Their valor in fighting for the Union had won the Irish Brigade the admiration of friend and foe alike, but the battle scars were showing. Overcome by the body count, Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher resigned, leaving their chaplain, William Corby, to provide leadership and guidance. And they would need it. Severe casualties in Fredericksburg and Gettysburg crippled the Brigade, but never their spirit. By the time the war was over, the Irish Brigade cemented its legend, going down in history as one of America's greatest fighting forces.