, 1866-07-03

SUITS WCLO OniJ IkA bldliJ NhN OtINC Il ply
venting communication, but were dis
astrously effectual, so far as the Fenians
were concerned, in preventing the cross
ing of the reinforcements they expected
TO receive from Buffalo Tuesday night.
Despairing at last Of receiving such aid,
and hearing of the arrival at Suspension
Bridge, and threatened march up the
banks of Niagara, of one thousand five
hundred Canadian volunteers with artil-
lery, Colonel O'Niell vacated his camp
at Fronohman's Creek. at 10 p. m, Fri
day, destroyed, by burning and bending
all extra arms which had been taken
across, dumped all extra ammunition into
the river, and prepared for fight or flight
asthe case shouldbe. TWAS Still hoped that
the expected re-inforcements failing to
cross the Niagara below, might still cross
above, and land in the neighborhood Of
Ridgeway or Port Colborne. after spend
inc the night at Waterloo and Fort Erie,
numbers of the men committing depre-
dations upon private property and other
wise behaving in a most unbecOmlng
manner, the Fenian force, which had by
Saturday morning become decimated by
pxertion, started on the Lime Ridge road
toward Ridgeway, intending to move on
Port Colborne, capture q battery OF artll-
lery which they understood to be at the
latter point, throw up a fort and defend
itself until reinforcements should arrive.
But at $50 o'clock a. M, this plan
was frustrated an unlocked for concen-
tration of Canadian volunteers at Ridge
way had taken place and, although
these troops had been ordered TO act
merely as q force of observation, and On
the defensive, by the Canadian authori-
ties, their commander, hearing of the adj
vance, moved out from Ridgeway to meet
and attack Colonel O'Neirs command.
AS the Fenians were marching into the
interior of Ridgeway road, Colonel Starr,
of the Kentucky regiment, being in COM
mand of the advance guard, they came
upon a body of mounted pensioners, as
thew are called, consisting of some ten or
twelve men, scouts of the British troops.
Colonel Starr with six of his horsemen,
at once charged upon this party, which
beat a vigorous retreat.
Preparations for a fight were at once
inaugurated. The Fenians threw out
hanks on each side Of the road, undoE tho
command of Captain Donohue, and under
their cover moved ON a mile and a halt
further. Here they reached Hottman'S
tavern, and here the skirmishers heard
the bugles of the enemy sounding the
advance.
This was the signal for line of battle
to be formed by the Fenians, which was
Immediately done by Colonel O'NeiFs
order; the right rested on the road lead
inc from Hoffman's tavern to a point
some seven miles down the river, and the
left extended into a little piece OF woods.
The line fronted the road from Port
Robinson to Fort Erie. Hasty entrench-
ments were thrown up, and soon the
enemy's line of battle was developed, be-
ing double the strength of that Of the
Fenians, and covering both their TANKS
The first shot was fired by the Fenlan
skirmishers. A musketry fire was kept
up for some twenty minutes. The Ca
nadians, however, fired, in the main, too
high, and very little execution was done
by them, while the fire of the Fenians
was much more destructive to the Bri-
fish ranks. The enemy seeing this, or
dered a general advance.