[constitutiongirl]

That's interesting. I've never heard that before (and I live in Virginia when I'm on that side of the pond). I always thought it odd that M. Mitchell created Scarlett, the consumate Southern belle, as an Irish/French Catholic instead of an Anglo or Scot/Irish Protestant.

[Cleburne]

Oh yes, Irish-Catholic support for the Confederacy was strong, and tolerance for Irish men and Catholics was very high in the "Old South"-the war governors of several "Deep South" states were strongly pro-Irish and anti-Know-Nothing, and there was little anti-Irish sentiment in the South, nor was there Catholic bashing (as was the case-carried to extremes-in the North). The Catholic Church, along with Southern Protestants, supported slavery as long as is was very humane (though I shan't go into that!), no doubt drawing added ire from the Northern Know-Nothings/Abolitionists. As a result, many Irishmen in Ieland supported the South, with nationlist newspapers publishing many pro-South editorials, and many Irish patriots expressed their support of the South, some fighting for it in the case of the Mitchells. Even Meagher, the leader of the Northern Irish Brigade (duly slaughtered it was), had been pro-South until a few months into the war. One poor Confederate-Irish company had to change its name, which had Meagher in it, upon hearing of his reversal of loyalties. There were many Irishmen in the rebel army, with around 20 percent of the gray ranks being emmigrant Irish. If you'ld like to know more, please Freepmail me. And check out Paddy Cleburne, the most famous Irish-Confederate of all, though he was Protestant (though his parents were renowed for Catholic friendship).