History Crossroads

Thomas Meagher: The Rebel Who Vanished


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He was an Irish revolutionary who faced death in a Dublin courtroom, an exile who escaped from the ends of the earth, a Union general who led the Irish Brigade through the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, and a governor who disappeared into the dark waters of the Missouri River.

In this episode of History Crossroads, we trace the extraordinary life of Thomas Francis Meagher—his fiery speeches that electrified a nation, his daring escape from Van Diemen’s Land, his leadership at Antietam and Fredericksburg, and the haunting mystery of his final night. Was his end an accident, suicide, or murder? The river never returned his body, and history still debates the truth.

Join us as we explore rebellion, exile, glory, and mystery in the story of a man whose voice once moved thousands, and whose fate remains one of the great unsolved puzzles of the 19th century.

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History CrossroadsBy Adam, the History Enthusiast