, especially his leadership of the Irish Brigade during the American Civil War.

In both Ireland and the United States, memorials and mementos of Meagher’s life continue to honor his legacy. The new Waterford Bridge in Ireland was named after Meagher, and a bronze portrait of him was placed near his widow's grave in Brooklyn, New York. In 2012, a ceremonial coroner's inquest held in Virginia City, Montana, concluded that Meagher's death was a homicide, with Sanders implicated as the culprit. This reflected the belief that Meagher was murdered for opposing those who abused their power in the name of authority.