The History of Catholic America
The Fight For Freedom

"I presume that your fellow citizens will not forget the patriotic part which you took in the accomplishment of their revolution and the establishment of their government, nor the important assistance which they have received from a nation in which the Roman Catholic religion is professed."

Catholic hearts swelled with pride at these words from General George Washington at the close of a war that brought independence to their chosen land. They had fought long and hard while distinguishing themselves on the field of battle. Men and women of all creeds had joined together, differences temporarily put aside, to struggle together in a common cause.

A Catholic who helped to initiate this Revolution when he joined fifty-five other Americans in the signing of the Declaration of Independence was Charles Carroll of Carrollton. He was the richest man in the colonies and had the most to lose in the bloody battle that was certain to ensue. His grandfather, the first Charles Carroll, had been attorney general of Maryland until losing his commission with the renewal of anti-Catholicism in 1688. Charles Carroll of Carrollton was a lawyer whose professional practice was proscribed in Maryland because of his religion. This idealistic citizen, whose death in 1832 at the age of ninety-five made him the last signer to leave behind his earthly cares, was painfully familiar with man's need for political and religious freedom.

Most Catholics had been mistreated in their homelands; the Irish, particularly, resented the English, and looked forward to a country that promised religious toleration. The majority of American Catholics, no matter what their national origin, joined wholeheartedly in the Revolution. Very few were Tories.

Exact numbers of Catholic soldiers have not been recorded, but we do know that thirty-eight percent of Washington's troops had Irish names. One brave warrior of another heritage, who was known only as Francesco the Italian, gave his own life as he protected General Washington from British bayonets at the Battle of Monmouth.

Other Catholics, whose Revolutionary services were invaluable, came from many backgrounds and served in many ways.

A Polish patriot and Revolutionary soldier, Casimir Pulaski, was highly recommended to General Washington when he sailed to this country from Paris in 1777. A year later, this fearless young man, who had organized America's first cavalry, lay dead on the battlefield of Savannah, at age thirty-one.

Another Pole, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, distinguished himself in the American cause almost from the day of his arrival here in 1776. Known as the "father of the Artillery," he was presented with a Congressional vote of thanks by Washington in 1783, an award of American citizenship, a pension, and the rank of brigadier general. Planning to retire, he returned to Poland, but later served in the Polish-Russian War and in the Polish Revolution of 1794. When he revisited the United States in 1797, Congress awarded him a land grant and an increased pension.

"The father of the American Navy" was the Irish-born John Barry. A brave sailor who began his sea-going career at the age of ten and settled in Philadelphia while still a teenager, Barry was given command of the Lexington at the outbreak of the war and had soon captured the Edward, the first British ship ever taken by a commissioned officer of our navy. He was later on a ship that was captured by the British but managed to escape.

John Barry commanded the Revolution's last naval battle, on March 10,1783, before going into his own merchant shipping business in Philadelphia. Eleven years later, however, he was recalled to duty as senior captain, then the top-ranked post of the newly-established United States Navy. He was popularly known as Commodore Barry.

In 1778, the American-French Treaty of Alliance brought French soldiers to our shores. Each contingent brought its own priests. Now French names were added to the rolls of our freedom fighters. The young Marquis de Lafayette, as well as Count Jean de Rochambeau and Count Francois de Grasse, are well-known to readers of our country's history. These men were at General Washington's side through some of the bloodiest battles.

When the British surrender became a fact with the victory at Yorktown, General Washington sent an Irish Catholic to the Congress in Philadelphia with this long-awaited announcement. The French ambassador, who had mortgaged his private fortune to aid what he believed would be a certain triumph over evil, felt a need to rejoice in the time-honored manner of his faith. He immediately arranged for a religious service to be held at St. Mary's Church. The Continental Congress, the supreme executive council, the Philadelphia assembly - representatives of our entire country - joined in this Mass of Thanksgiving and the singing of the Te Deum.

Despite this beautiful display of unity, the valiant service of a disproportionate share of Catholics in the battle, and the heartfelt words of General Washington, at the time the Revolutionary War ended, there were still anti-Catholic laws on the books of seven of the thirteen original colonies.