Norwich bulletin., 1921-11-02
oDD INCIDENTS IN AMERICAN
 HISTORY
THE PLOT TO SEIZE CANADA

The name Fenian, in connection Wlth an Irish society, was of very early orr gin, dating back to several hundred years in the present era. It was revived Ill this country when the name was gwen to a society of patriotic IrishMnen during the Civil war, whose object was to free Ire land The first Fenian congress met Ill Chieago in 1863, and it was not long un- til the order contained the names oA eighty thousand members.
 With their great strength in mind the Fenians attempted an invasion Of Canada from the United States in lS66. It IS said that they were able to recruit an army of 240,0OO strong. The Civil war had just ended, and in the Unon army had bees thousands of Irishmen and Irish syrSpatirtS CTS, which the -Fenians found little trouble in recruiting to their cause
 They found almost as little difficulty to raine sufficient money to purchase arms aRd ammunitiOns, especially as these means of warfare were cheap now that the country was again at peace. Neva York city was the central point of the movement although there were branches in many de the large cities of the norcc1e2. The Fenians counted on non-Irish vet erans of the Civil war to help them in their cause because of Englan6's unpop. ular attitude toward the United States during that war.
 In order that the plant should not be come known, it was arranged that the different forces,of Fenians were to arrive at the Canadian border in small parties. Of these there were no less than 35,000 veterans under General Sweeney, an ex- officer Of the Union army.
 By eavsJ May, 1866, Gen. Sweeney had his troops stationed on the frontier from Lake Champlain to Fort Erie, and at va rious points in New York and Vermont All was ready for the hurling of thou sands of soldiers acrocs the Canadian border from many different points. They were waiting only until their weapons lcOuld be sent to them.
 I. This Transporting of weapons had be be by stealth. but arms and amrnunitions enough to equip 50,GO00 men were al ready on thoir way northward to the frontier. But it was impossible to keep i a movement of so great an extent secre,. and it was not long before the United States government heard of it. By the terms of our treaty with Great Britain such thing could not be permitted The government sWooped down upon the huge consignment of rifles mad confiscatcd | them. Thus the main army of invaders found itself weaponless and helpless. An effort was made to seize ihe guns and ammunttion that the government had 'confiscated. But it came to nothing Daily hundreds of men poured into the 1 frontier cities, eager to advance into 1 Canada. Bronzed, staIwart men were they fearless. well-drilled veterans. But
 lack of weapons turned them back They 1 could do nothing without guns. At one
 stroke the government had deprived the
 plan of every chance of success.
 Yet Gen. O'Neil, who had been at Buff. l falo with one detachment of tronDs man. aged to arm his men. He and his fo- 1 lowers crossed into Canada, capturef
 Fort Erie and fought two battles. botl Of which the Fenians won. Then O'Nei | found that the endorsements that ht
 had expected failed to appear and will
 his small force he could not go ahead anC
 fight England's whole Canadian power
 He was obliged to abandon the stron,
 position he had captured and to retreat t,
 American soil.
 Almost as' soon as O'Neifl and his vic
 torious men set foot upon the soil of tn
 United States they were made prisoner
 by the crew of the gunboat Michigan. A American army under General MAI stamped out the last smouldering sn1r
 of the great conspiracy. Sweeney an his staff had already been arrested an
 his followers dispersed.
 The Fenian invasion of Canada was thing of the past. The conspiracy. whtc : had threatened to pour 25o.0oO arne } men into the unprepared Dominion. turr
 ed out to be total failure. It had bee
 as futile as it had been spectacular. Tn
 commonplace act of the United State
 government in grabbing a few consigr ments of arms had struck a death bio, 5 to one of the most audacious plots evt e matched in this country.
 e Tomorrow: The Society of the Cincinnati