Fenian raids

The Fenian raids were attacks by members of the Fenian Brotherhood based in the United States, on British army forts, customs posts and other targets in Canada in order to bring pressure on Britain to withdraw from Ireland, between 1866 and 1871. The raids were successfully repelled by British forces and local militias. They divided many Irish-Canadians, many of whom were torn between loyalty to their new home and sympathy for the aims of the Fenians. While the U.S. authorities arrested the men and confiscated their arms afterwards, many in government had turned a blind eye to the preparations for the invasion, angered at British support for the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

There were five Fenian Raids of note:

• The Campobello Island raid (April, 1866);
• The Ridgeway raid (July, 1866), which resulted in the skirmishes at Ridgeway and Fort Erie;
• The Pigeon Hill raid (July, 1866);
• The Mississquoi County raids of 1870, which resulted in the skirmishes of Eccles Hill and Trout River;
• The Pembina raid into Manitoba in 1871.

The Ridgeway raid

see full article Battle of Ridgeway

In 1866, the Fenians had split into two factions, with the original faction, led by Fenian founder John O'Mahony focussed more on fundraising for rebels in Ireland. The leaders of the more militant "senate faction" believed that even a marginally successful invasion of the Province of Canada or other parts of British North America would provide them with leverage in their efforts. After an April attempt to raid New Brunswick that had been blessed by O'Mahony failed, the senate faction Fenians hatched their own plan for an invasion into Canada West (now southern Ontario) from Buffalo, New York.

Fenian commander John O'Neill and an Irish-American force crossed the Niagara River and skirmished with a brigade of Canadian militia near Ridgeway, Canada West (now Ontario) on 2 June 1866. Several hundred other Fenians (Canadian sources claim up to 3,000) remained in the US, prevented from crossing the river by the arrival of the US Navy's side-wheeler gunboat USS Michigan.

O'Neill's 800 Fenian soldiers called themselves the "Irish Republican Army", and some wore uniforms with "IRA" buttons. This is considered to be the first use of the term. (A well-known fanciful painting of the skirmish in the National Archives of Canada depicts a green flag with the letters IRA over a gold harp; in fact, the most common Fenian emblem at this time was a sunburst.)

After the first clash, the Canadians retreated to Port Colborne at the Lake Erie end of the Welland Canal, while the Fenians rested at Ridgeway briefly before themselves returning to Fort Erie. Another fight followed there that saw the surrender of another small group of local Canadian militia that had moved into the Fenian rear. But after considering the inability of reinforcements to cross the river and the approach of large numbers of both militia and British regulars, the remaining Fenians chose to return to Buffalo. They were intercepted by the Michigan, and surrendered to American naval personnel.

(aside) Many members of today's Canadian army regiment, The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, return to the Ridgeway battle site each year on the weekend closest to the June 2nd anniversary for a bicycle tour of the battle sites, and to toast their fallen comrades at the bar located in the centre of their former lines at the corner of Garrison and Ridge Roads.

President Johnson's proclamation requiring enforcement of the laws of neutrality was not issued until five days after the beginning of the invasion. Both US General Ulysses S. Grant and US General George Meade went to Buffalo, New York to assess the situation. In the meantime, following instructions from General Grant, General Meade issued strict orders to prevent anyone from further violating the border. General Grant then proceeded to St. Louis while General Meade, finding that the battle at Ridgeway was over and the Fenian army interned in Buffalo, proceeded to Ogdensburg NY to oversee the situation in the St. Lawrence River area. The US army was then instructed to seize Fenian weapons and ammunition, and to prevent more border crossings. Further instructions on 7 June 1866 were to arrest anyone who looked like they might be a Fenian.

Ironically, although they did not do much to advance the cause of Irish independence, the 1866 raids and the efforts of Canadian colonial troops to repulse them helped to galvanize support for the Confederation of Canada in 1867.