The Washington Arsenal Explosion: Irish Women & Girls Killed Recklessly

[Me.]

The Washington Arsenal Explosion: Irish Women & Girls Killed Recklessly

A sad story of the confluence of events that brought these women and girls to a terrible death during the Civil War.

“The Washington Arsenal was the lifeblood of the Union Army of the Potomac. Every day, the “girls” who worked there made 21,000 cartridges for their brothers and fathers who filled the ranks of that army. Women worked twelve hours a day in the most dangerous workplace in the capital city to insure that no soldier’s ammo box was empty. 1
The Washington Arsenal was also a place where teenage girls, women too young to marry, and war widows could find work to feed their families. Many of the women were immigrants or the daughters of immigrant families, women without means to support themselves if they did not accept potentially deadly work.2
On June 17, 1864 the Arsenal exploded. Twenty-one victims, all female, died horribly.”…cont…

And as a telling characteristic of a caring president, we have this…

“Most of the bodies of the dead “girls” could not be identified, and they were to be buried in Congressional Cemetery at government expense. Several who were not too badly disfigured, were buried in private ceremonies in the Catholic cemetery. More than a thousand mourners gathered for the Congressional Cemetery services. They were joined by a silent Abraham Lincoln and his Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. The Federal government paid for the cost of the burials”…cont…

https://longislandwins.com/columns/the-washington-arsenal-explosion-irish-women-girls-killed-recklessly/#.W48ocdM23w8.mailto

[Sherman A1]

1. Thanks for posting

[H2O Man]

2. Recommended.

Irish immigrants won the Civil War for the north.

(There is an unmarked mass-burial of Irish immigrants that were working building a railroad about a quarter of a mile from me. The WASP's wouldn't allow them to be buried in their cemetery.)

[Me.]

3. Shameful

"The WASP's wouldn't allow them to be buried in their cemetery"

[H2O Man]

4. About 15 or 16 years ago,

a railroad historian/author contacted me about the site. He had never been able to locate it, which is understandable. I brought himn to the site (wild 4-wheel drive across a deep creek, and straight up a steep incline). He said it was sad that no one ever visited the site. I noted that we were there. He said that none of their families knew they were there, and that their names were lost to history.

I invited him to my house, and showed him old tin-type photos, and provided their names.

[Me.]

5. Amazing

J hope he does a follow-up. I had no idea about the Washington Arsenal. Also always wondered how Foggy Bottom got its name.

[OnDoutside]

8. And it's quite likely many of them had left Ireland during the famine.

[H2O Man]

11. Right .....

though from an Irish point of view, it was the Great Starvation, rather than a famine. Other than potatoes, everything produced bumper crops, though the food (including meats) were exported for the financial benefit of people who did not live in Ireland.

[OnDoutside]

12. Yes that's true. The landowners were making huge profits from protectionism, preferring to

export the produce to England, rather than feed the hungry. But the bubble burst with the repealing of the Corn Laws in Westminster, in 1846. Like 2008, loads of landowners had taken out huge loans that they couldn't repay when their income dropped in subsequent years. And eventually that led to the Land Wars, as well as the struggle for independence.

[eppur_se_muova]

9. Was this Duffy's Cut ?

I saw the Secrets of the Dead episode about this, but the incident happened in 1832, so I'm not sure if it's what you're talking about.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duffy%27s_Cut

[H2O Man]

10. No.

It's a tiny, isolated spot in rural Chenango County, NY. It holds the remains of approximately 24 men. The "locals" didn't even keep track of the exact number. It took place shortly after the Civil War. And the same general thing happened in other places as well, as you note in your post.

My family was here (from Ireland) to work on the canals, and then the railroads. Lots of "oral history," which I eventually wrote down for a "local history" book.

[eppur_se_muova]

13. Hmmm ... maybe another episode of SOTD here ?

Doesn't have to be, but interesting.

[madaboutharry]

6. Thank you for posting.

[Scurrilous]

7. K&R