Why did the fenians attack canada

The volunteers clashed with the Fenians at Ridgeway and the volunteers were routed. Ten Canadian were killed and 38 wounded. But by June 5, the fear in London, Upper Canada at least, had waned. It is said that Gen Napier was drunk and that Col Peacock delayed so that the volunteers at [the Battle of] Ridgeway were sacrificed.

The next spring, the Fenians threatened again. John A. They met the British forces in Ridgeway. The British had received poor intelligence. They believed the Fenians were a motley crew of drunkards and amateur soldiers. The British forces were met by an advance group of Fenian skirmishers. Gunfire broke out and the sides exchanged volleys. The Fenians began to retreat, and the British pressed forward.

But as the British advanced , they were ambushed by a battalion hidden on the ridge near Bertie Road. The British turned their forces towards the enfilade, while the reserve Fenian line advanced in from their northern post. At that time, horsemen were sighted on the ridge, causing the British to believe they were under imminent attack by a cavalry unit. The panicked British collapsed into a square formation, the standard defensive tactic against cavalry.

But as generals shouted conflicting orders, and the cavalry report proved to be false, the British fell back in confusion and retreated, being chased from the field by the Fenians. Twenty-eight men were killed 10 British, 18 Fenians , 62 men were wounded 38 British, 24 Fenian.

It proved to be the greatest military battle of the Fenian movement, and one of the few successful Irish campaigns against the British in Irish Republican history. Upon arriving at the fort, they encountered a tugboat deploying additional British forces. The Fenians quickly bested this unprepared contingent, forcing a retreat and capturing 36 men, to claim their second military victory.

The eastern and western wings had never crossed to Canada. They had failed to secure transport and were intercepted by American authorities. Reinforcements amassed in Buffalo could not cross the river. He decided to retreat. The Fenian soldiers were held for several days on open scows, forced to endure the elements and baking summer sun, as they awaited their fate. Eventually, the rank-and-file were released and provided with free transportation to their home states, courtesy of the United States government.

In exchange, they were asked to renounce their Fenian ties and to promise that they would not become involved in any future violations of the Neutrality Act or risk criminal prosecution. After a cooling-off period, they were fined and quietly released. This proved to be the death knell for the Fenian movement in America.

It proved that the U. The Fenians attempted additional invasions into Canada, but each attempt fizzled, and the Fenian cause generally fell out of favor in America. Largely forgotten, the Battle of Ridgeway has become a footnote in Irish and American history. On a field where the cause of Irish independence was championed in battle and bloodshed, all that remains is a quaint roadside monument; a silent memorial to the cause of independence and freedom.

For more visit www. Many started to feel that a successful homeland uprising was impossible. As a result, the more radical members began pushing for a major shift in tactics.

Fun Fact : During the raids, Fenians wore were a mix of civilian clothes and pieces of their former Union or Confederate uniforms. Still technically British North America as this point Confederation was two years away , the Fenians believed that if they successfully occupied the British colony, one of two things would happen:.

Supporters argued that they already had several things working in their favor. Most of them were Civil War veterans so they had both military experience and weapons too. Their high membership numbers and the overall large amount of Irish-Americans in the electorate meant that the Fenian movement and Irish interests held a good deal of political support.

As such, the government was unlikely to interfere and may even support the invasion. Finally, many Irish immigrants lived on the northern side of the border; , alone resettled there during the Great Famine.

The Fenians also hoped that an invasion would further aggravate the tension between English and French Canadians. In-fighting would make their mission even easier. Please click on the image for the full, hilarious comic. However, poor planning led to the men arriving several weeks before their weapons did. Campobello was doomed from the start, but even if ill-planning had not been a factor, taking the island would not have been easy. Roughly 5, men from New Brunswick volunteered as militiamen and were posted along the Saint Croix River.

Britain sent over six Royal Navy warships. To make matters worse, Michael Murphy, a Fenian based in Toronto, had been ordered to bring a number of men to join up with the rest in Maine, but the telegram which gave Murphy his instructions was intercepted.

The whole lot of them were arrested when their train was halted in Cornwall, Ontario. The mayor had the men and their weapons seized, thrown in jail, and charged with treason. Murphy and five others eventually escaped jail and fled over the border.

Finally, the Canadian militia and Royal Navy never got a chance to fight. The Fenians came up with a new plan, invade Canada West and East soon to be Ontario and Quebec at multiple places and cut off Canada West to deprive them of possible British reinforcements.

They planned to attack Fort Erie to draw troops away from Toronto so they could get their hands on the Welland Canal. They cut telegram wires, stole horses and food, destroyed a bridge and some railway tracks. They left civilians alone however. By March , it was clear that the Fenians were going to act against Canada. As a result, 10, Canadian volunteers were called up for active duty.

This number was later increased to 14, However, nothing happened and the volunteers were sent home. The extent of the damage was a few destroyed buildings. In May , further evidence revealed another potential attack.

Twenty-thousand Canadian volunteers were quickly mobilized along with 13 small steamboats. They patrolled the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River under the guidance of the Royal Navy. The Fenian plans fell apart because fewer men than expected joined the forces in Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo and other locations. Also, Fenian leaders were unable to secure the ships needed to transport their forces.

American officials, uneasy over how the invasion might affect Anglo—American relations, also intervened and made some arrests. With their plan in tatters, the remaining Fenians considered the alternatives. The Fenians quickly captured the undefended town of Fort Erie , Canada West , along with its railway and telegraph terminals.

They arrested the town council and the customs and border officials at the international ferry docks. After cutting outgoing telegraph lines, the insurgents seized horses and tools, which they used to build trenches and fortifications.

They were within marching distance of the Welland Canal , the only navigable naval passage between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Meanwhile, Major-General George T. Napier, the commander of British forces in Canada West , jumped into action.

Some 22, militia volunteers were mobilized to respond to the Fenian incursion, along with several British infantry units stationed in Canada. Another column of troops, under British Lieutenant-Colonel George Peacocke, was en route to Chippawa, from where he would assume command of the British and Canadian troops. To contain the threat posed by the Fenians, Peacocke ordered Booker and around men to Port Colborne. Booker was ordered to avoid the Fenians on his march to join the arriving column.

The Canadians were well deployed. They arrived in the vicinity of the Fenians within several hours of the incursion. But they were poorly trained and unprepared for combat. They had scarce ammunition, no food or field kitchens, no proper maps, no provisions for medical care, no canteens for water, and no tools for the proper care of their rifles.

Only half of the troops had practiced firing their rifles with live ammunition. They were no match for the Fenians, who were well-armed and well-supplied veterans of the American Civil War.