The Irish standard., 1900-01-13

all along the Niagara river and the Dor
ders detachments were ready to resist
the invaders. On May 81, however,
when Colonel O'Neil, the officer select
cd by General" Sweeney of the Bro
therhood to carry out this enterprise,
crossed the river at Buffalo, he found
Fort Erie, on the British side, unoccu-
pied. The numbers OF the force which
actually landed on Canadian soil have
been variously estimated They proba-
bly, did not exceed nine hundred. For
more than day and night O'Neil's lit
tie army ranged about the neighbor-
hood Fort Erie, and it is said to the
credit OF their leader that while they
ioraged upon the inhabitants, after the
manner of regular invaders, their con-
duct was generally free from excuses.
The actual collision did not take place
until June, when the Queens Own
Volunteers from Toronto and the Ham
iton militia met the invaders near the
village OF Ridgeway. Details OF the
battle are not plentiful in history. The
losses on the British side were put down
at nine killed and thirty wounded and
they retired upon Ridgeway and Port
Colborne. A Canadian tradition says
that volunteer bugler sounded the re
treat" by mistake. At the same time
it is certain that a large number OF Fee
mans were aiken prisoners by the Cana
dian troops. II the defenders OF the
Dominion retreated, so did the invad
ers. Falling back Mort Erie, O'Neil
found that General Grant, having ar
rived at Buffalo that day, had promptly
stopped the forwarding OF supplies to
the Fcnan army across the river. Moth
ing was left for them but to get out Of
Canadian territory as quickly as posi-
bic, which they attempted to do, though
seven hundred OF the entire Jorge were
cut off by the United States gunboat
Michigan. ..
General Barry, to whom had been as
signed by Grant the guarding OF the
frontier on this side, exactcd from a
large number OF the Fenian prisoners
their parole ito q .ldon our expedition
against Canad. ~-sist from any viola
ton OF the neutrality laws OF the United
States, and return Immediately to our
respective homes" The number OF
whom, this parole was taken must have
included hundreds who had not sue
ceeded in crt ing the Niagara river.
Two weeks later a proclamation was
issued in Buffalo signed IN. w. Burns,
Brigadier General commanding Irish
army at Buffalo" requesting the
: "brotlers' to return to their homes.
This proclamation bears witness that
"the extreme vigilance OF the govern
ment OF the United States frustrated
our plans. 1t was the United States and
not England that impeded Our onward
march to freedom
But in the meantime other alarms oil
Fenian invasion had disturbed the Can
adam frontier. These were mostly ex-
aggeratcd, if not altogether groundless
On June 7 the Fcnirn General Sweeney
was arrested at ST. Adams, VT, from
which place, already memorable for a
raid" made upon It from Canada by
Confederatcs during the Civil War, it
had been intended 10 make descent in
some force. The Fcnian army, it seems,
had actually crossed the frontir, but
upon the arrest OF their general and the
approach OF considerable body OF
Canadian volunteer they retired.
After this Fenian raiding Of Canada
languished. O'Ncil himself made two
more abortivc attempts, one in 1870,
on lower Canada, the other the follow
ing year, on Mani oba. In the latter
case the vigilance OF the United States
government manifested itself in the
prompt action OF the troops a For
prompt action OF the troops at Fort
Pembina, MINI.
Colonel O'Ncil never suffered any
very long or severe Imprisonment for
these violations OF The neutrality laws.
He spent the last six or seven years OF
his life in Nebraska lccturing and pro-
noting schemes OF his Irish colonial
ton. The after ei"cts OF the "raids''
changes ofrequcs, vbgkqj il -; S. -.
have appeared CHI fly in the inter
changes OF request between the gov
crnmcnts OF Washington and London
Tor clemcncy toward captured invaders.
in the growt1, among the British OF a
more perfect faith in the honesty OF this
country's intentions, and in the more
thorough organization and equipment
OF that Canadian volunteer and militia
army which is now able to spare several
/ thousand men for service in South
Africa without fear OF denuding the
! Canadian frontier OF its defenders.
Referring to the proclamation issued
to the Beers by COL Badcn-Powcll,
the British commander of Mafcking, in
which he told them that "the American
government has warned the others OF
its intention to side with England
should any OF them interfere" Fr.
Lambert says, in the New York Free
mans Journal: None OF us ever ex-
| -