Lost manuscript tells history of the 1798 Irish Rebellion

Just steps from death by the hangman’s noose, 18-year-old Richard Caldwell won a reprieve. The price for his life? Banishment for him and his entire family from their beloved Ireland. Forever!

The year was 1798 and the young Caldwell was a rebel member of the United Irishmen. Angered at Anglican rule over the Kingdom of Ireland, the United Irishmen launched a revolt which came to be known as the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

October 12 marks the 220th anniversary of the end of that Rebellion and now a previously unpublished manuscript lost for more than 160 years has been brought back to life.

The Rebellion lasted just five short months beginning in May of 1798 and was sparked by the ideals of the recent American and French revolutions. Poorly organized and dwarfed by British forces, the United Irishmen were brought to their knees but not after an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 men and civilians died. The Rebellion led to the passing of the Act of Union in 1800 which reduced the imbalance of power.

The newly discovered manuscript is nothing short of an eyewitness account of the Rebellion relating the story of Flora Caldwell written in 1856 by her nephew, famed Maryland artist Francis Blackwell Mayer.

Caldwell tells a fascinating tale of her upbringing in Derry, County Cork, Ireland, bouncing around from Ireland to the West Indies and back, the pillaging and burning of her village, and the cruelty inflicted upon the United Irishmen including to her cousin, Richard Caldwell.

“For the first time since this interview took place 160 years ago, Flora’s account has come to life,” said Kenneth J. Olson, president and CEO of Period Americana, which is publishing the manuscript.

“Rarely does new source material surface after such a long period of time. She was an eye-witness to history,” added Olson who served as editor on the project.

The manuscript is being published to coincide with the 220th anniversary of the end of the Rebellion on October 12.

An excerpt of the manuscript was published in the Journal of the American Revolution.

The manuscript in its entirety is available on Amazon.

The original manuscript will remain part of Period Americana’s collection which it makes available for research and for school presentations. The collection is comprised of several artifacts of American turning points such as John Hancock’s copies of George Washington’s letters to General Howe, one of the few known Revolutionary War medical diaries, a Civil War prison diary, and hundreds of documents and artifacts.