With the American Civil War ending, in 1866 the Hamilton Naval Brigade was called out on short periods of active duty guarding the city and manning steamboats in response to Fenian cross-border raids. For their service during the Fenian Raids, Hamilton's naval volunteers were awarded the Canada General Service Medal with the Fenian Raid 1866 bar. Two years later, with the passage of a Militia Act of 1868, the Naval Companies of Garden Island, Toronto, Hamilton, Dunnville and Port Stanley were requested to signal their intention to remain in active service. All the units, including Hamilton, failed to meet the February 1869 deadline and therefore Hamilton's first, formal naval reserve unit ceased to exist.