Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2136733 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 171 pages

Customer Reviews

Through American and Irish Wars
This book about the life and times of Thomas W Sweeny is well worth a look for those interested in Irish-American history, the Civil War, or just a well-written history book. Thomas Sweeny, who lost his arm in the Mexican-American War, fought indians and outlaws in California, was a Brigadier General in the Civil War and was a General of the IRA and Secretary of War of the Fenian Brotherhood, was a unique character and Morgan has captured this uniqueness. The early years Thomas Sweeny spent as a soldier in back country of San Diego amongst outlaws and indians, based on a diary Sweeny kept, brought out a part of General Sweeny's career I was unfamiliar with. The recounting of Sweeny's time with the Fenian Army getting ready and then invading Canada are well researched, but the best part of the book is that it is fun to read.
Micheal Ruddy
Author of "Irish Army in America"(Civil War Times April 2003)

An Incompetent Biography
General Thomas W. Sweeny deserves a better biography than this one which is based on incompetent research. Due to limited space only a small number of errors are presented below, but they should give the buyer an idea of this book's numerous faults.

Pages 4, 19, 36, 37, 44, 53, 54, 163, 170: references to Sweeny's "sister," Sarah Ann Barnard. According to genealogy charts in the Sweeny Papers at the Huntington Library, she was really his sister-in-law (his first wife's sister).

Page 3: Sweeny "knew Geronimo personally." Sweeny knew someone named Geronimo, but it was NOT the famous Apache leader, but rather an Indian who belonged to the Kamia, a tribe that lived in Southern California. (See George H. Phillips, CHIEFS AND CHALLENGERS (1975), pp. 76-77, 136-137.)

Page 23: a visit to Fort Yuma in 1851 by "the noted naturalist, Dr. John Le Conte, then of the University of Georgia." It was actually his cousin, John Lawrence LeConte of New York (a famous entomologist), who visited the fort at this time. There is no evidence that shows John LeConte was anywhere near California or the Southwest before 1869. (Check DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, Vol. 6, pp. 88-91.)

Page 22: mentions Sweeny's friend and fellow officer, "Captain John W. Davidson." According to muster rolls, regimental returns, and Sweeny's own letters, this was really Captain DELOZIER DAVIDSON. John W. Davidson was nowhere near Fort Yuma or the Southwest in 1851-53, and he wasn't a captain until 1855. From 1851-1853 he was a 1st lieutenant stationed in Kansas and Minnesota.

Page 22: Brevet Major Samuel P. Heintzelman (commanding officer of Fort Yuma) "brought various charges against [Captain Delozier Davidson] ... charges which were almost entirely dismissed when Davidson ... asked for a Court of Inquiry to investigate." An officer/soldier may request a court of inquiry to investigate a problem, but such a court has no authority to deal with charges (violations of military law) preferred against him. These are decided by a court-martial. Davidson faced both a court of inquiry (July 1852) and a general court-martial (October 1852) at Fort Yuma. The court of inquiry failed to support his complaint and the court-martial led to a public reprimand.

Page 53: Sweeny was "on duty at [Fort] Randall for five months." In fact he spent almost 13 months at this fort: May 1857 to June 1858.

Page 90: in January 1862 Sweeny was given "a regular army rank of colonel in command of the 52nd Illinois Infantry." This colonelcy was not in the regular army, but in the U.S. Volunteer Corps, since this was a volunteer regiment from Illinois. It was not until December 1864 that Sweeny received a promotion as a major in the regular army (to date from October 20, 1863).

Page 103: During the Civil War Sweeny faced a court-martial for striking his commanding officer, General Grenville M. Dodge. According to this book "[General John W.] Fuller brought charges and carried them forward vigorously" against Sweeny. Wrong. According to the documents filed with this case, charges were preferred by Captain Thomas Fullerton, a member of Dodge's staff, and Major Norman Gay, medical director of Dodge's corps. There is no evidence to show that Fuller preferred any charges in this case (he wasn't even a witness).

Page 152: "In retirement, Sweeny lived out the rest of his life with his family on Long Island, at 120 Franklin Street." Sweeny retired from the army in 1870, but he didn't move to this address until 1887. Before 1887 he spent his retirement at different addresses in New York City and Augusta, Georgia.

Page 152: "Brooklyn, the burrow of New York." The correct word is borough, not "burrow."

Page 165: "Fort Yuma (Arizona)." The fort is actually in California, being located on the west bank of the Colorado River.

Illustration no. 8 is labeled "General Sweeny." Wrong. Sweeny is clearly wearing a company-grade officer's uniform and his shoulder strap indicates he was a captain when this photo was taken.

This is just the small tip of a very large iceberg. Besides terrible research this book also contains unbelievable hyperbole and unsupportable exaggeration, is totally lacking in objectivity (anyone Sweeny disliked is automatically portrayed as a villain, irregardless of the facts), and contains much misinformation concerning 19th-century U.S. military (example: terms such as corps, division, and regiment are NOT interchangeable).

The Life and Times of Thomas W. Sweeney
This is a well-written, well-researched, engaging account of the life and times of Thomas W. Sweeney, which means it is also worthwhile reading for anyone interested in Civil War history or Irish studies.