The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-06-09
The Fenian Fiasco.


The history of the second, and, il is to b
hepsd, the last, fenian invasion of Canada,
hes now bsenswritten. A little more serious,
in point Of magnitude and the interest il Gre.
ated, than tho wretchsd affair at Campo Bel
10, Sweeny's expedition seems to have been
quite rs crude, As lily planned, and 90 point
less as that projected by O'Mahony and Kill
lian.s The main, and almost the only differ
encs appears that Sweeney actually landed .
fenan force on Canadian SOIL and succeeded
in splitting some blood, in which he achieved
more than his rival faction in the far north
west. While Killisn only succeeded in excit-
ing ridicufe, Swseny's movement has arous.
ed pity for his dupes. and indignation against
the men who betrayed them.
The country will wait with interest for Gen.
Swseny's explanation of the movement upon
Fort Erie The people will want to know,
you know" why |, 500 rudely- armed hslf-or.
ganized troops were sent across deep and
rapid river, with no earthly chance for sup
port or escape, to meet double, or If need be,
ouadruple, their number of organized soldiers,
we'll armed and appointed. Why were these
gallant, but misguided, men sent forward
Unto the Jaws of death" unless diversion,
at least, were made In their favor at some
other point?
From the comparative quiet and secrecy
with which the first movement from Buffalo
was executed. the public began to augur ia
vorably of Gen. Sweeny's military abilities,
and to believe that the entire general plan, to
which it was supposed this expedition was
only preliminary, would be executed with the
same dash and daring that characterized the
Fort Erie raid. They looked to see the main
force sweep from st. Adams on Montreal like
| An eagle from it's eyrie,-sudden, terrible,
and resistless. They knew that fenisns had
| for some days been gathering from all quar-
ters of the country, eager for the signal to ad'
vance; and they expected to see stsgger'
| ing blow struck upon an unprotected spot
| while Canadian energies were concentrated
| to repel the compara tively Insignificant fein'
| in the west. But Sweeny has shown himself
laggard at the moment which called for the
utmost display of energy; his men lie idle II
| camp, or lounge purposeless through the
| streets and saloons, from Chicago to Vermont
while their enemies are concentrating at then
leisure ON points most exposed. The wounds
| of Ridgeway's dead cape in vain the bloody
dew that sprinkled the soil at Limestone
| Ridge fertilizes no fresh scheme tor Ireland's
liberation.
Gen. Sweeny could have learned, during
the last four years. that proclamations do no
fight battles. Read in the light of subsequen
actions, his sounding manifesto to the Ca
nadiaps is like utterance of a Chinese man
DARN against rebels; while the publication
of sush document within the jurisdiction o
the United States, when its author had j us
organized an invasion of the territory of
friendly government, seemed as though b
courted arrest as the easiest mode OF es
ospe from the alternative he had forced upol
himself Be this as it may, to sum up tn
situation in a word, Gen. Swseny's Fort Fri
invasion, and his subsequent delay and irre'
olution. are absolutely inexcusable in q mill
tary point of view.
1t is possible he may yet make an attemp
and again plunge the country into fervor {
excitement; but, should he essay second Al
vance into Canada, it will only meet q BLOOD
Ter and more disastrous end than was the n
suit at Fort Erie.
The news of the arrest Of Gen. Sween
and Col Roberts, since the above was place
in type, must satisfy the most sanguir
friends of Irish independence that the pre-
emit attempt has hopelessly failed; and the
advertising ones designs in advance, by pro
lamations and the like, lie not the best NEAR
to insure success; neither is a delay OF
week after initiating q movement-thus gl'
ing the enemy time to concentrate his force
"a good plan on which to conduct can
paign. ANY man of ordinary foresight mu
have predicted such finale after Gen. Swe
pv's mex plicabls delay in moving; and Ger
Sweeny and Col. Roberts no doubt an.icpa
: ed precisely such termination OF the
schemes.- Chicago Republican.