The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1870-06-02
The Fenian Invasion.

There is something so noble in the he
roism Of the honest Irishmen who have
offered their fortunes and theis persons
for this last wretched expedition against
Canada, that we cannot speak Of their
enterprise without respect; but he-folly
Of the whole affair has been so stupen-
dous, and the failure SO inconceivably ab-
surd, that we can hardly speak Of it eth
e without equal Indignation and amuse-
ment. For months the Brotherhood has
been massing. its resources. collecting
arms, organizing regimentsand brigades,
planning battles and s:eges, aud devising
commissariats. Every available dollar
has been raised and spent. Every avail
able man, if the Fenian organs are to be
trusted, has been ordered to the front.
According to one of the cheap papers Of
this city, no fewer than $4,000, disguised
IN plain clothes, marched from Brooklyn
alone in a single day. Immense arsenals
Of muskets and cannon have been hidden
someWhorein the Green Mountains. On
the other side Of the line, Canada has
ben shaking with terror The volun-
teors nave rushed to arms. The regular
troops have been posted along the St
Lawrence. Quebec is in flames. and Sir
John Mcdonald is sick a-bod with fright.
Under these awful circumstances the
war began.
The field Of ARRAY was in Franklin
County, Vermont, close to the Canada
line and some fifteen miles north Of st.
Adams. Thither the Fenian army re-
paired IN dribets to place themselves I'M
der the command of Gen. O,Neil, Their
first proceeding was to unpack carpet bags
and get out the green uniforms. Their
second was to hear speech '.Fenians,"
said the General. ''the eyes of Ireland
are upon you. Forward, march p Now
it was perhaps not strictly in accordance
with military etiquette-or shall we say.
discipline ?-but when Gen. O'Neil said
Forward, march, the Feniaa to whom
had been committed the command Of the
shirnish line deemed this proper oeea-
sion for another speech, in the course of
which he eopiously observed that he
would forward march. Then the army
turned around, saw Canada, and went for
it.
The Canadian army at this point being
only so strong. while the Fenans we've
about $50, the conquest of the Dominion
might seem a foregone conclusion had i
not been for the interference OF the Uni
ted States of America. The United
states Of America was personated on this
occasion by George p. Foster and Thorn
SIS Failey, who came upon the field of bat
lie in rockaway, or some such peaceable
vehicle, aud took a commanding position
upon hillside under FIRE. In the thick
cs. OF the fight, while the Fenian COM
mander (also under fire. was surveying
the scene through a glass, the United
States of america crept from the rock
away and tapped him on the shoulder
''Sir, said Marshal George p. Foster,
u arrest you for breaking the law. y
Sir" said the General, "Ihave an army
here and I won't be arrested. Wherein
on the commander was ANONYMOUSLY
bundled into the the carriage and driven
off to j;eil-and the army went home
A plain narration of this story-a war
stopped by marshal and one deputy,
whole army defeated and utterly routed
b. two men. is so utterly ludicyons that
no comment can improve it. But in fact
we have 40 3esna to dwell upon the far
cical features of this new discovery in
strategy. We have no disposition to spec
uIate upon what would have happened if
Wellington had been arrested by sher-
ifs officer in the middle Of the battle of
Waterloo, or Grant lodged in jail by a