The Museum of the American Revolution, 3rd and Chestnut streets, has a new exhibit, Cost of Revolution: The Life and Death of an Irish Soldier, that runs through St. Patrick’s Day.
The 5,000-square-foot exhibit opened on Saturday and is included in regular admission to the museum, which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost of Revolution tells the story of Richard St. George, an Irish soldier and artist who fought for the British in the American Revolution and later opposed the Irish Revolution of 1798.
The exhibit features nearly 100 artifacts, manuscripts and works of art to tell the story.
“Story is the root word in history,” said R. Scott Stephenson, president and CEO of the museum, during last week’s media opening.
St. George, a Protestant from County Galway, suffered a severe head wound on Oct. 4, 1777 at the Battle of Germantown, and went to Pennsylvania Hospital for treatment.
When he returned to Ireland, he opposed the effort to establish an Irish republic independent from the British Empire. He confiscated weapons, burned buildings and threatened to hang those he considered treasonous. He was killed in County Cork on Feb. 9, 1798 as tensions rose.
Portraits, cartoons and sketches of and by St. George reveal the physical and emotional toll of the American Revolution.
The exhibit also takes a look at Col. Walter Stewart, from County Derry, who was among the Irish-born officers who fought for American independence in the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown.
The museum opened in April 2017, and has welcomed more than 800,000 visitors. Some 70,000 school kids come every year.
Tickets are valid for two consecutive days. For more information, call 215-253-6731 or visit amrevmuseum.org. ••
