Dear Friends,

Welcome to the website of the 69th N.Y.S.V. Historical Association, Inc. We hope that your visit here is enjoyable and informative. We appreciate your interest in our organization, which is dedicated to preserving the memory and heritage of the 69th New York State Volunteers, one of the most famous regiments of the American Civil War. It was also known as the 1st Regiment, Irish Brigade in the Army of the Potomac.

We are a Federally recognized 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. Our proceeds have funded the preservation Civil War battlefields, maintenance of Civil War monuments and the restoration and preservation of the flags carried by the brave soldiers who fought to preserve the Union.

Our association includes Company A, 69th N.Y.S.V., which is a Civil War re-enactment unit in which many of the Association's members participate. This unit portrays a typical company of a Civil War infantry regiment with its primary portrayal being a company of the 69th N.Y.S.V. as it existed in late 1862, when the Irish Brigade was maintaining its hard won, but well deserved reputation on the battlefields of Antietam and Fredericksburg. Our living historians strive to accurately portray the Irish-American soldiers of the Civil War. Whether of Irish descent or born on "the ould sod", the Irish-American soldiers preserved the traditions of the Celtic warrior while fighting to preserve a nation founded on "the proposition that all men are created equal." Our living historians of company A have appeared in documentaries for the National Park Service, as well as movies and other film projects.

This year will find us marching in the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade in addition to St. Patrick's Day parades in Union, New Jersey and New Haven, Connecticut. We will also do clean-up work at the New York Irish Brigade Monument on the Gettysburg battlefield and participate in other living history events and battle reenactments. We are excited to host a living history weekend in co-operation with the National Park Service on the battlefield of First Bull Run.

If you would like to contact me please feel free to e-mail me at garryowen69@comcast.net . We also have other contact people listed on our recruiting page. Although centered in the New York metropolitan area, we have members in several states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and Texas. Even Ireland itself has contributed members to our roster. So please take a few minutes and look around. We hope to hear from you.

Slan Agat,