Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-06-22
AN INACCURATE HISTORIAN.

In Q historical article IN the Atlantlc
Monthly for the current month Mr.. Will
liam Garrett Brown remarks that
"Coloncl ONeili, a graduate Of West
Point" was In command Of the Fenians
who. in the spring Of 1866. invaded Ca
NADIA from a point near Buffalo. Mr.
Brown adds that the enterprise (of in
vading Canada) though several times
bruited was never again seriously at
tempted" Mr.. william Garrett Brown
Is careless Of his facts. A very slender
inquiry would have shown him that an
invasion Of Canada was seriously at
tempted by the Fenians four years after
the one which he describes as the last
of its kind. In May, 1870. a body Of some
two thousand Fenans, more or less, as
sembled in the town Of Franklin, Ver-
mont, under command Of General O'Neill,
and on the 25th day Of that month "seri-
ously attempted" to invade Canada, along
the highway leading to Cooks Corners.
p G. This march was opposed by sew
eral detachments Of Canadian militia,
and scattered firing between the oppos-
ing forces took place, lasting for about
an hour. In the skirmish John Rowe, of
Burlington. of Captain William Cronan's
company Of Fenian cavalry. mot mount
ed), was killed, Daniel Ahern Of Vino
oski and Charles Carleton Of Cambridge
VT. who had been a trooper in Co. NJ
Of the LIST Vermont cavalry in the big
unpleasantness, and eight other Fenans
were wounded. Rowe's body was buried
on the field by the Canadians and was
subsequently dsnterred and brought to
this city for final interment While the
so-called Battle OF Richards Farm was
in progress. Gen. George r. Foster, u. S.
marshal for the district of Vermont. ac-
companied by deputy Thomas Failey,
drove upon the ground in a carriage and
arrested General O'Neill in the midst of
his men. took him into the carriage.
brought him to Burlington and put him
in Jail. A few days later and the Fenan
invasion OF OdNdOa was attempted dL
Trout River. north OF Malone.
President Grant, under whose order
General Foster acted. was quoted at the
time as saying that the arrest of the
general commanding the Fenian army.
and his removal from his headquarters
by a single unarmed U. s. officer in
a covered carriage was las ludicrous a
thing as he had ever heard Of"
ONeill was tried for breach OF the
neutrality laws before U. S. Judge d. A.
Smalley, and sentenced to the States
prison for a year; but was pardoned by
President Grant before his term OF in
generation expired.
In regard to Mr.. Browns description
Of O'Eell as graduate of West Point.
the Army and Navy Journal says:
There has never been any officer of
Gus forms Of spelling, graduated from
the Military Academy. Colonel or Cen
eral.' John O'Neill was one Of those SOL
diers of fortune who. while they are
ready to fight under any flag, recognize
the obligation Of honorable allegiance to
none. O'Neill served in our volunteer
army during the Civil War. was cap
tured by the Confcdcrates and while in
prison at Andcrsonvile organized a regi-
ment among his fellow captives and took
service in the Confederate army. The
description OF such a man as graduate
of our Military Academy is as slanderous
as 1t Is incorrect"