Letter of S. C. Hayes to Jefferson Davis
Author: United States. War Dept.
Title: The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (1880 - 1901)
Other Title: Official records of the Union and Confederate armies
Publisher: Government Printing Office
Place of Publication: Washington
Location: Series 4, Volume 3, Pages 4 - 6
Copied from: Cornell University's MoA Multivolume Monographs, The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (1880 - 1901)
His Excellency JEFFERSON DAVIS
President Confederate States of America:
DEAR SIR: I beg leave to call your attention to a weak point in the enemy’s lines to which your mind may not have been directed. I allude to the Irish element in the Northern population. A resident of twenty years in Philadelphia, seventeen of which I was a wholesale bookseller, publisher, &c., and having quite a number of that class in my employment in binding, printing-office, and store, coupled with the fact that my parents were natives of Ireland, naturally created in my mind a sympathy for them, more especially as they were, about the time of my going to Philadelphia, objects of bitter and most intense persecution by an ignorant band of bigots. The interest I felt and manifested for them soon gave me quite an extensive acquaintance among them. I merely mention this fact to show you that my estimate of their character and knowledge of their views upon our question is not based upon superficial information. As soon as civil war seemed inevitable I began the tedious task of selling out and collecting, in order that I might hasten to this my native place. The regular routine of business broken up, I had much leisure time, which I used to the best advantage for the furtherance of our cause. Partly from the calls of business, together with a desire to see and converse with the Irish operatives in the coal mines of Pennsylvania, I visited during the summer of 1861 the counties of Lehigh, Carbon, Schuylkill, Berks, &c. I asserted that the native American and Know-Nothing were identical with the Black Republican party. I reminded them that the former had burned their churches in 1844; the Know-Nothing party had proscribed every man who had a Mc or an 0 to his name during the winter of 1857 and 1858, driving many thousands of families into starvation during the continuance of that short but certainly most severe financial storm which raged throughout the North at that period. Failing to accomplish their full purpose at each of these times by reason of the steady opposition of the South, and especially Virginia, where Know-Nothingism met its death, they changed their name and tactics, and by a loud outcry for the negro, for whom they had no real sympathy, but used him as a weapon against both the Irish and the South—their chief aim and object being to free the negro as far as they could, bring him North, put him in competition with the white labor, believing that they would work cheaper than the Irish, and, above all, they would not be permitted to vote. The effect of these short conversations, I can assure you, were most happy, and what added point to my argument was that many of these men had been driven from places of public employment during the winter of 1857 and 1858 by the Know-Nothing party, which was then in power in the select and common councils of Philadelphia. After the first battle of Manassas, T. F. Meagher came to Philadelphia to drum up recruits for his Irish Brigade. He made a capital speech; I feared a telling one. I worked night and day to neutralize his speech. His treatment of the Irish girl who aided him in making his escape from Australia, and his subsequent marriage with a Yankee girl, was an admirable argument against him, which I failed not to use on every occasion. The result was he obtained but few recruits in Philadelphia—not more than a corporal’s guard. I mention these circumstances to show you that the great body of Irish at the North feel a deep interest in our success, more especially in Pennsylvania, where they have been subjected to bitter persecution. Although I am an elder in the Presbyterian Church, yet I had conversations with quite a number of Roman Catholic priests at the North, all of whom, with one exception, expressed the utmost confidence and sympathy in our success. Private letters which I received from James A. McMaster, editor of the Freeman’s Journal, allude to the efforts which the North were making most cunningly to identify the South with these objectionable parties; a fact that I had noticed such artists, with those who had any knowledge of the subject, would awake only a feeling of indignation and contempt; but we know there are many Irish (those but recently arrived) who would believe the statement; and I have no doubt that the burning of the convent at Charlestown, Mass., by a mob has ere this been located at Charleston, S. C.
I owe you an apology for thus troubling you with this communication, but I do it from the best motives for our good. The views generally met the cordial approval of Hon. James A. Bayard, of Delaware, and Hon. Charles Brown, of Philadelphia, with the latter of whom I had frequent interviews before I left, March, 1862. In your judgment you may see some plan by which this party might be strengthened and encouraged by some complimentary allusion to the Irish in our Confederacy.
Begging pardon for the liberty I take, I remain, dear sir, yours, very respectfully,
After writing the above my attention was attracted by a letter from Mr. Smith O’Brien in the Sentinel, which I concluded to read before I sent this, thinking possibly that the same suggestions I make might meet your eye in a more agreeable form. I see nothing, however, in the letter or the editorial but additional evidence to my mind that we ought now to have the very best writers in the Confederacy engaged either as editors or regular contributors to the press. I have seen the evil effects flowing from the editorial attacks upon Mr. Benjamin in the Richmond papers. Mr. Chase, I have no doubt, had much cause to thank the Richmond editors for applying the name Jew as a term of contemptuous reproach to our Secretary of State, for large subscription to his 7.30 stock was made immediately by this very class at the North, some of whom remarked to me in the streets of Philadelphia, "Puritanism is worse at the South than in New England." Hon. James A. Bayard, of Delaware, in a conversation I had with him in February, 1862, remarked that if President Davis could obtain the cordial support of all the papers of the South, which he richly deserved, the war would close in six mouths, but that the silly attacks in the Richmond press tended to prolong the struggle, as it gave point to the abolitionists, who claim that there is a large Union element at the South. I feel very great hesitation in sending this to you, but I think it can certainly do no harm, except it be adding additional trouble to you in reading it.
Yours, very respectfully,
General Bragg for consideration.
Respectfully returned to His Excellency the President.
This paper contains suggestions which I deem valuable and practicable. The employment of some judicious person to operate on this class of people through our own press and that of the North would no doubt be attended with good results. In this connection I suggest the printing in English, German, and French a large number of the recent general orders inviting foreigners in the Federal ranks to come to us and offering them protection. With care many of these papers could be introduced into the enemy’s lines.
Secretary of War for consideration and conference.
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