Irish immigrants attend Mass in Pottsville, PA before marching off to fight in the Civil War | 1861

Posted on by Jake Wynn

In the weeks after the firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861, communities across Pennsylvania’s Coal Region mobilized for war.

In the Schuylkill County seat at Pottsville, local militia companies – many made up of immigrant workers – prepared to leave for Washington, DC as the United States Army rushed to defend its capital at the outset of the Civil War.

Historic aerial view of a densely populated town with various buildings and houses, surrounded by hills.
Pottsville in the 1860s from Lawton’s Hill looking southwest over the city. (NYPL) St. Patrick’s Church can be seen at left of image.

Among them were the Union Guards of Pottsville, a unit composed largely of Irish immigrants and members of the Hydraulian Fire Company led by County Waterford-born Joseph Anthony.

Major Joseph Anthony 96th Pennsylvania Civil War Williamstown PA Coal Region
Captain Joseph Anthony during his time with the 96th Pennsylvania

Before marching off to war, these men gathered at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on April 23-24, where Father Patrick A. Nugent delivered a patriotic sermon urging them to defend the Union as both a civic duty and a moral cause.

Black and white photograph of a historic church building with a tall clock tower, surrounded by leafless trees and a fence.
St. Patrick’s Church as it appeared during the Civil War

The account below, published in the Miners’ Journal on April 27, 1861, captures that moment. It offers a glimpse into how Irish immigrant communities in the anthracite coal fields experienced the opening days of the Civil War and prepared to fight for their adopted country.

From the Miners’ Journal, April 27, 1861:

The Union Guards of Pottsville, Captain Joseph Anthony, composed largely of members of the Hydraulian Fire Company, attended Mass at St. Patrick’s Church, last Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, immediately before their leaving.

Rev. Father Nugent, the resident Irish Catholic Priest, addressed them in a most patriotic strain, and with thrilling effect – urging their stalwart defense and maintenance of our national Government as the highest service to their religion.

The Union Guards became Company I, 16th Pennsylvania Infantry. They served for three months and then returned home to Schuylkill County.

Many, like Joseph Anthony, signed up for service in other units during the Civil War and several were wounded or killed in their service to save the Union.

Read more about the Civil War in Schuylkill County

Nicholas Biddle | An African-American Civil War hero from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania

Coal Region responses to the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter | April 1861

“Our Pottsville Volunteers” – A song about Schuylkill County’s brave Civil War soldiers

How Pottsville commemorated the first anniversary of the Confederate army’s surrender | 1866

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