On this day: 1867 Death by drowning of Thomas Francis Meagher, Fenian, Irish nationalist and leader of the Young Irelanders in the Rebellion of 1848. After being convicted of sedition, he was first sentenced to death, but received transportation for life to Van Diemen's Land in Australia. In 1852 he escaped and made his way to the United States, where he settled in New York City. When the Civil War started, he was instrumental in forming the Irish Brigade, which fought so valiantly in numerous conflicts including Chancellorsville, Fair Oaks and Fredericksburg. Meagher was a brave leader who was loved and respected by his men. When the war ended, he was appointed Acting Governor of the (then) Territory of Nevada. On this day in 1867, Meagher drowned in the swift running Missouri River after falling from a steamboat. Image: The Irish Brigade under the command of General Thomas Meagher.