The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-07
FEN[AN RAIDS ON CANADA
Interesting Details of the Inva
sions of 1866.
A Collision Between the Queens own
Volunteers and O'Neir- Army Near
the Dominion Erontier-ENpcdi-
iion> Which Proved to be Fruiticss


the lear OF invasion. recall the facts ina
Colonel. or General. John O'Neil ''lnspec
tor General of The Irish Army" died
Omaha in january. 1873, and that he LEI
the most serious Fenian raid into Cansdi
which has ever succeeded in crossing tn
border
In 1865 the close of the Civil War lef
without occupation a large number o
American citizens. OF Irish birth or par
entage. who had seen much active miitar,
service Most OF these were mbued Will
a Venomous hatred Of England
and many of them had dstin-
guished themselves not only b,
the usual Irish gift of physical courage
but also by the display of higher qualities
as leaders. Among the latter was Colone
0'Neil. a graduate of West Point. Cir
cumstances seemed TO indicate to the bit
Ierly anti British Irish in this country tn,
eXpediency of a great military organiZa-
tion in furtherance OF their political de
signs. Seven years before, in 1885, the
Fenian" movement, with a name taken
from one of the legendary heroes of the
primitive Irish races, had begun in Ire
land The "Feniaa Brotherhood now
sprang into what was said to be thor
oughly organized and equipped existence in
this country. II was reported at that time
TO have a following Of more than $4,000.
as well as a regular government. with an
Office lin the neighborhood of Union
Square. Its organization was certainly
complete enough to encourage 1t to attempt
a rising in Ireland. James Stephens. its
famous head centre" landed in that coun-
try. but was arrested and put in Jail. The
Fenian rising of 1865 failed. and while
Stephens remained incarcerated the leaders
on this side fell out among themselves.
The First Invasion.
or the two factions in the Brotherhood
the credit of the first attempt to raid
British North America. with the United
States as a base Of operations. belongs to
the 20 Mshoneyites. In April, 1865. they
assembled a force of 500 men at Eastport
Me. and there received $50 stands of arms
paid for with the money of their secret
srmDathizers. Upon complaint of the Brit
ish Consul at Eastport, the United States
Government confscated these arms. The
British. on their side having been fore
warned. sent troops from st. John to Cam
pobello, n. b.. the threatened point and
on this side. General Mendi, with a body
of regular troops, kept watch at Calais
Ale So ended the first attempt. remem-
bered among the supporters of Fenianism
as Killians Raid.
Next month. however, Stephens himself
having escaped from prison, arrived in
New York. and his arrival was the oeca-
sion of something like reconciliation be-
tween the two factions. whose animosities
had been accentuated by the failure u the
Campebello attempt Stephens himself is
said TO have been opposed to another Dor
der raid but Roberts, the leader of the
antf-0 'Mahoney faction, now triumphant
in the councils of the Brotherhood was
determined on such a plan. Neither their
own dissensions nor the seizure Of more
Chan two thousand rifles by the United
states Government could turn them from
their purpose. The Fenians from many
States assembled and held secret con-
vention at Buffalo. and from Buffalo dis
Quieting rumors of Fenian invasion cross
ed the Canadian border.
Between the middle OF May and the end
of that month there was great military ac
tivity in Canada. Requirements Of reg
HiaTs, sent from England. had already
reached the Dominion and all along the
Niagara River and the borders detachments
were ready to resist the invaders. On May
Il, however, when Colonel ONeil. the on
Ger selected by General Sweeney. OF the
Brotherhood, to carry out this enterprise,
crossed the river az Buffalo, he found Foit
Erie. on the British side. unoccupiei. The
numbers of the force which actually landed
on Canadian soil have been var5ously es.i-
mated They probably did not exceed nine
hundred. For more than day and night
o'Neil's little arm. r=nged about the
Deighborhood OF Fort Erie. and 1t is said
10 the credit Of their leader that while they
foraged upon the inhabitants after the
manner of regular invaders. their conduct
was generally free from excuses.
The Battle Nenr Ridgcrvay
The actual collision did not take place
until June 2, when the Queens Own volun-
teers. from Toronto, and the Hamilton mill
tia 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 a volunteer bugler
sounded the retreat by mistake. At the !
same time il is certain that large number |
of Fcnians were taken prisoners by the |
Canadian troops. II the defenders Of the |
Dominion retreated. so did the invaders.
Falling back on Fort Erie, O'Neii found 4
that General Grant, having arrived at Buff
fslo that day, had promptly stopped the
forwarding of supplies to the Feniln army
.crcss the river. Nothing was left for
them but to get out OF Canadian territory
as quickly as possible. which they at
tempted 10 do, though seven hundred Of the
states gunbost Michigan.
General Barry, to whom had been as
signed by Grant the guarding Of the from
tier on this side. exacted from large
number OF his Fenian prisoners their
parole ito abandon our expedition against
Canada desist from any violation 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 succeeded in crossing the
Niagara River.
Two weeks later proclamation was is
sued in Buffalo, signed m. w. Burns,
Brgadier General. commanding Irish Army
II Buffalo," requesting the brothers" to
'eturn to their homes. This proclamation
bears witness that 1.-THE extreme vigilance
II the Government OF the United States
frustrated our plans. 1t was the United
states and not England that impeded cur
inward march TO freedom.
Suppression of tho Raiders.
But in the mean time other alarms Of
senian invasion had disturbed the Cana
Ian frontier. These were mostly exag-
,eratcd, If not altogether groundiess. on :
Iune the Fenian General Sweeney was
arrested at St. Adams, Vt, from which
,lace. already memorable for a raid"
made upon IL from Canada by Confederates
Turing the Civil War. IT had been intended
o make a descent in some force. The
'enian army, It seems. had actually =
rossed the frontier. but upon the arrest OF
heir general and approach of a consider
bic body of Canadian volunteers they re-
ired.
After this Fenlan raidlng of Canada Ian /
uished- 0'Neii himself made two more /
bortive attempts. oae IN 1870, On Lower /