Victory and Woe: The West Limerick Brigade in the War of Independence (Classics of Irish History)

This is a fascinating account of life at the grassroots during the Irish War of Independence and the Civil War by the Officer Commanding, 2nd Battalion, West Limerick Brigade of the Irish Volunteers. Mossie Harnett (1893-1977) who fought on the Anti-Treaty side in the Civil War, describes his early life on a farm in Limerick Co., his enrolment in the Irish Volunteers in 1915, the 1916 Easter Rising, the rise of Sinn Fein and its victory in 1918, the Anglo- Irish conflict, the Truce and Treaty of 1921, and the Civil War, including his involvement in the conflict until his release from Free State prison in 1923. Also included is an appendix about the British troops' little-known and short-lived practice of taking hostages in order to protect themselves.