IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) ^ ^^^ N^, -!^.\ ;\ ,.« ■■* } I i t vl ' 1 1^ .^-•. -^4 4 M iiiiiiii-"TiTarn * •« •» &< w -«1 d5 m p s ::: ^ o « < i « w fe 5 » % o o EH ft 00 ^ *A .-^■V'. ,„v,.^^.. ■■ ;»^;^-V)C -''Sv: >-^ ^?*, ^ -> ^:7*r . ^i?^ > :■ 3rd of June, when the citizens of Hamilton arose in the Fame condition of fever- ish disquiet in which they subsided from the streets for a brief space after mid- night — not to sleep, for few sleepers lay in Hamilton on the night of 2nd of June, an adjourned meeting from Saturday was held in the Court House. A committee of the principal ladies and gentlemen of the city was there to arrange for sending provisions, medicines, surgical appliances, medical gentlemen and nurses to the front. The character of the previous days occurrences was not known beyond the fact that there had been an engagement and that the enemy had retreated, yet that the volunteers who had beaten them in fight had also re- treated, and %vere reported by Lt.-Col Booker as '< demoralized." The Committee requested the City elergymcn present to '^cc prayers in their churches for tha men at the front, and sent me as a fit person to go to the Niagar.. and Lake Erie frontier to ascertain and report fully without fear or favor what was the real condition of the 13th, and the state of the campaign. All agreed that any news, if true, no matter how calamitous, was better than the horrible sus- pense which convulsed and clouded the whole city. I was to cross tho country, some thirty miles with a team of fast horses and a guide, as no trains were supposed to be on the track it being Sunday. But there was in preperation a special train which left at 1,30 p. m. I waited and went OP it. At Grimsby at 2,10 p. m. intelligence was given of Colonel Booker having passed on his way to Hamilton. I inferred that excessive zeal for tho good of his battalion, nothing to the contrary in his conduct or character being known to me, had induced the journey to urge up provisions and field equip- ments. Yet the fact of his leaving his command before the enemy also suggest- ed itself as inexplicable. I assert with all the emphasis wliich language admits, that I e-spected to have good reports to make of Colonel Booker's eminent mili- tary services, until dismal specks discolored the floating rumours that were met about the Welland Railway. At Port Colborne, on the platform, up the street, along the canal wharf, everywhere that day and next day statements were pres- sed on me both by Hamilton and Toronto volunteers. I hesitatcu to believe ; questioned, cross (luestioned, sifted, and still doubted, until many refused to r«- ▼Ill Preface, ply farther, alleging that I ieemed uot to believe anything they said implicat- ing Colonel Booker. This gentleman's name and conduct fills too much of the Narrative. But in the mismanagement of the action of June 2nd.; in the subsequent asperiiiona thrown on the 13th. battalion by Lt-Col. Booker, and in the proAiinence through a concatenation of circumstances, given to the combat at Limestone Bidge, as the crisis of the short, prompt, decisive campaign, the reputation of the 13th. battalion; the good name of Hamilton city which sent it forth to the fight; the reputation of the Queen's Own, of Toronto city which gave them to the service; of the York and Caledonia Rifles; of the Province of Canada whose sons they were a sample of — all were injuriously affected through Lt-Col. Booker, unless the facts would bear proof that his misconduct was only personal. I have proved that, beyond farther cavil, the volunteers engaged at Limestone Bidge were brave alike, and alike deserving of a historical good name in the present day, and in time to come. To establish thi.:; on incontestible grounds I have made many journeys, questioned many persous, balanced conflicting statements, and incurred an unprofitable delay in getting this v7ork before the public; a delay without financial recompense to me as an author, but favorable to the main ob- ject which I had in view, a vindication of the Militia Volunteers of Canada. Animadversions are frsely made in the Narrative on the reprehensible inad- equecy of equipments with which the volunteers went upon service in June. While the body of this work was in the press the incompleteness continued, so also the remarks of censure ; but the Militia authorities havo now, (end of August, first and second weeks of September) proved that, while they have had difficulties almost insuperable to overcome, the obstacles are in greater part surmouuted. Almost insuperable ? What were the obstacles ? A factious opposition waged against the organization of an efficient defensive force of Militia, carried on un- der the delusive cry of economy, from the year 1862, when the Militia organiza- tion by Colonel Lysons, Her Majesty'i military representative, was frustrated until the present season of Fenian Invasion, 1866. Intellitrence which lately arrived from Britain informs Canada that the new conservative government, under the Earl of Derby, comprehends and will act on the knowledge of a just conservative philosophy, which Canadian political men calling themselves conservative would have done well to have anticipated during the four years of American war aiid since. For they have by themselves and their newspaper organs, during the four years of horrible civil war, cultivated international asperities, which are now ripened to a bitter American hatred of Canada, under which, and only under which, Fenian invasions of British America became possible. On 23rd of July, 1866, Lord Stanley, (son of the Earl of Derby), the new Secre- tary of State for Foreign Affairs, being questioned by Mr. White, a non-official member of the House of Commons, on the Fenian Invasion of Canada in June, and reminded of the just, honorable, effectual interference of the United States government to prevent a more formidable Fenian incursion than that which hpppened, replied thus : *' I agree in the opinion which the honorable member has expressed as to the friendly and honorable feeling that has been shown by the United States with re- gard to this Fenian affair. I aai very anxious, if possible, and I can speak for my colleagues as well as myself, to do anything that is reasonably possible to re- move any ill-feeling of irritation or soreness which may remain in consequence of circumstances connected with the late war." Her majesty's speech at the pro- rogation of 7)arliamcnt ; and subsequently the Prime Minister's speech at a London banquet, expressed similar sentiments. INVASION OF CANADA. '«',' CHAPTER I. Outlines of Strategy as arranged hy General Sweeny, Fenian mander in Chief. — Personality of Colonel CNeil. Com, The plan of the invasion of Canada at the end of May, 1866, was given by the Fenian military commander, General Sweeny, to his followers some- what thus: The advance to be made simultaneously from points along the American frontier from St Albans in Vermont, to Chicago in Illinois ,on a sinuous frontage line of fifteen hundred miles. The right wing was at St. ilbans and to the eastward. The centre at Malone, State of New York, situated at about fifteen miles inland from the St. Lawrence river, and having rail- way facilities to concentrate men and supplies from the wide interior of the States, and to distribute them to selected positions on the frontier opposite Canada. Malone was considered available for a landing at Cornwall, the lower outlet of the Upper Canada section of the St. Lawrence canals. Also for an attack on Presoott from Ogdensburg. The occupation of Prescott was to include the severing of the Grand Trunk railway, and to give pos- session of the branch line to Ottawa city, seat of the Canadian Government. Malone was available also for an expedition t^ Montreal by way of the Richelieu river. That expedition was also to co-operate with Spears' force crossing the Missisquoi frontier line, both marching with artillery within easy supporting distance of each other. Murphy and Heffernan were to cut the Lachine and Beauhamois canals ; while Spears destroyed the Grand Trunk at several points, includ- ing Longueil, opposite Montreal, St, Hilaire, and St. Hyacinthe. Kingston was to be threatened from Cape Vincent and Ogdensburg, both within easy supporting distance from Malone, by a body of two or three thousand men, who were merely to keep moving, advancing and retir- 10 111 ing in the vioinity of the St. Lawreiice,where it issues from Lake Ontario, and so occupy the Kingston garrison of Britisli regulars. O'Neil with 5,000 men was to cross from Buffalo, by the narrows of Lake Erie, or upper section of the Niagara river, or if transportation avail- ed, to go to Port Colborne, the Lake Erie terminus of the Welland canal. In any case to reach that place, occupying the canal and Welland railway ; Buffiilo and Lake Huron railway; and reach the chief depot of the Great Western at Hamilton ; occupy that city and co-operate with forces which would advance against Toronto, from the south by Lake Ontario and its shores, from the north and west by Lake Huron and Geoi^an Bay. The Niagara peninsula and agricultural country around Hamilton were expected to furnish horses sufficient to transpose O'Neil's 5,000 men on foot into cavalry. Many of these had been in cavalry service in the American war. O'Neil himself was from Nashville in Tennesgec, his men from that State, Kentucky and Ohio. Ai Chicago, Greneral Lynch, with Tevis, Adjutant-general of Sweeny's itaff, were meanwhile to organize and transport what men and supplies wera ready in Illinois State, co-operate witii another force concentrating at Mil- waukee city. State of Wisconsin, both to be steamed across Lake Michigan, through the straits of Mackinaw, and Lake Huron, invading Canada at Goderich, the western terminus of the Buffalo and Lake Huron lailroad, and at Collingwood, upper terminus of the Northern railroad, connecting by eighty miles, the Georgian Bay ar»d Huron Lake, with Toronto city and Lake Ontario. This force was called, or was to have been, the left wing of the Fenian army of invasion. The State of Michigan, supplemented by the States lying to westward and south was to furnish the right column of this grand left wing. This eolamn, or rather division, h»d assigned to it Detroit and Port Huron &s points of advance, from which to cross the Detroit river, occupy Windsor, Sandwich, Amherstburg, north shore of Lake Erie, and. at Windsor, the Great Western railway of Canadu, leading toward Chatham and London. The other port of that Mictigan division was to cross to Samia, where the river, a mile wide, issues from Huron lake ; where the northwest branch of the Great Western, connecting w'th the main line at London, has itster< minus; and where the Grand Trunk of Canada crosses the frontier, by •team ferry, to Michigan, and by running fifty miles southeily reaches De- troit city. 11 All that western army, forming the grand left wing was to Lave been supported by artillery. Next there was to be the Cleveland column, 7,000 strong, oocupying an intermediate place between O'Neii's column of 5,000 at Buffalo, and the right of the western wing at Detroit. This, it seems, was to have been an independent army corps to support the nrst invaders and permanently oo . cupy central positions in Upper Canada. ' ' f - .^ iin , rv " All the invaders from the west, having crossed the line, were to con. centrate at Hamilton, London, Toronto and Kingston, where plenty of sup- plies and large depots of arms for the use of the British troops, could have been seized without any hard fighting, from the smallness of the forces oc- cupying these places. Thus Canada would have been invaded from every available point." — Correspondent New York World. ^ ^ ^ " The Fenian forces advancing from the differen*. western lake cities, on Canada West, must necessarily as a measure of safety, have drawn all the best troops from Montreal, to cover the exposed points, such as London, Hamilton, Toronto, and Kingston. This movement of Sweeny's would certainly have left Montreal uncovered to the attacks of Spears and Murphy, who were to co-operate in two different columns, marching on left and right of the Richelieu river on Montreal." The same. " The total number of men directly engaged in this Fenian movement to the front has been variously estimated, according to the feelings or preju- dices of those making calculations. E nthusiastic Fenians asdcr t that 50 ,000 to 75,000 men designed for operations against Canada were furnished trans- portation by agents of the Fenian directory at New York, and oVner large cities and by the circles of the Fenian Brotherhood throughout the United States, during the progress of the movement northward." The same. "On the other hand, Canadians whom I have conversed with, some of them holding hic;h positions in the colonial government, have assured me that there were not more than 15,0U0 oi 20,000 Fenians congi'egated at any oue time along the frontier with hostile intent or purpose. However, from my observation and information, having a most favorable opportunity and facility for both, I can safely say that over .30,000 men have been forward- ed by Fenian authorities from all points t/oward the frontier, and had the United States government shut its eyes to the hostile purpose of the move- ment, there can be no reasonable doubt whatever, but that at least fifty or sixty thousand hardy and earnest men, four-sixths of whom had been inured 12 to warm the contending armies of the North and South during the late war, would have precipitated themselves on the Canadian people." The same. The foregoing extracts and statements of Fenian plans are here placed on permanent record for reference, but without admission or denial of their aoouracy. On 29th of May intelligence from Nashville, Louisville, and Cincinnati, in the States of Tennesee, Kentucky and Ohio respectively, reached Can- ada intimating that Fenians were in motion, and that an extensive raid on Canada was contemplated. From Ohio large shipments of arms had been ordered northward to Cleveland, on the south shore of Lake Erie. Large bodies of men arrived on the same day by railway and on being questiored as to their destination said, " to California, to the rail- road." Most of them moved eastward on foot and entered the cars outside the city, on the railway to Buffalo. May 30. A telegram from Buffalo brought intelligence to Canada in these terms : " The Fenians from Cleveland arrived here this morning. Several fights occurred on the train, and out of three hundred and forty-two that started, quite a number were left by the way, badly hurt. One at Ashtobula will die. They left the train a mile outside Buffalo, separated, and are now scattered through the worst places in the city, and are very disorderly. Two are in gaol for shooting at a policeman who attempted to arrest them for misconduct. There is no possibility of any organized movement to-night, the entire police force is on duty. Some think the movement a blind to cover an attempt elsewhere." " Later. About two hundred more Fenians reached the city at 10 o'clock, and left the train as the others did — some distance out of the city. They have just marched into town. A meeting is now being held in Town- send Hall, the Fenian head-quarters. The men are boarded at various Irish boarding houses. There is only a force of fifty regulars at Fort Por- ter here. Warning has been given, however, to the commander of the revenue Bteamer Michigan.'^ -■ •. It was reported that the Michigan had been about to leave Buffalo sev- eral days before on a cruise, but on rumours of an intended Fenian gather- ing at Buffalo reaching the United States authorities the commander had orders to remain. It was the presence of this vessel which now prevented the Fenians going at once to PortColborne, terminus of the Welland can- al twenty miles from Buffalo ; at least this has been ibtated. tan- 13 During that day, Wednesday May 30, several rumours, not at any time probable gained currency ; of which one was that trains had been arrested- on the Great Western Railway, at Niagara Suspension Bridge. By whom, or for what purpose, did not in reasonable form appear. But with an apti- tude to accept any reports of ofiensive operations having been commenced against the Province, the public mind of Canada, was equally ready to ac- cept assurances given through the newspapers that the Executive power of Canada, civil and military, was actively alert and equal to meet the impen- ding emergency. .... , , ■• .; , A telegram from Philadelphia dated May 31, gave information that a company of three hundred and fifty men had left that city to join the Fen- ian invaders at the northern frontier. .* > , . ( < » . i|. A telegram from Ottawa, seat of Canadian government dated May Slst, conveyed intelligence that all was tranquil there. In Toronto, Hamilton, London, Kingston, Montreal, and Quebec, where regular troops were sta- tioned and at Sarnia, Windsor, and Sandwich which were guarded by Vol- unteers, the forces were quietly ordered to be on the alert. ^^ ,. . Colonel John O'neil, of Nashville Tennessee, who was now at Buf- falo and was on 31st of May, about to invade Canada, has been thus described in New York journals. " He is a young and ardent Fenian, and is now in his twenty-fifth year. He was formerly connected with the Sixteenth regiment of regulars, and served in that organization under Gen. Sweeny. He was well known as a dashing cavalry officer in the late war, when he was attached to a Western regiment. He waa promoted to a captaincy for gallantry in a severe engagement. • **' - A newspaper writer who conversed with O'Neil at Buffalo reported as follows : " He is not a graduate of West Point, as has been stated, but enlisted as a private in the 2nd U. S. dragoons in 1857, and went to Utah. Ho was subsequently transferred to the 1st dragoons,^ went to California and served until the breaking out of the rebellion. He entered the Union ranks and served in the Army of the Potomac until McClellan was driven back. After the seven days' fight the regiment to which he belonged was broken up. The officers went to Indianapolis on recruiting service, and he was commissioned in the 5th Indiana cavalry. He served in Kentucky until after Morgan's raid, and had a severe fight with that famous guerilla at Buffington Island, and though the force with which O'Neil opposed the 14 rebel was greatly inferior in numbei*s, compelled him to retreat. "Colonel O'Neil continued in the service until severe wounds foroed him to leave it. He further says that the report of his having been in the rebel service is wholly untrue. That he was a Union man from the first — that he never fought against the Union, and that he never could be in- dnoed to do so. ■• ' ; ^ . •- , i , ** In reply to a question as to what truth there was in the report that he had killed a man unfairly in a duel, he stated that he had never fought a duel in his life; that he condemned ' the code' as against his religion, was opposed to it in toto, and would never fight a duel under any circumstances . " We give these statements as given us by Colonel O'Neil himself, and while expressing no doubt of their truth, are not, of course prepared to ▼ouch for their authenticity." . , .^ a By different persons who saw him at Fort Erie and Lime Ridge, he is described as about five feet seven or eight inches high, of slim, active figure, with light colored hair, blue or grey eyes, ruddy face somewhat freckled; speaking with a poft voice and courteous manner. J 8« '.M* 7'^ .J-f — it ? T^-'U: , CHAPTER II. ^v From 3,30 A. M. 1«< of June 1866 to 11 -d. M. Canada invaded. Low- er Ferry. Engineer of International Bridge. He is ashed for "chunk'' and " mgwr." Mrs Kempson parleys. Dr. Kempson made prisoner. Village Council ordered to find breakfast for one thousand Fenians. Axes and spades in request. Telegraph posts cut down. Boat es- caping on the river. The Hotels. Bar-rooms. Landlords serving liquors with revolvers at their heads. Carrying sacks of flour with bayonets in their rear. Baking, cooking for one thousand Fenians. They ecU, drink, sleep. Are aroused for the line of march. DURINO the night of 31st May, the Fenian bands left Buffalo city, travelling by different outlets ; but meeting on Niagara Street and Black Rook Road, they halted at Black Rock Ferry about five miles below, and north of Buffalo city ; there they embarked in scows, which, with a steam tug, lay in readiness to reoeiye and tow them over to the Canada shore, distance about cue thousand yards. They landed at th« wharf called Lower Ferry, and marchcJ westward towards the village of Waterloo. This is a place containing about seven hundred and fifty inhabitants. By persons living at a distance it is called Fort Erie from an old fort of historical name situated two miles south-west on the shore of Lake Erie) and nearly opposite to Buffalo city, where the outflowing volume of Niagara is three miles wide. But to the inhabitants of the surrounding country the village is only known by name of " The Ferry." The river at this point has col 'racted to a width of eight hundred yards, and the traffic across is conveyed by a steamer which plies every half hour. On the American side there is first an embankment separat'ng Buffalo mill race fVom the main river. On this embankment are sevr.ral flour mills, lofty and wide, the most southerly of the group now marked with Fenian bullets which, on the afternoon of June 2nd, were directed against the steam tug Robb, a vessel from Dunnville, which gallantly stemmed the current with about sixty Fenian prisoners on board, below decks, on passage to Port Colborne, twenty miles westward, ""he mill race is spanned by a swing bridge, after which is the Erie and New York canal, which extends along the foot of the Buffalo and Black Rock heights, which there rise seventy or eighty feet. On the Canada shore is a corresponding range of heights, but more rounded and covered with verdure, and with a level margin be- tween them and Niagara river, the level varying from three hundred to fifty yards wide. On this plain lies scattered on three-quarters of a mile of river front the village of Waterloo. It has three small churches, a school-house, which was, for a short while on June 2nd, a prison for Fenians, before these were taken on board the steamer Robb ; and some hotels, stores, and a few goodly dwelling houses embowered in orchards, in maple and poplar groves, one of which, occupying a prominent position, became the prison of certain officers and men of the Welland Artillery, who, with a portion of the Dunn- ville Naval Brigade, had become captives to the Fenians, after placing Fenian prisoners on board their vessel. This, as will hereafter appear, was not the result of their own mistakes, but of a turn in the fortunes of war, which with many other adverse complexities characterized the differ- ent parts of the military drama of the 2nd of June. A Buffalo journal related how the Fenians obtained transports, thus : " On Wednesday or Thursday previous to the raid, some persons waited on Cstpt. Kingman, of this city, and engaged two tugs and four canal boats to carry the employees of Pratt's Iron Works, at the lower Black Rock, on 16 a pleasnre trip to Faloonwood; The price of the trip was arranged for, the money paid and the boats dropped down to their position on Thursday afternoon. The Fenians seized upon these transports to invade the ' sacred soil' of Canada. The boats, after use, were quietly returned to the Amer- ican shore; the owners being nothing out of pocket thereby." , On the night of invasion there was a brilliant moon three days past full. Sunrise was twenty-five minutes past four. The first gleams of day- break appeared in the north-east as the invaders landed in Canada at Lower Ferry, township of Bertie, county of Welland. At this place there is a shingle factory, a boat-house, a tavern, the residence of a customs officer, and one or two frame dwellings. It is about two miles below and north of Waterloo village. The invaders took possession and left an armed guard on those houses. The main body then moved huriiedly up the Niagara shore road towards the village. Near to a bend in the Canada shore, named Bertie Point, half a mile south of Lower Ferry is the residence of Mr. Molesworth engineer of the International railway bridge, which was to have been built this year, but is nc yet begun, the delay being caused partly through financial difficulties, in Britain, and partly through Fenian disturbances on this frontier. The river between Bertie Point and Squaw Island on New York shore, where it will terminate in conjunction with the Atlantic and Great Western Rail- way is eighteen hundred feet wide, greatest depth forty-one feet. There will be a carriage and foot-way as well as railroad track, and it is expected when the bridge is completed, citizens of Buffalo will erect dwelling houses on the Canada side. The hotels and boarding houses of Waterloo were frequented by persons from Buffalo before the Fenian alarm. / : A detachment of invaders broke off" from the main body in passing Mr. Molesworth's house, a brick villa with white columns supporting a veran- dah, ant' standiog among a thicket of trees, twenty or thirty yards from the roacfu They knocked loudly with the butt end of their rifles. Mr. Molesworth, his wife and family of young children were asleep. He looked upon the intruders from an upper window and asked what was wanted. They ordered him down to opsn the door, else they would break it in. He again asked who they were and what was wanted ? The reply was that they were the Fenian army landed to liberate Canada ; they wanted chunk ; they wanted sugar. Mr. Molesworth not being acquainted with slang did not know that chunk and sugar meant money. He asked if they wanted bread. Their reply was "yes; bread, chunk, sugar." He went 17 down stairs, colleotcd all the bread and chccso the house contained, carried it up, and lowered it out of the window. Still they cried for chunk and sugar. Presently officers with drawn swords and revolvers in hand drove that portion of the mob away ordering them to fall into their places on the road. Mr. Molesworth felt relieved by their absence, but was much puzzled to think what such a crew could want with sugar. Either these returned or others came and once more there was the cry, " chunk ! sugar!" " I have given all the bread, everything eatable in the house," responded the engineer. " We want money," rejoined one of the marauders." But for- tunately for that defenceless household, Fenian officers again called away, or forced off these men. As they approached Waterloo village, the shore road on which they marched, crossed the railway track of the Erie and Niagara line, a track not yet regularly working. A single telegraph wire was on the posts skirt- ing this line ; but on the river side road by which they had come, were the International telegraph wires. Near to Lower Ferry, these are bound around a post and carried under water from shore to shore. When the in- vaders had reached the Erie and Niagara track, they passed a church on their right hand, standing within its small cemetery among trees, on a descend- ing section of the heights before mentioned which here approach the river. At fifty yards further south they passed the mouth of a ravine which sep- arates the church bluff from one on which, within an orchard and a grovo of tall poplars, stands prominently out the residence of Dr. Kempson, reeve of the village. That house was the first point to which the Fenian commander O'Neil conducted his force. He ascended a steep carriage way at a right angle from the river road and railway track, about two hundred yards, entered the enclosure, placed sentries around the house, stable and bam, and along the garden and orchard, his main body being halted outside the garden fence and in an enclosed pasture field adjoining. At a short distance north from this residence on the same bluff and within the same orchard, was another house which was also surrounded by Fenian pickets. It was now daylight. The range of rounded green knolls, extending three quarters of a mile southerly and west from this section, on which the sec- ond skirmish of next day was fought, and on which Royal Artillery, Infantry regulars, and Volunteers were subsequently encamped, reflected back the first beams of the sun ; that sun of the 1st of June, which brought the light of offended Heaven to bear witness against an army of strangers whose presence there was a crime against international laW| against innocent 18 Canada, which had doDO them no offence, against civilization, gainst the liberty and safety of a free people, which America should be ever foremost to vindicate ; against the declared authority of the bishops and priests of the Roman Catholic Church, to which nearly all the Fenian brotherhood professed to bo attached. By the scheme of invasion of Sweeny and Kobertg att icks had been designed for this or the preceding morning, at eight or more places along a frontier line of fifteen hundred miles. By confusion in the councils of the Fenian brotherhood, by want of confidence in one an- other, by failure of transport to men and munitions of war ; by a sense of justice or of disnvcet policy newly manifetited in the executive government ofthe United States,the hand of Omnipotence was on that occasion discern- ible on the side of right, and of comparative innocence, against crime and unqualified wrong. - . . ,< . O'Neil, the chief of the invaders,has been described. He wore gray clothes with some badge of green around a military cap. He ascended the steps to Dr. Kcmpson's front door, rapped, and demanded that the Doctor should come out to speak with him. Mrs. Kempson descended to the door instead of her husband. She is an infalligent lady seemingly about twenty-five years of age, and mother of several young children, who vrere then in the house. Colonel O'Neil quickly announced himself, again demanded to see the lady's husband, in his capacity of reeve of the village of Waterloo ; and intimated that if he did not come at once force would be used. Mrs. Kempson inquired what they intended to do ? " To do ? what do you mean ?" " To us — what are you going to do to us ?" " We have come to hold possession of Canada ; you are all, for the prepcnt, my prisoners." " Do you intend to kill us ?" " No ; not if you be quiet and do as I re- quire." "What do you want with us ?" " First of all, where are your axes and spades, I must have them instantly ; and your husband must at once surrender himself to my orders ?" The lady intimated that the tools asked for were in the barn or in the woodshed. Whereupon O'Neil order- ed 6ome men to find them, and proceed to the railway track and the road in front of the church, out down the telegraph posts, ^ver the wires, lift the rails, and dig trenches across the track ; all of which was speedily done. WhUo Mrs. Kempson still guarded her doorway, O'Neil said, " Do you suppose my men will kill you?" She expressed fear that they would. " They will not hurt you" he replied; " but you must bring Dr. Kempson here at onoe." The Doctor came. O'Neil ordered him out to the road in front of the garden wicket, placed an armed guard in front and in rear of 19 him, and said, " Dr. Kempson, you are chief magistrate of this villan;o, I require you to assemble the principal inhabitants and, without delay, pro- vide breakfast and other rations for one thousand men. You march along with me. A picket of ofl&cers and men will keep guard on your house ; your wife will give them and also those in the field such provisions as she may now have." About fifty men occupied the garden and searched the lower rooms and cellar. Mrs. Kempson gave the bread,mcat,winc and brandy which the house contained, and with her servants baked more bread,fried ham,mado tea and coflfee in pailfuls, which were carried out to the field beyond the garden gate, where between one and two hundred men lay on the grasSjbesides the fifty who crowded into the house. They in the field were prevented by sentries from entering at the garden gate. After the occupation of the reeve's house, the next incident of sensation in the village was the discharge of Fenian shots at a small boat which had crept out from the Canada shore, containing two men, one of whom was pulling his oars frantically towards middle stream, the other lying down in the boat. The oarsman was Mr. Leslie the postmaster, his passenger, Mr. Kerby, a clothis;r; Fenian bullets whizzing past their ears, and loud shouts of " come back ", compelled their return. Like others they were taken prisoners, but liberated on parole. As the reeve advanced up the street, half a mile south of his own house, Mr. Forsyth, a justice of peace and member of the corporation Mr. Douglas another member of corporation, Mr. Graham, collector of customs and two or three more principal men emerged from cover, and answered O'Neil's summons to surrender themselves prisoners. They also were parolled, and command^^d to furnish breakfast for one thousand men on pain of having their houses forcibly entered and possibly burned. The words " one thousand men," were frequently used by O'Neil on that morn- ing. Next day, June 2nd, when he made his head-quarters in the house and on the farm of Henry F. Angur at Limestone Eidge, before the fight began, he spoke of his force being fourteen hundred. After much in. quiry I hare not been able to trace the retreat of the latter number of men across Niagara river, though it is ascertained that many escaped across, from Saturday to Sunday June 2nd and 3rd, besides those intercepted by the U. S. steamer Michigan. By the excess of rifles and ammunition brought from Buffalo beyond what O'Neil's forco required, and which were destroyed previous to the Limeridge conflict, it is probable that Can 20 . » ftdian Fenians were expected to fall into the invading ranks. But whether they were to have partaken of the breakfast for "one thousand men," or if that was the actual numerical strength brought from Buffalo, investiga* tion has failed to determine. Some of the inhabitants were too poor to contribute to the Fenian break* fast. The operations in the principal hotel, were of this kind : The three lower sitting rooms were lilled by men, who awaited their turn to pass into the bar-room. Sentries with loaded revolvers stood in front of the bar ; the landlord stood behind it filling his liquors as long as bottles and jars held out. Wheu these were drained he was escorted to his cellar by other guaids with revolvers loaded and capped and assisted by willing " helps" to carrj his liquid stock to the floor above. When all was drain- ed, his cellar and bar empty, he was thoroughly cursed for not having more liquor on hand ; and, at point of bayonet, driven to make haste and « help get breakfast ready." All the butcher's meat and cured hams in the hotel wer^: out up and cooked ; cofiee was made in pails and tubs and carried to a rising ground west of the village, on which O'Neil and his offi- cers had posted the main body of their force. All the bread was soon consumed, and the flour in the hotel had been made into more bread and that eaten up. The landlord having drained off his liquors and given his eatables to his voracious visitors thought to res^ himself, as he could do no more. The click of revolvers seconded the command to go and purchase. His faint reminder that he had drawn no money wherewith to purchase ad- ditional supplier, was stopped by curses, by pointed bayonets, and the lan- guage of menace which informed him that he had credit at the stores. Thither he went under a dancing, rollicking escort, and was ordered no* to look miserable, but to be happy, to laugh and join in the hilarious joy now that, " degraded Canada was liberated, and from that day was a free coun- try !" He shouldered a sack of flour ; and, pricked with bayonets, trotted under his burden, laughing aa best he could j assuring the liberators of Canada, that he was happy to sae them / happy to see that day ; overcome with joy in fact ; oh, yes ! very happy ! hoorah for the Irish Republic I " You may as well not publish names," said one of the villagers who with me listened to this recital; "when Colonel Peacocke and the armv leaves here, some of those Buffalo men may come over and give us a lick- ing." Daring the plunder of the bar-room and cellar, the landlady, a delicate young person, and servants, with Fenian "helps" were cooking, baking, 21 and boiling. Next day, daring the absence of the Fenians at Limestone Bidge, this landlord, like most other residents on the Canada shore got the females of the family removed to the American side for safety. Other contributories to Friday morning's breakfast were treated and employed similarly to the hotel keeper, though not all. Vf hercver O'Neil was, his men were moderate, merciful, obedient. 'A When the invaders had filled themselves, and drank all the liquor in the village they still demanded more. One hundred and fifty or two hun- dred continued about that hotel, singing, and dancing, several hours. At last O'Neil and other ofl&cers with drawn swords came, supported by armed pickets and drove them away, using such reproaches as, " you blackguards ! do you think we brougnt you to Canada to get drunk, and make sport? you came here to fight. The army of red coats will soon be on you I are you in a state to meet the red coats ? For shame I soldiers of the Fenian brotherhood 1 shame !" And the officers drove out the plun- derers before them. A man named Canty, who had been suspected of Fenianism disclosed himself now. He girded on a sword and boldly informed his neighbours that he was a B, or Major, in the " army of liberation." Canty was own- er of a house and lot in the village, of which government agents soon took possession. He was said to have absconded from the States, two years before, with the money of his creditors, and purchased this property. He absconded from Canada quite as hurriedly after the fight at Lime- stone Eidge, on the reported advance of Colonel I^eacocke's force. His houEO was said to be a depository of entrenching tools. It was «aid that arms and ammunition had been concealed there, but after the man's flight none were found. Some village names were freely and unfavourably men- tioned to me by 3 person in authority, who was making an official report to the government at Ottawa through Colonel Peacocke ; but, in conver- sation, 1 found that the Fenian invasion had less to do with the gentle- man's ideas than the discomfiture which he had sufiered at a recent village election. That gentleman's narrative of the movements of the steamer Robb, of the Welland Artillery, and of the manner of capturing Fenian prisoners, as also of the number of prisoners captured was at variance with facts otherwise ascertained and unquestionably certified. He might in- tend to do government a good service, but his memory seemed not reliable, nor his mind sufficiently free of a petty political distemper. The Otta- wa authorities should receive with caution any magesterial statement he may have forwarded reflecting on the loyalty of his neighbours. A detachment of Fenians, some hundreds strong, but precisely how strong, I could not ascertain, proceeded to the Buffalo and Lake Huron Railway depot, a mile southwest of the village. A man named William Duggan, employed as a track-raan on that line, was committed for trial to Welland prison, on June 21st, accused of having conducted the marauders to the depot offices and aided them with crowbars to open lock-fast doon* CHAPTEE III. Dinner ordered /or a " thousand," and provisions run out. Fenian army asleep ; what, when it should awake ? Pickets, sentries and passes. Eeverend Fenian, Lumsden from '^ Auld Jieekie." Dimensions of Welland Canal. Rideau Canal. St. Lawrence Canals. American vessels with-held from Welland Canal. They re-appear after two weeks. Horses captured. How bridles were made. New use of tele- graph wires. Milking the cows at Frenchman's Creek. ONeiVs pass. Fenian sentry. Sergeant of the picket. The village corporation of three at Waterloo, and the less timid of seven hundred and fifty inhabitants, breathed more freely at nine A. M. than they had done any minute since daybreak. The " breakfast for one thousand men " had been amply fumisii'^d, and heartily eaten. Ti. M 50l- leoted tteir forces, extended as these were from old Fort Erie on the lake shore, and from that north hy the station of Buffalo and Lake Huron branch of the Grand Trunk Railway through Waterloo Village to the Lower Ferry where they had first landed at daybreak, in all five miles ; and from farm houses several miles inland, where already desultory bands had penetrated in search of horses and other plunder. The other plunder consisted of sheep, turkeys, fowls and such provisions as hams, cocks of butter, cheeses, sacks of flour and pigs. The live animals intended for food were shot, and slung over the backs of horses. Frequently two men, and occasionally^ three bestrode one horse. These animals having been in most instances captured in pasture fields, and such bridles and saddles as the owners possessed having been removed in their hurried flight to es- cape the perils of Fenian imprisonment, the marauding horsemen contrived a new kind of bridles from a material not before used for that purpose. They had cut telegraph poles to prevent transmission of intelligence, they now made bridles for the horses, and strung their plunder together with the wires. As they assembled at the camping grounds on Frenchman's creek, three miles north of the village, half a mile north of Lower Ferry where they had first landed, the duplicate and triplicate riders went in with their plunder, the mouths of the horses bleeding ; and some animals which, a few hours before had been proudly defiant, and too bold in spirit to submit tamely to such loads as oppressed them, were reduced to obe- dience by bayonet wounds which crippled one or both of the hind quarters. A trotting mare of beautiful form and high reputation, was ridden into the field of bivouac at the creek, hobbling painfully on three legs, two Fenians shouting and cursing in wild hilarity seated on her back, one with his feet to the left, the other with his feet to the right side, bundles of fowl«<, turkeys and other plunder on their shoulders, and a wild warrior on foot, who, a few minutes before had been a third rider, but had fallen off, inflict, ing bayonet wounds on the bleeding flanks of the groaning beast, one of whose hind quarters was pierced by a bayonet through and through. Farm- ers who had been compelled to surrender their horses and who were then prisoners stood witnesses to these scenes of spoliation and of cruelty. But I feel bound to suggest that such cases must have been exceptional. If these western Fenians were experienced cavalry men, as said to have been they would kno'v the worth of horses too welll to abuse them. It had been part of the tactics of O'Neil to mount his entire force on horses, provided he had met, in Canada, the friendly contingents which he expected but did 26 not meet. Yet still there was wanton spoliation. Farmers saw their sheep shot in the yards, and out on the pastures. The family of Mr. Thomas Newbiggiug, whose house stands on the south side of Frenchman's creeki and about forty yards from Niagara shore, and on whose hay field and or- chard, on the north bank of the creek, O'Neil and his main force plan ted themselves about eleven o'clock A. M. 1st of June, saw their cows driven into the yard from a distant pasture, and two or three Fenian warriors around each cow struggling to have the first privilege of milking. The restive cows were subdued as the horses were, by hobbling them with tele- graph wires. When the beasts had been teased and milked all the after- noon and evening, with nothing to eat for the night, and men were heard talking of killing one or more to roast on some of the many fires which they had made of fence rails in the orchard field, one of the sons of Mr. Newbigging asked Colonel O'Neil to give him permission and a pass to the lines of sentries to drive the cows to the pasture field. The an- swer was, " certainly, tell every man who questions, that it is Colonel O'Neil's order that none of your cows shall bo injured or molested." The young man drove the beasts forth. At a gate four hundred yards in the rear of the house, a sentry demanded to know who he was, and where he was going with those cattle ? The name of Colonel O'Neil was given, but the sen- try responded by bringing his rifle and bayonet to the charge, and swear- ing that he would stick the bayonet through him for the cursed lie, that he was not taking the cattle to pasture but attempting to escape with them into the wood ; and if he dared go one step farther his " mouth would be filled with a live bullet." The sergeant of the picket came and inquired what was the matter. On beins; told he called other men to come and assist to make a gap in the fence and put the cows in the field. When this wag done, he, assisting to replace the rails, and at the same time charg- ing the men of the pioket to see that the cows were not injured, turned to Mr. Newbigging and said, " This occupation of your premises and farm by us is, no doubt, very disagreeable, but we have stringent orders from Colonel O'Neil to injure no one who quietly submits, nor destroy pro- perty, nor^to appropriate anything beyond what is required for subsistence." That sergeant and his picket being left behind, when the Fenian main body marched at midnight of Friday June 1st, were made prisoners net day; but some escaped across the river early on the morning of Saturday. 27 CHAPTER IV. Midnight in Fort Erie village. Kerhy and Rutherford's store plundered hy Buffalo thieves. O'NeiVs letter denouncing theft. Young ladies seek safety on the American side. Newhigging's farm. Haifa hun- dred horses collected. Stockdale's farm plundered of provisions. Mr. Penny, and Mrs. McCarty, r bbed of Tnoney. Fenian positions and defences at Frenchman's creek. Fenian sentry shot hy his picket. Rifle bullet screens, how made by Fenians. Bridge set on fire. O'Neil marches at midnight June \st. Eighteen thousand cartridges after- wards found in the creek. Also rifles and bayonets. A night of sen- sations. " Worst looking blackguard of thewholewas a Scotchman." Bivouac at Krafft's farm. March at daylight, June 2nd. Lime- stone rocks and house on Ridgeway road. Fenian headquarters. G'NeiTs conversation with Henry Angur. JStoneman's three little Boys, they ran to the woods. It was about 11 A. M. oa Juno 1st, that the Fenian main body were aroused from slumber, in Waterloo village, and marched to northward, three miles down Niagara shore road. Their absence relieved the anxieties of the village corporation as to getting another me?s for one thousand men. But unhappily, a residue, not of military Fenians, but of Buffalo, and other American city thieves was left. They had followed the invaders to pursue their professional vocation. One was a woman. She sought to win confidence, and thereby attain to friendly familiarity with native Canadians, by weeping for a husband, who "without intending it, had come from Buffalo with the Fenians, not know- ing what he did, with a drop too much to drink ;'' that he and many more were about to desert and return to the American side. Her assumed sorrow hardly deceived any one ; and not at all, after a Fenian officer came upon her at a house and ordered her off to the othe r side on pain of being thrown into the river. He said ; " Wo have been followed by thieves, who are no part of our force, and this woman is one of the worst : watch her." In the village, near the hour of midnight, the military body of the Fen- ians being then at Frenchman's creek, three miles north, the landlord of the 28 Forsyth House, was, with his wife, at an open window inside of the veran- dah, anxiously observiog parties of men who were seen, by the moonlight to come across Niagara river, land at unusual places of wharfage and go prowling about the village. Some he saw come to the store of Kerby and Rutherford clothiers and general dealers, next door to his house. It was shut, Mr. Rutherford only being within, and as he afterwards stated, asleep. The men outside broke open the door with billets of cordwood. Mr. Rutherford, when aroused by the noise confronted them. He was seized and thrown on his back across the counter, revolvers pointed to his head, and sternly admonished to remain quiet. Some cases of champagne had been left there for sale by a St. Catharines merchant. The plunder- ers quickly discovered that part of the stock, and drank freely. A young man who keeps a grocery store lower down the village was passing. He entered, calling, " Rutherford, what is the matter ?" One of the thieves struck him with a champagne bottle across the face, cutting him fright- fully, and exclaiming, " That's what's the matter I" The grocer ran out calling "help!" and "murder!" He was overtaken at the hotel door and again stru'^k. He ran across the street and attempted to get into a house there. But no one dared open a door. He was followed by one who threw him down, and with threats of shooting him dead, ordered him to be quiet. The young man pleaded for life and said he would be quiet. Then he ran south along the railway track, and obtained entrance to a house at the south end of the village, where the bleeding gashes in his face were dressed. The robber returned to his comrades, who deliberately car- ried out bales of cloth, ready-made clothing and other goods, and loaded their boats with which they departed across the river. American customs officers were on watch and seized the goods. The plunderers returned to the Canada shore. Two of them were afterwards found among Fenian prisoners and identified. They are said to have been known as thieves in the city of Hamilton. On the subject of plunder the following letter, published in a Buffalo daily paper, shows the terms in which Colonel O'Neil disclaimed and de- nounced theft and thieves. It was dated June 5th, 1866, on board the U. S. steamer Jl/tci^tgfan : ■ - r v* ^ ;: » " To the Editor, — You will please make known through the news columns of your paper, that I have in my possession a gold mourning ring, engraved with the following inscriptions : on the outside in black groimd the words, 29 iffalo de- ieTJ. imna [ived irds, ' in memory of,' on the ipside " Lucretia "Wrigly, ob't 6th Feb., 1829, Act G," and under that, » Mary Wrigly, ob't 6th Feb.. 1830, Act 45," besides some other rather indistinct characters, that the claimant will have to describe. Also a lady's gold pencil and mounted gold eye-glass, with chain attached made of fine beads. These articles were found on the person of one of the men in the scow ; and I wish to aay, to the credit of the men, that loud and earnest threats of lynching the fellow were made, such was the indignation at an act calculated to throw discredit on all, and so contrary to discipline and the wishes of our body. And I wish to say farther that were it not for our present circumstances and relations, such an act would, as it ever will be by me and my associate officers, have been punished with all the rigor of army discipline. You will oblige us all by the publication of this communication, both to set us right, and that the property may be restored to its owner, (Signed) John O'Neil, Colonel." When the Fenians arrived at Newbigging's farm on Frenchman's creek about noon June 1st, two sons of the family had just returned from hur- riedly taking their sister and other young ladies to a place of safety on the American side. O'Neil was then mounted on the cream colored charger which had been " borrowed" from Mr. James Stivens of the Ferry, and which he next day rode in the combat at Limestone Bidge. This horse was returned to its owner on & mday the 3rd, considerably jaded. The Fenian chief alighted at the garden wicket, which opens from the road skirting Niagara river, walked up to the house, where he was met at the door by Mrs. Newbigging. This family came from Greenock, in Scot- land some years ago. The Fenian courteously introduced himself, was sor- ry to cause alarm ; assured the lady that although the premises, on this side the creek and fields beyond were occupied by an armed force, no harm would be done, if every one in the house remained quiet. He had a sick gentlemen whom it was necessary to put to bed. Soldiers would be placed in the house to attend him, and protect the family. None else would be permitted within doors. O'Neil and officers, some of them, not all, had meals in the house ; and the sick person had wan i drinks, all of which were prepared by Fenian hands ; Mrs. Newbigging's offers of assistance be- ing declined. All remained quiet within doors, but there was uproar out- side. Between forty and fifty horses were collected and brought to the premises before sunset, upon all of which men wildly mirthful and grotesque in dress and manners galloped and cur- vetted about, along the river side road and over the farm fields. An hi! !i|!; 30 American reporter said a hundred horses. Three of Mr. Newbi^ing's best were taken. One of brown color with white hind feet answered the de- scription of a charger shot under its rider in the combat of next day, and which he supposed was his ; but the three were returned on Sunday, June Srd, not seriously injured though much distressed. One of his waggons and a set of harness were found in the woods a wreck. Several of his sheep were killed, and at the hurried midnight departure thrown into the creek. • At Mr. Stockdale's house next farm north, thirteen cured hams, several crocks of butter and sacks of flour were taken. That provision had been made for hay and harvest workers. Nine or ten of the hams rudely slashed with sword cuts, and sacks of flour were afterwards found in the creek. An old Englishman named Penny, residing alone, was visited ; his money was demanded. He gave a dollar, all he had. They threatened, he says to bake him on the stove if he did not disclose where more money was concealed, but beyond frightening the poor man, the plunderers only seem to have taken the dollar. Mrs. McCarty living further down the river side road, said they tore up her carpets, broke open a bureau and took twelve dollars in money. Many fowls, turkeys and geese were taken. Their remains, with eathers, still strewed the bivouac field when I was *here, 19th to 22nd June. Frenchman's creek is a deep slu^ish stream, sixty to eighty feet wide, with marshy banks. Its dull water, seemingly motionless mingles with the clear swift current of the great Niagara, which is here about a mile wide to Strawberry Island opposite. At the mouth of the creek, close on the river shore, is a bridge of timber. Newbigging's house and farmyard are a hundred yards south of the creek. An apple orchard, willow and poplar trees skirt it on the north side. A field of grass lies beyond the orchard and north of that, other fields which gave a clear rifle range of from five to eight hundred yards, down the river side, and inland over clear stretches of from eight hundred yards to a mile. At these distances from the river were forest thickets, only a few trees intervening on the open pastures. Here O'Neil apprehensive that Colonel Peacocke, or other British com- mander would bring up a force by Niagara river side, constructed screens of fence rails across the pasture field, and in the orchard, from east to west to command the approach from north. The creek bended on his left flank and round upon his rear to Niagara river which flanked his right. The position was comparatively strong except as against artillery. Beyond 81 the creek west-ward, twelve hundred yards to forest thickets, and southerly from Newbigging's house, pickets were thrown out, and sentries posted : these last all round and back in the woods. And mounted scouts, furDis..i- ed from the locality and from Buffalo, penetrated to the interior of the country. The creek so frequently mentioned, with a devious course comes through marshy meadows from south-west. On each side are cently ele- vated grounds, well cultivated, and long settled called the Bidges. A road runs diagonally through the farm lots and squared township roads from a point two miles below, and north of Frenchman's creek, following the bends of a ridge to the south-west ending on Lake Eric, nine or ten miles west of Waterloo village. This road follows the Limestone Bidgo, and is therefore termed Ridge Way. From the careful dispositions of his force, and the half circle of out- lying pickets, with sentries along the roads in all directions, O'Ncil evinced apprehension of being attacked there. One of the sentries posted in the thicket, fourteen hundred yards west of the bivouac field was shot during the night by another Fenian sentry who had mistaken him for a Canadian. His comrades stripped him of clothing except a flannel. Next day when some farmers who went to bury the body, were tracing the course the bullet had taken, tbrough right arm, right side, to the heart, a pocket con- taining $112 in greenbacks, was discovered. A custom house officer took charge of the money, The Fenian picket of which this man was a sentinel were then prisoners, and among them the sergeant before spoken of. They said their comrade had been shot " accidentally," they not choosing, per- haps, to admit that the bullet which killed him had been intended for a subject of Her Majesty the Queen. The farmers wished the coroner to hold an inquest, but he declined. The deceased man had a cross suspended on his breast, and the figure of one with initials marked on his left arm. He is buried on tbe edge of the wood where the body was found. The split rails ot oak, averaging about six inches thick, so well known as ''snake fences" in Canada, " Virginia rails" on the other,aide ; about fif- teen feet long, which are piled in a zigzag foni', alternately overlying each other at the end, and rising to a height of five, six, or seven feet, were carried from the sides of the Niagara river road, and from other fields, and piled as rifle bullet screens. These extended at intervals across the pastur- age in front of Newbigging's orchard from the river on the right, to the S2 westerly bend in the creek, distance four or five hundred yards. The screens were formed thus : A rail was cut in three pieces ; the ends sharpened, and driven into the ground in form like x, Two of these x's supported a rail horizontally set at a height of about three feet. From that two or more rails slanted down- ward to the ground, from the position in which sharpshooters were to be screened. Then a lower roof of rails was laid longitudinally and horizon- tally on these, beginning on the ground, rising to the higher level. Then an upper roof was laid by pieces placed transversely to the former, and as closely together as they would lie. This roof sloped from three feet high to the ground at an angle of about thirty degrees, or less. It was inteuded that rifle bullets, hitting it from the direction in which the opposing force might come, would glance off over the heads of sharpshoot- ers ensconced behind. Some of these screens were four feet high in rear, others only two , generally they were elevated three feet. The different sections of screens were regulated by the length of rails, and were not placed continuously end to end, but were advanced, like detached columns twelve or twenty yards before others, and much scattered. Probably this was done in expectation that, if artillery fired upou them, all would not be knocked down at once. A way of escape was iniendel under cover of the orchard, within which screens were also placed at intervals, to the bridge over the creek, close to Niagara shore. The creek is there about seventy feet wide ; the bridge eighty feet long. Pi!e=i of fence rails split to bo readily combustible, were laid on the bridge to be set on fire, should the attack be from north and the Fenians have to retreat behind the Newbigging farm premises and south by the way on which they had advanced. The destruction of that bridge, and the rifle shooting which for a time might have been practised from the farm house and barns, to give the laain body of Fenians time to escape to their scows and steam tug at Lower Ferry where they first landed, three quarters of a mile south and round a bend out of sight of their pres- ent position, would have probably delayed an advancing force for a time. That is, had such force come by the river-side road and that only. But there were inland roads by which, as O'Neil knew the British could ap- proach from the direction of the Great Western railway at Niagara Suspen- sion bridge and from Chippewa. There was also a line of rails, the Erie and Niagara track which though not regularly open for traffic, had been which close I bridge e, were rth and d south bridge, actised time to anded, pres- time. But aid ap- uspen- e Erie been recently repaired to be opened; and G. W. R. trains, it 'was supposed oould pass up the track to Waterloo village. Information having reaohed the Fenian colonel at Frenchman's creek, sometime between 10, P. M. and midnight, June 1st, that Colonel Peacooke of Her Majesty's army, with a force of Royal Artillery, regular, Infantry and Canada Volunteers, had reached Chippewa, a village three miles south of Niagara Falls, and about four miles south of Suspension Bridge, fifteen miles north of his bivouac on Frenchman's creek, he decided to leave his position and march into the interior of the country. To gain the Welland canal and railway at Port Colborne was now, as it had from the first been the Fenian object. O'Neil either expected addition- al forces unarmed from the American side, or to have had unarmed Fonians joining him in Canada, most probably the latter. For at the creek were collected spare arms and ammunition. This was in boxes of one thousand cartridges each; ten packages of one hundred, to a box ; ten smaller parcels often to each package, and twelve percussion caps with each parcel of ten. Eighteen of the boxes had been fished up from the bottom of the creek, close by tVe bridge previous to 20th of June, containing 18,030 cartri Iges. Possibly more had been sunk elsewhere. The boxes had been punctured by bayonets to admit water to destroy th3 powder. Each box bore a date, " 1865," and the name of a United States arsenal, most of them that of " Bridport." The arms, rifles and bayonets, were piled on a fire kindled on centre of the timber bridge, to be destroyed with that structure. They had been sunk in the creek. Ninety rifles were taken out and account- ed for before 20th of June. How many more were found or still remained in the water, was uncertain. Rifles had also been broken by striking the butts against trees. The bark of apple and cherry trees, poplars and wil- lows along the creek, indicated where the rifle stocks had been broken ; and stock, lock, and barrel thrown into the water. Remnants of barrels and locks were also found in the ashes of the numerous cooking fires which had been used along the orchard and pasture field. The Fenian Chief's object in burning the bridge, on his removal north, from Frenchman's creek at midnight of June 1st, was to prevent pursuit in his rear, in the event of a British force having reached Waterloo villa2;e (commonly called Fort Erie) by an inland road. To cover his movement he left his outlying pickets on their posts, southerly ard west of the ereek and Newbigging's house. Some men of these pickets escaped acro3 » ggsmma u Niagara, whefi at daylight, June 2qcI, they discovered that the main body had left ; others remained, "efusing to believe that ony British force was ap- proachiDg. Certaia of the farmers, acting with Mr. Murray a customs officer, took them prisoners, as alsj other stragglers, and during the fore- soon, of June 2nd, delivered them to a party of the Welland Artillery, who placed them on board the steamer Robb. They fo''med part of a batch of sixty -five prisoners taken to Brantford jail, afterwards to Toronto. The Newbigging family passed a night of keen sensations. They did not know that O'Neil and his force had left, having been ordered, when he and officers took supper at 11 P. M-, in their house, to stay strictly within doors. They dreaded that, if the Fenians remained until the ex- pected advance of British troops in the morning, they would, on retreating burn the premises ; or, if giving bittle, that the creek, bridge, dwelling- house and barns would be the central theatre of fiery conflict, or, if the British did not come soon, that their cows, sheep, everything consumable would be taken for Fecian food, and the premises perhaps, burned at last The " worst looking blackguard of the whole'' according to the judgment of the lady of the house, was a small sized Scotchman, who had been pugilis- tically engaged and had then a disfigured face. He was asked what induced him to be a Fenian ? and replied that he liad been a soldier, in the Amer- ican ariiiy, was discharged, wanted something to do, and so joined the army of General Sweeny. A youthful volunteer of the 13th. left wounded on the field of Limestone Ridge next day, relates that he narrowly escaped murder after being a prisoner, and was saved by intervention of a Fenian Scotchman. If (hat was the same person ho an il -favored face. had a good side as well as a bad and After leaving Frenchman's creek the invaders marched five miles north, to the town lines of Bertie and Willoughby ; then west to Lot 16, 8th concession of Bertie, the property of Louis Krafft. There they bivouacked till daylight ; having as at the Newbigging farm, erected bullet screens of rails, posted pickets and made a show of entrenching and defending a posi- tion on Black creek. At sunrise they marched south, and struck the road called Ridgeway, and then sjutb-west on that rftad until they reached the property of Henry F. Angur, Lot 4. 10 th concession of Bertie. About a hundred yards dis- 36 tant from the road, skirting it on the south, the limestone rock has a vertio- al face, the farm fields above the precipice sloping upward and south two or three hundred yards to a pine tnicket ; the country to north of the road Ising nearly level, and stretching half a mile to the skirts of a thicket of maple and oak where alsrr is a marsh and a stream, which is a feeder of Black creek. Henry Angur's house is on the wayside, not many yards from the vertical rocks. There, O'Neil halted to reconnoitre, and, as events came out made his headquarters during the combat which derives its name from that locality. It was now 5 a. m. June 2nd. On the previous day messengers came along this road and warned the inhabitants that the Fenians were to march that way to Port Colborne and to Port Robinson to capture the Welland canal. The farmers, whose houses are nearly all on the vayside, if their land touch it, removed their families and the best of their horses and cattle that day. Henry Angur, a^ed 73, aflSicted will ^out and m )ving only on crutches chose to remain. He is an intelli;:ent veteran from the war of 1812, and the rebellion of 1837 38. He said his family wanted him to go in the waggon, but, 'he had been in two wa *«^ and would risk a third." O'Neil had been well informed of the in- habitants li\ing in that district, of the horses they possessed, with the number and names of their sons. On entering this housQ he looked the old man in the face and said : " Your name is Henry Angur ?" " Yes, sir, Henry F. Angur; what may your name be, if y>.u please?" " My name is ONeU. I am chief in command of fourteen hundred men, (Mr. Angur feels sure he gave that number), now in possession of your premises, your farm and country from the ferry to Ridgcway ; where are your sons ?" "I have no sons at hom .sir No sons at home ? nonsense ! where is Jim ?" ^ " Well, sir, I don't know where Jim have gone." "When did you last see him?" *' Last see him ? well sir, Jim went yesterday to the mill with a grist, and I suppose he heard ill news and so have not come home." " What ill news do you think he heard ?" " The same as we heard here, I suppose." •* What was that ?" •' It was that the Fenians had landed, and to begin with had killed Dr. Kempson of the Ferry." " But Dr. Kempson is not killed, noft injured, don't you know that no harm has hap- pened him or any one else, from us?" ** I hrve heard since that he was not killed ; but what, sir, are you going to do with us ?" *' Tell nre first Mr. Angur, have you any Johnny Bulls around here ?" " Johnny Bulls, sir ? I don't exactly comprehend." " Yes, you comprehend quite well ; have you seen any red-couts here about ? any of Queen Victoria's soldiers ? or cf 36 Ctfnadian Volunteers ? any armed men ? any cavalry ? artillery 7 infantry?" ' No, sir, I have not ; I have not indeed, sir." "Very well, that will do for the present. Captain " (to an officer of the staff) "you and a guard remain in charge of this house and this old man. Make every person prisoner yeu find." O'Neil, after that conversation proceeded in the direction of the railway station at Ridgeway, but did not go farther, it is supposed, than about Hoffman's tavern, the " Smuggler's Home," a mile in advance of Henry Angur's house and about two miles short of the station. A nephew of the old man, a youth of sixteen remained bsside his horse in sight of the conflict in the woods 800 yards north of the road. Another young man lay concealed in the roof of a barn. He said he counted over twelve hundred Fenians pass the barn. All else had left the previous day- At the farm house of Mr. Stoneman, half way between Henry Angur's and J. N. Angur,s (that name being German is pronounced Auker) I spoke to three small boys a few days after the fight, the hottest of which had been in their orchard, and in fit Ids adjoininsr. They weie aged about eleven, nine, and seven. " Where were you little boys, the time of the battle ?" " Back in the woods, over yonder." (pointing north). " How far ?" " Back ever so far — six mile " " Did you go soon in the morning ?" " No, day before." • " How did you know the day before that Fenians were coming this way ? ' "A man came along from the Ferry, tel- ling all around here to clear." " Did you carry provisions with you ?" " Some, not much. " Where did you stay all Friday night ?" '• Slept in the woods ?" " Wore you frightened ?" " Ye?, I think so ; you'd have been frightened too." " You have fancy pigeons in that cage ; Did you t ike them to the woods ?" "No, they hung just there all the time.'* " And the Fenians did not take them ?" " They took fowls, and then throwed fowls away ; pigeons were no use to them, but they were near be- ing shot ; you can see where bullets went through boards of the houao— up there, and here, and there again , and the trees in the orchard are scored all over with bullets." Up to this point the narrative has followed the track of the Fenians. Let us now turn to the prompt mustering of forces, the patriotic, the im- passioned attitude of defiance, the gallant rush to the frontier, to repulse from Canadian soil, this unrighteous army of intruders, who by no law recognized on earth or in heaven was justified in its invasion of Canada. m CHAPTER VI. Words of warning in 1862, and 1863, /rom Colonel Lysons, Quartermatt- er General of tier Majr.stys Forces in Canada. Olden signals of War. The alarm on Jane \st, 1866. The quick response. Give us arms, lead on. Gonjli cling felegnms on 1st of June. The cry is still they come. Sons of Canada come horn" to fight for moihrrs and mother land. Americans at Oil Springs enrol/or defence of Canada. Home Guards organized. The cry is still they come. Volunteers for the field. How are they equipped f The Queen's Own. Tenth Roy- als t York and Caledonia Rifles. Hamilton Field Battery. Wtl- land Field Battery. Hamilton Thirteenth. All defective in equip- ments. " Authorities " in a lethargy. Lnemy '* thundering at the door." Courage of the people. Little else ready. Inians. . \q im- 3pulse law la. "It will be too late to speak of organizing and equipping your Militia when the enemy is thundering at your doors " [Valedictory letter of Lieit. Colonel Ljsons, C. B. Royal Artillery, to the people of Canada, 1862, on his leaving the Province after an eflFort rendered fruitless through Cana- dian parliamentary factions to organize and equip a Provincial Defensive force.] " What the Province is doing is worse than nothing, as yet. Her Ma- jesty's Government have furnished arms for an eflfective Provincial Militia, and what do we see ? The arms after six months are still lying in boxes kicking about at railway depots, rusting and going to destruction. No armories provided." [Kxtract of a letter from Lieut. Colonel Lysons, C. B. Royal Artillery, after returning to Canada f's Actirg Quarter-master Gen- eral of H. M. Forces, June 1863, addressed to Alexander Somerville, then Editor of the Canadian iLLUsTnATED News, writer of Canada a bat- TLi oiioiTND, published May, 1862]. Aa eap y within the frontier line! Canada trodden by the foot of hos- tile forcta ^ Dwing to be avenged on the peaceful, industrious people of Prit- ish America, for the grievances of Ireland, accumulating through the long historic ranges of seven centuries. The land we live in irvaded. What- ever may be the incentives to war growing out of the traditions of seven hundred years, there is no questionable sentiment, within the living com- munity which hoars the tread of the armed stranger within its borders. \i is the aggression of to-day. T[ 38 What is the noto of alarm ? What is the signal 7 Who are the meBsen. gers to carry along the lake and river shores a thousand miles east and west, and north into the far interior, to citizens, artizaas, husbandmen, and lumbermen, the intelligence, '< Stand to your arms, an enemy is within the frontier ; he has broken in on upper Niagara ; he threatens to come in on lake and river shore, and all along the fuinJy defined line of Lower Canada!" Who is to carry this message, and diffuse it, proclaim it, be eloquent to enforce it? Electricity, secret, instant, is the messenger. But tb e matter of the message itself is electric, even when carried by men on foot. It thrills ♦hrough body and soul, limb and life, of all the people; youngest, oldest; citizens of all professions, rural husband-men, forest lumberers, lake and river raftsmen, sailorp ; sons and daughters of every national parentage, dwelling in these Provinces. No prompting of eloquence, no invocation of patriotism is needed. The enemy armed and hostile, supposed to be in league with some among ourseh . "^ot many cone can tell ; some among ourselves but not very many. It possibility cf an enemy in our own city, or street, or house, inspires to prompt action. In all ages of mankind, among all races, in all lands, the alarm of — "the enemy within your bor- ders 1" was diffused by the agency of light and fire and sound ; and messen- gers swift of foot. Read Jeremiah, cha|>ter vi. verse i. " ye children of Benjamin, blow the trumpet in Takoa and set up a sign of /ire in Belh- haccerem !" Read the extract from an act of the Scottish parliament of the yea? 1455, C. 48. and find, that Scotland fought the invaders in the day of their evil visitation, not waiting for Scottish posterity to be avenged on English posterity, and other inoffensive posterities, in another land, liv- ing in fellowship under a system of happiest liberty, four thous.->nd miles away, seven, or five, or three, or one hun^lred years after the evil occurren- ces. It was directed that one bale fire of faggots on crag, or hill, or moun- tain summit, should be warning of the approach of the " English in any manner.'' That two bale-fires of faggots should be the alarm that, "the English are coming indeed.'^ That four bale-fire-s should be decisive intelli- gence that. " the English are within the borders in great force." Indians in America , Kaffres, Hottentots and Bosjesmens in Africa, light their war fires, some adding on elevated ground signs of an extended hand with club, two extended hands with clubs, a blanket, a skin, or several ekins ; in the whole a species of telegraphing which was not much improved 89 »'thc kelli- Hca, led ?ral until the semaphore was invented in France in 1794, introduoed to England about the same time, by which intelligence was carried long distances and secretly, by signs, numerals, and letters. The oldest Fenian tradition, a dim glimmer of uncertain light seen through a tunnel more than two thousand years long, by way of ancient Greece, and Phcnecia, leads the idea to war-fires lighted in Ireland to warn the owners of the soil, cultivators and herdsmen, of those remote centuries that Phenician invaders were within the Irish coasts. Other dim lights shew the Fenian descendants of Irish Phenicians burning war-fires of a^arm to announce the approach of Danes, Normans, and Norman English, as the Scotch did. The feudal system oppressed and paralyzed the indus- trial arm of Scotland, Ireland, England, France and all Europe. But it was indeed grievious in Ireland. " Man's inhumanity to man — Makes countless thousand's mourn." The Fenians were, in Ireland conquerors of the land from an older pro- prietory. The colonists of Massachusetts, and of the American Atlantic coast invoked in 1757-58-59, the aid of their mother country. Great Brit- ain, to capture the castle of Louisburg on Cape Breton, Quebec in Canada, Fort du Qnesne, now Pittsburg in Pennsylvania, to repress or expel the French in North America, for the sake of the ocean fisheries and the fur trade. Thus it was that English, Irish, and Scottisb colonists, came to occupy the Provinces, now claimed by Fenians and by such of the Amer- icano as sympathize with Fenianism on the ground that Britain was not justified in subduing the French to gratify the colonies of New England New York, New Jersey, Virginia and the Carolinas, in 1757, 1758, 1759. Contrary to the prayer of Massachusetts and the conjoint colonies. Great Britain did not seek to expel the French from Canada, nor to suppress their language by legal ennctment, as the United States subsequently did in Louisiana and region of the Mississippi; but gave the French co-equal rights political and religious with English, Irish, Scotch and German or any other colonizing race in British America. , And thus it was, that enjoying equal rights, laws, and privileges, with a freedom of speech and of publication, as generous and universal, as summer sunshine and fertilizing rain, the people of Canada, French, British, Irish, — all, except perhaps some thinly scattered adherents of delusion led away from better judgment under the faseination of secresy and hope of futura ■■ m adventures — leapt to their arms, demanding to be led to the frontier, de- manding to be armed and placed under responsible leadership. And not alone these, but native Americans now resident in Canada who under other influences might think annexation of the two countries desira- ble. At Oil Springs, township of Enniskillen, Lambtoa County, Canada West, situated twenty miles from Sarnia, a strong Volunteer Company was enrolled in a few hours to aid in repelling the invaders of which a third were Pennsylvania oilmen and other Americans. Mr. Read a lawyer ; Mr. Robert Mathison printer and editor, both graduates of the Canada military schools, were chosen captain and lieutenant. Mr. Perry, a mer- chant, was ensign. On remote tributaries of the Upper Ottawa, lumbermen, raftsmen, heard the news through the fleet hurrying of messengers and fast- er paddling of canoes, and thronged down the streams to the river and upon the river to the cities of Ottawa and Montreal oflFering their services, their lives — gifts to the Province. Sons of Canada resident in the United States left employment and social ties, and hastened to their own land to defend it, to assert that British America will remain British. A goodly number of these came from Chicago to Toronto, five hundred miles. Many more would have quickly followed if wanted. Who is she, that elderly woman on the railway platform, looking eagerly to tl'e cars, into the circles of friends, crowding around the men as they alight ? She is looking if her son has come. " Yes !' she exclaims, em- bracing the youth, loyal to his mother, loyal to his native land, " I knew you would come to fight for Canada and for me." At Hamilton the Mayor issued this proclamation: " I hereby request all able bodied men who are willing to turn out in defence of their country to meet this evening at 7 o'clock in their respective wards for the purpose of enrollment and forming a Home Guard." They met, they enrolled, they formed the Home Guard ; were armed and for some months exercised in the use of rifles and bayonets, and nightly perambulated the city in squads. These were merchants, store keepers, artizans, professional men, clerks. In other cities, towns, villages similar associations were formed. At Toronto, said the newspapera ; " Without exaggeration we may say we have never seen the city so intensely moved as it was last night (June 1.) when the news indicated a probable battle on the line of the Niagara river. The streets wore crowded with thousands af men and women eager to ob- Uia the latest scrap of uteliigenoe from the front and every extra was 41 perused with feverish anxiety. It i.s to be hoped today's news will relieve the deep suspense which may be said to have rested on the city last night." All reports were not true, but they occupied official tiuie; and compli- cated military plans, Thefollovi "^%' reached Toronto by way of BuflFalo. " It has been reported that Port Liarniaand Windsor have been captured by the Fenians, It is also reported that they have taken possession of the Welland canal. [Not true]. Buffalo, 12 o'clock noon, June 1. "The Fenians at Fort Erie have opened ;i recruiting office, and are now en- rolling volunteer?. They liave seized the Ncwbigging Farm and made it their headquarters. When opposition is offered by people of the town, the Fenians at once set fire to their housed." (Not wholly true.) That was from tlie American side. The follovang came from St. Cath- arines a town on Welland canal, Welland railway and Great Western, in Canada, twelve miles inland front Niagara bridge. " A portion of four companies from Grimsby and Bcamsville arrived hero this morning at eight o'clock. Col. Currie is in temporary command. Forty or fifty more will arrive in a few hours." " Col. McGivciin has procured ono thousand stand of arms, to be sent from Hamilton, to arm the citizens, and also ammunition. The home guard under Col. McDonald is called out. There is no ammunition for the Spencer rifled." The following dated Buffalo June 1, 1,30 P. M. was circulated in To- ronto and all Canada in the afternoon. Exaggeration in the estimates of Fonian numbers had not then been corrected by better information. Mili- tary plans of defence were formed on the highest estimate, not the lowest. " I have just returned from Lower Black llock, 4 or 5 miles from the city, and had a view of the Fenians encamped on the opposite bank ; some say to the number of 2000 or 3000. A tug boat carried over a large num- ber, and cheers for the new arrivals were distinctly heard on this side. The ferry-boat is now stopped, but the Fenians appear to have full liberty to ply in tug boats as often as they pleusc. A man on a white horse appear- ed to be very active, ho being distinctly seen on the bank uf the river riding amongst his men. About half past six the host of the Fenian army proper went over in canal boats and took with them twenty wagon loads of muni- tions of war. Thev l)ave sentinels posted for miles around their encamp- ment, and are enjoying their favorite occupation of stealing all the horses in the locality. The stars and stripes flo it from a flag-pole at Erie, opposite Black Hock, but the general impression here is that if the Canadians have the least spark of that spirit they are supposed to possesss the Fenians will soon have to skedaddle. It iy said that they intend going on to Chippewa 42 forthwith. The steamer Michigan has steam up to prevent the Fenians coming back. " All kinds of rumors are afloat here — one that Windsor has been burnt down. Another that a force was advancing from Albany. They had tickets for Rome, and probably were destined for the St. Lawrence region. They had no arms. The Fenian leaders in this city are very active and more men will leave to-night for the Canadian frontier." More news arrived from the States and flew on wings of a free press through the Province. The people not dismayed one shade of countenance, but on the contrary fired with newer, bolder energy to muster, march, give battle and conquer. This was circulated ai Toronto, after noon. Gincin- natti, June 1. The CommerciaVs Columbus, Ohio, despatch says that 450,000 rounds of ammunition were shipped from that place to New York* and 150,000 to Chicago,and 30,000 muskets to Buffalo, within a few days, which it is reported were intended for the Fenians. Also came information from Boston telling of Fenian forces forwarded from there and in the same paragraphs of United States forcns sent to the fron- tier to intercept them. Canadians were ready to believe the Fenian items true; slow to rest confidently on whatU. S. authorities would do; for, said same reports; "Fenians and U. S. regulars are fraternising." Boston June 1." Two companies United States regulars left Fort Warren this morning for St. Albans, under the command of Col. Livingstone. An additional de- tachment of about 100 Fenians also left, it is supposed for the Canada bor- der. Fifteen hundred men is the alleged Fenian quota of Massachusetts for the present enterprise. The newly raised Fenian Cavalry regiment, under the command of Col. Icartoi, late of Moseby's guerillas, is a part of the expedition from this city. The Fenians say that Gen. Fitzhugh Lee will command the cavalry wing of their army of invasion. They further say that the blow will be struck ear\'. next week probably on Monday." And again, Boston, June 1. — 12, noon. — In addition to the Fenian cav- alry regiment, the third Fenian Infantry, Col. Connor, 1,200 strong, has left this city for the Canada border. Transportation for the cavalry regi- ment was paid through to St. Alban's by a citizen of Boston. Detach- ments of United States troops from Forts Warren and Independence, and also from Fort Preble, are under orders to leave for the northern frontier." A despatch from Port Stanley [north shoie of Lake Erie, terminus of a ruilway from London C. W.,] said that forty schooner's had been in sight from one o'clock ; their conduct very mysterious all the morning. At London C. W., the volunteers were immediately ordered under anus and 4S prcparatioDB made in the garrison of Royal Artillery and 60th Rifles of H. M. r^ular army, to move in any direction. Colonel Hawley the com- mandant called in the detachment of the 60th from Komoka. The city couneil met to form a Home Gnard. At Port Hope and Cohourg, and all down the shore of Ontario lake the organized volunteers mustered under arms. Intelligence arrived that a suspicious steamer was moving on the mouth of Niagara river. At Kingston the 14th battalion of militia, and the garrison of regulars mustered ; the militia on Qarden isl ind. At Ottawa, at Montreal and throughout Lower Canada the same spirit of promptitude became an instant thing of life, of action. Let the preceding items of de- fensive preparation be multiplied by hundreds, with all the names of towns, townships, cities, counties attached ; and add that the thoughts of the peo- ple had but one bent, defend the frontier, repel the invader, pray to high Heaven, but remember that Heaven helps those who help themselves. And now stands out the question prominent above all thoughts of that day — in the minds of some — What had the Canadian Government done to equip the Volunteer Militia for this e rrergency ? At the beginning of this chapter two quotations are cited, which though brief, afford a glimpse of what was the opinion of the Quarter-Master Gen- eral ofH. M. forces as held by him in 1862 and 1863. After 1863, some change for the better was made in militia organization. In all, about thirty thousand men had been enrolled, armed, and less or more effi- ciently educated iu military evolutions. That portion of their equipment which is most conspicuous to the eye — uniform and ornamental clothing — was perfect. Rifles, bayonets, cross-belts and cartridge pouches , were also correct according to army pattern. But equipments, equal in importance for the life and efficiency of the soldier on active service, to his rifle, ball- cartridge, percussion cap, and bayonet, and greatly more important to his life and efficiency than the make or material or color of his clothing, were a wanting, had not it seemed, by the event, been thought of by persons called for want of a more distinct name, the Authorities. The political Authorities had given out from time to time, and up to tho day of invasion, when, as Colonel Lysons had said, the enemy would be " thundering at their doors" that they were ready for any emergency ; but they were not ready. Not much was ready but the mercy of heaven and the courage of the people. 44 The Voluateer Militia hud been freiiueotly inspected iu Canada Wof»t by Major-General Napier, Assistant Adjutant General Duric, and hy other army officers. Their complimentary addressea, or at least newspaper paragraphs purporting to be echoes of their addresses, led the public to be- lieve that the volunteers were organized, exercised, educated, equipped for any emergency. The Rifles of Toronto known as^the " Queen'a Own," were despatched from that city on Ist of June, with a speech from General Napier to t^'e cflect that they might be engaged with the enemy within twelve hours, yet all save one company went without {unniunition, and without the equip- ments enumerated on another pngc as wanting by the Thirteenth from Hamilton. Tho Tenth Royals from Toronto, wero in like manner de- ficient. Observe the result in the military fortunes of next day. Referring to his bivouac at Chippewa, night and morning of 1st and 2nd June, Colonel Pcacocke, commanding on Niagara fi-ontier, in his official de.sputch, when relating the events of the 2nd, and 3rd says, " The Volunteers heing un- provided xcith the means of carrying provisions and of cooJcing them had not been able to comply with an order I had sent the previous evening that they were to bring provision is in their haversacks. I saw that the absolute necessity of furnishing them with some xoould cause delay and I telegraphed to Port Colborne that 1 should be one hour later in starting. We marched at 7, o'clock.''^ In the previous sentence he had named the Toronto ** 10th Royals under Major Boxall," 415 in numerical strength, and no doubt re- ferred to them, but the remark of having no haversacks to carry provisions, no cooking apparatus, no provisions to be cooked, applied to other volun- teers besides the 10th Royals. That delay was more than an hour. Had there been haversacks and provisions, the Queens own, Thirteenth, York and Caledonia men need not have been confronted with the Fenians at Limestone Ridge alone. So small a matter as a haversack to a volunteer, and a single atom of common sense to an ''Authority," might have changed thehistoryof that day. - ' ^ .n ^ : ; • «/ The County of Lincoln sent forth a squadron of Cavalry, good men and true, with faultless horses, but without Cavalry equipments. The York and Caledonia rifles like the Toronto Queen's Own went without am- munition. The Hamilton Field Battery of artillery, comprised a body of men equal to any that ever assumed the name of soldiers but their harness was decayed, had been condemned over two years, and government had not h: 46 volun- Had I, York ians at mteer, langcd 3n and The it am- fdy of irncss Ld not replaced it. It was unfit for field exercise. The battery could not go to battle. And yet the local newspapers, reporting Colonel Peaoocke's inspec- tion of that battery on 8th March, 18GG, published to the Province that he had said, " The Hamilton battery was in a state of highest effloiency, ready for any emergency." Had it been ready for service it might have been on the field of Limestone Ridge on 2nd of June ; and thus, again^ the history of that day might have road differently from what it does. — The Welland Field battery was at Port Colbornc on the morning of Ist of June, and would have been on Limestone Ridge, but its officers and men had no cannon. Their guns had been removed to Hamilton where there was no harness. They embarked on the stcnmer Robb and went to Fort Erie. There we shall meet them in due time, in combat with the Fenians on the afternoon of 2nd of June. If the volunteers engaged with the enemy on 2nd of June are brought under the readers eye in this narrative more frequently than others equally worthy of popular record, it is the circumstance oft'ioir having been mor- tally engaged that brings them now prominently out for comment. The soul of the old soldier when he looked npon tlic 13th, mustering for fron- tier service on that morning, bounded with joy to behold the olden youth- fulness, buoyancy, and confidence of the race reproduced in this newer country, newer generation. But, because he was an old soldier and knew the exigencies of active war in a wooded country his heart sunk within him at seeing those gallant youths go forth carrying, in the negligence of governmental authorities their death with them. Addressing the public immediately after the events of the 2nd, the writer said : *' I assert that had the 13th been exposed day and night for one or two weeks in such work as that of June 2nd, half would have perished of diseases induced by thirst, bad water, no water, hunger, fatigue, and through exposure to marsh malaria without overcoats." The coats having been lost for want of, with each man, a pair of straps to fasten them when folded on the back . They had no pioneers, no spades, axes, nor other entrenching tools. The Fenians, as was seen in chapter ii. lookel for spades and axes first thing on touching Canada. They had not been taught how to fold their ove r- coats so as to carry tbem on their backs without impeding the action of loading, capping, aiming, and firing. From the American Bull Run of 1862, they had profited nothing in l!;c matter of odvancing upon an enemy in a wooded country, carrying no water, no food, nothing but bold confi- 46 dencc, which in war is something but not everything. For want of their coats they mounted guards at night exposed to rain, to swamp fogs, chills from the lake and the canal, wearing only their red tunics and shirts, and all because they had not each a pair of shoulder belts, to carry that first of a soldier's life preservers, the overcoat. Was no superior answerable for this neglect ? They were sent out without canteens to carry water when on the lino of march or on the battle-field. On the field of action and on the retreat they drank from swampy ditches, lifting the water in their shakos and caps and shoes ; many were in consequence sick — their intolerable thirst having been aggravated by the ambrosial breakfast of a red-herring which the military genius of their commander, administered to them at 4,30 a. m., preparatory to a loni; march without water and the hazards of a battle. It has since been ascertained that he had beefsteak for breakfast. They had no knapsacks in which to carry changes of undcrclothing,or the usual mil- itary necessaries. They had no mess tins in which to divide food,and carry it when not all at once consumed. They had no haversack to carry bread and small articles indispcnsiblc to perso nal cleanliness and health, and not second to these, indispensable in keeping the rifle in working order. They had not a wrench in the battalion to un^crcw locks, nor a worm screw, o^ which every man should have one wherewith to draw charges from rifles. The nipples of some were, after the action, plugrgcd with dirt and could not be fired oiF. There was no battalion armourer. They had no oil for springs, or to protect burnished steel irom rust. They had no portable camp kettles, to cook food which should have been supplied by a Government commissary. There were commissary agents who had no stores. The Government were said to be ready for any emergency. The 1st and 2nd of June proved that they had made no adequate pr3paration. And the question remains for the time of present writing, month of August. Has any better provision, or equipments for a campaign yet been made ? With all those wants the 13th carried with them their colors to the wood- lands. No commanders of practical experience permit colors to be carried into forests, where the war from nature of the enemy and contour of the country is likely to prove disultory. General Sir De Lacy Evans, in Spain, than whom no soldier of riper and more varied experience has lived in this century, never permitted his troops to carry colors before the enemy in that country of woods, orchards, rivers, and ravines. . They sual mil- id carry ry bread and not They crew, of n rifles. 3uld not oil for ortable rnment The nd 2Dd nd the Has wood- learried lof the Lacy srience before 47 I oome now to the Toronto Volunteers, The ''Queen's Own *' wore' thus described in a loeal journal, the Leader ; The first call to arms referred to was when companies of Volunteers were sent to the frontier to prevent raids into the United States by American refugee rebels, or desperadoes calling themselves such, during the great, the calamitous civil war. (See further on this subject, ensuing chapter.) The second call to arms of the volunteers has been responded to with even more enthusiasm than the first. The order for mustering the "Queen's Own" only reached here late on the afternoon on Thursday, and at the appointed hour (four o'clock yesterday morning) over five hundred men r^ssemblcd in the dnll shed ready to receive orders to proceed to the point where the Fenians were congregating. At that hour the fire bells rang out as a signal for the men to assemble, and in less than an hour the number we have men- tioned were under arms. Under the command of Colonel Dennis, Brigade Major 5th military district, the men were marched from the drill shed to the Yonge street wharf, where they were embarked on board the Steamer City of Toronto, at half-past six o'clock, for Port Dalhousie, where they were to take the Welland railway to Port Colborne. The men were in the highest spirits, and one and all expressed the hope that the Fenians who hate been so long threatening would at length give the volunteers an oppor- tunity of meeting them in open conflict. Notwithstanding the early hour at which the steamer left, the wharf was crowden with people who lustily cheered the brave fellows as they took their departure. About 120 men of the battalion had been left behind, some of whom had not been notified of the arrangements that had been made, and others who had not heard the alarm of the fire bells and had slept too long. The boat left half an hour earlier than was stated, and many of the men had reached the wharf just as the steamer was moving out. It was therefore deemed advisable that the men so left behind should assemble at drill about noon and be ready to proceed by special train to join their comrades. The men were punctually at their post, and after being inspected by Major Smith and their names called over, they were marched, under the command of Capt. Gard- ner, of the Highland company, to the tJnion Station, followed by an immense concourse of people. Noting could exceed the delight which evidently filled the breast of every man of them. Upon arriving at the station it was ascertained that they were not to go by railway, but to take the City of To- ronto upon her return from Port Dalhousie at two o'clock. They were then marched back to the drill-shed, and there awaited the hour of embarkment. When the order to again " fall in " had been given, they formed into two companies marched to the Yonge street wharf and immediately proceeded on board the steamer which was lying at the wharf ready to receive them. Besides the officer in command — Captain Gardner — they were accompanied by Lieut. Beyan, Lieut. Campbell, and Ensign Davis. At this juncture the crowd of people and the excitement among them, along the way between 48 the drill shed and the wharf, were tremendous. Previous to the rolunteers going on board many were the warm greetmgs that they reseived from rela- tives and friends. Many a kind word of encouragement, and many a heart- felt wish for their success and their safe return were expressed. While bales of blankets and canvass for tents wore being placed on board, the men were engaged in singing songs, and as the steamer was leaving her moorings, they were lustily cheered again and again by the crowds of people on the wharf and as warmly returned by the volunteers. When the Queen's Own arrived at Port Dalhousi'^, Mr. McGrath, manager of the Welland railway, was there with a special train to convey them to Port Colborne. '* Gentlemen," said he, to some of the ofl&cers, " where is all that luggage going?" This consisted of trunks, hat boxes, and usual accompaniments of railway travellers when on long journeys. " We are going to Port Colborne," one replied. " That luggage," rejoined the manager, "will require a van for itself; what is the meaning of it for this military train ?" " We expect to remain in garrison at Port Col- borne." " Remcin there ! It is likely you will be engaged with the Fen- ians before you pass Port Robinson, or somewhere between that &nd Port Colborne." To which the ol£<:3r commanding said, *' Good God I you don't say that?" Some one observed that General Napier had told them at Toronto they might soon be engaged with the enemy." "Did he?" said the commander, *' if he thought 20, why are we sent from Toronto and landed here without ammunition ?" Mr. McGrath had reason to suppose that the enemy might attack this train. He warned Colonel Dennis that it was hazardous to run the train in- to Port Colborne without first sending skirmishers to feel the way; the enemy might be in the woods on either side. This suggestion went unheeded. The battalion was disembarked at the platform, scattering at once through the village, along the canal, over the bridgfis no guard mounted, no pickets, no sentries posted ; but all easy victims to any military enomy, had such been there. When Mr. McGrath was giving car room for conveyance of the unmilitary luggage, he asked to be informed of the space to be filled with their pro- visions. The reply was that, " no provisions had been brought, sufficient would be found at Colborne." " That," he rejoined, is a poor place for provisions. It is but a small village ; other volunteer forces will be there ; you should take stores from St. Catherines." That town was on the way, but there wag no commissariat arrangements for purchasing, or obtaining 49 this n in- way ; went ing at ;uar rat in- fantry, bound for the front. These were not going without all necessary equip- ments, as the volunteer militia had gone, but they were without canteens to carry water. Those articles, indispensable to men on a campaign, had been reserved in some army store, not at Hamilton. Thus in addition to the delay caused at Chippewa, on the morrow, to give the 10th Boyals breakfast, they having come from Toronto without provisions, without haversacks, " contrary to my orders " (Colonel Peacocke's report,) the 16th regulars marched without water canteens ; " the day was very hot." (tame report.) And the men of the regulars, like the volunteers were thirsty, exhausted, and did not reach the vicinity of the enemy so soon by some hours as otherwise they might. But strangest want of all ; though there is in the Province a Quarter- master General's Department, whose special business is, with other things special, to provide commanding officers with maps of the country, and though county maps abounded in the Canada common schools, and Normal School at Toronto, Colonel Peacocke, in command of the forces in the Niag- ara District went out without a map showing the roads upon which he would have to move the troops. He had a small chart of the Niagara peninsula, but it did not show the WcUand roads. This want of a good map from which to question his advisers ; with want of breakfast for 10th Royals, want of water canteens for both regulars and volunteers, delayed the advance of the main force from Chippewa. Colonel Booker had no map of any kind, nor paper of his own on which to write a messas^e, which want became an event next day. But O'Neilin command of the Fenians had a map of the roads. And also writing paper for his messages. ' The narrative and narrator were at the Hamilton depot a minute ^o. The absence of such a comnA)n-place element in field equipment as the best map which the Province could afford the commanders not then known ; yet the apparent absence of artillery, causing a tremulous apprehension that the volunteers who had gone hours before, and the regular infantry now on board to go, were to be exposed to the hazard of No ; not this branch of the army of the front. Here came the Boyal Artillery from Toronto ; the Armstrong guns on platform cars ; horses in vans; men guarding guns, sentries guarding horses; detachment of 47th 52 regulars. Hurrah I Loud was the shouting on the Hamilton depot plat- form. Cheerful the military responses. The time was 2.30, P. M. June Ist. The Toronto train with two en- sines went ahead. Hamilton train followed. After a delay at St. Cather- ines the two trains reached Suspension Bridge, Niagara river, about 6 P. M. Another view of this large subject, public safety of Canada, lies in the pathway of this narrative which cannot be here avoided. Let us look it in the face. » » ♦ CHAPTER VIII. American newspapers had a " grim satisfaction " at seeing Canada "scar- «i." Assertion that Canadians^ as a people^ during the American civil war sympathised voarmly with the legitimate government and loyal citizens of the United States. Extracts from " Canada a Bat- tle Groundj" puhlished 1862. And, " Where is Canada DriftingV* 1863. Though this chapter may seem to interrupt the story of Canadian opera- tions of defence, its matter forms an integral part of the larger field of cir- cumstances which gave character to those operations. The Fenian invasion only became possible by sufferance of American popular opinion ; and that was widely, deeply distempered, as regarded the British American Provinces and Great Britain, A full, true account of the Fenian invasion, cannot be given without the writer adverting to that distemper, speaking, as he be- lieves he is about to do, for five-sixths of the whole people of Canada, and for the true national opinion of the British Islands. Tho two following paragraphs are from a journal of New York called the Citizen. The first purports to be the conclusion of a statement made by an officer of the United States army. " The mistake of the Fenians was, that they allowed too much talking and writing about their contemplated movements. They should have col- lected all their men and material along the frontier — their equipments were plentiful and good — without allowing one word to leak out of what 53 I called made liking re ool- lents I what ^ i they were doing. This, taught by experience, they promise to do next Fall; and if so their success cannot be doubtful." ; The next is the comment of the Editor of the Citizen, who is styled Gen- eral Halpine, reprinted in Canadian papers, August 3rd, 1866, with the italics as given here. =,t " The foregoing remarks we commend to the attention of all American citizens who are not enamored with the course of England and Canada to- ward the United States during the late rebellion. Here was an opportuni- ty to have avenged the wrongs of the British pirate vessels without costing the American Government one dollar. Here the Canadians might have been allowed to realize the sconndrelism of their conduct in sheltering the raiders of St. Albans, and the yellow fever and assassination conspirators. What Mr. Seward may think about it, we do not know ; but are well satis- fied a majority of the American people regret that the Fenian flag is not to- day floating over the steeples of a captured Montreal" The next two paragraph's are reprinted from the Buffalo Courier of June Ist, but written on the previous day. Both of them are texts : " It will be seen by reference to an advertisement, that the collector of this port has issued instructions, forbidding any vessel to clear between the hours of 9 a. m. and 4 p. m., without inspection of her cargo by ofl&cers of the custom house, and peremptorily interdicting the departure of vessels at all between the hours of 4 p. m. and 9 a. m-, until instructions have been received from the Secretary of the Treasury. It is mora than proba- ble that the Fenians are endeavoring to obtain transportation to some point, and it is quite certain that they will be very closely watched, and find it very difficult to leave without discovery. " Our neighbours over the border may be pardoned for indulging hi a little excitement under the circumstances ; but they claim to be prepared for the worst, and ready to welcome the invaders. There will be no vio- lation of the neutrality laws if our authorities can prevent it ; but, looking back two or three years, to the time when Buffalonians were in hourly expectation^of Confederate soldiers from Canada, we can " phancy the phelinks" of Victoria's loyal subjects. We don't wish them any ill; but a little healthy scaring won't do them any harm. So soon docs time make all things even." I|permit th^ast paragraph to be reprinted to remark, that it was in the month of the invasion, but one of hundreds, published in the United States^cxpressing, what the writers termed a " grim satisfaction" that Canadians were now^expariencing a return of tha evil wishes they gave American citizens during the war of 1861 — 65." This allegation, was 54* !: ^ . ''■ not true. It was the oppoaite of truth. The widest circulated jour- nals in both the Canadas, and a 1 irgely predominating majority of the male adult population of Canada West, who held any political opinions, were throughout the war sympathizers with the legitimate national govern- ment of the United States, and were by rational opinion and natural instinct, abhorrent of the Southern insurgents, who, though enjoying co-equal rights with their fellow citizens of the North, and enjoying the privilege of a free press and freedom of speech to discuss public questions, had plunged the great American nation into the horrible calamities of civil war. And added to this numerical majority of political male adults, were the non- political, and all the women and chUdren of the Province, who were guilt- less of evil thoughts towards Americans, yet whose risk of life, alarm, terror and plundered homesteads, while fleeing to the woods, the wilderness, to escape the Fenians, were a " grim satisfaction " to some portion of the American newspaper mind. But this is not all the denial. It is not true that any inhabitants of Canada, political or non-political, sympathizer? with the national integrity and lawful authority of the United States or with the rebellion of the slave-owners, were parties to Confederate warfare based in Canada agains*- the Federal States.- The Canadian government and people at much cost and inconvenience in 1864 and 1865, posted forces of Militia Volunteers along the frontier to prevent American rebel refugees, residcntin Canada> from making raids across the boundary line. I might be more explicit and elaborate on this matter, which so inti- mately affects the two great nationalities who in common speak the English langiiage in North America, but for the present refer to a book entitled " Canada a battle ground, by Alexander Somervillc" (present writer) published early in 1862. In that publication the sympathy of Canadians, for the lawful government of the United States was asserted, and the es- trangement which painfully occurred, foreshadowed. Mr, Seward, in refer- ence to Canada being annexed to the Stftes, writing in 1856, before he was Secretary of State had said- " All Southern stars must set though many times they rise again with diminished lustre. But those which illuminate the pole remain for ever shining, for ever increasing in splendour." To which the author of "Canada a Battle Ground"' rejoined in 1862, page 24. " Remark. It is belief in that bright destiny of Northern free nations I 66 which binds Britain, Canada, and other Colonies together. They will not separate. For Britain to willfully pluck her Empire in pieces to set up new nations in conformity to some theory of magnanimity, is an offence to the simplest principles of political philosophy. Were Canada to demand sep- aration, and obtain it ; or were she cut adrift, the inevitable fate of absorp- tion, by her more powerful neighbour, and extinction of political existence, would follow. The integrity and perrcnial viirour of the British empire should be the lofty political faith of all Conservatives and rational B^formers whether at home or in the colonies. And they who desire the permanence of British stability, or deserve the personal safety and freedom guaranteed by imperial laws, and by institntions at once venerable, and youthfully elastic in their adaptability to new circumstances, mmst by a logical neces- sity — if they hold any settled conservative principle — cherish a sympathy for other free nations, and hold in abhorrence a rebellious appeal to arms to overturn constitutional government. * * jH " New complications may occur between Britain and France, as well as between Canada and America. A recurrence of excitement about French invasion may any day arise with still deeper perplexities than at any time before. The Legislative Chamber at Paris has just been told by a noble member, a legitimist, not a Napoleonist, and so much the worse, that the thirteen hundred millions of francs, spent on the Crimean war would have carried the French army to London. The British uneasiness of 1858 ripened public sentiment in favour of an auxiliary army of volunteers. Other * tyrannicide ' pamphlets, as atrocious as that of 1858, may issue from London and inflame France. Again, the ' French Colonels' may demand permission of the Emperor, as in that year, to ' hunt conspirators in their London dens." " In that hypothesis of complex difficulties, the Engineers and Guards, the Royal Artillery and regiments of the British Line, grandly efficient in quality, but inadequate in number even now, may be re-called to save the venerated soil of Britain from the track of invasion. But sbould they re- main, as pray Heaven they may have no cause to go away nor any employ- ment here ; a mass levy of the male population will be an instant necessity in the event of war. The mass levy will be only a mob, yet indispensablfj, as a source from whence to draft selected levies, and to form working brigades to construct defences ; to build Forts, for instance, beyond Toronto on the Yorkville side, and on the heights near Hamilton city, should Huron Lake and Georgian Bay be occupied by gunboats and floating batteries from the arsenals at Chicago, and Green Bay ; and Erie Lake, from docks and arsen- als at Toledo and Buffalo. The sooner those Forts are raised after the en - emy is at Georgian Bay, at Suspension Bridge, at Port Dover, Port Colborne and Port Dalhousie, the sounder may Toronto and Hamilton sleep in bed, if they can sleep at all. " Concentrated on one point, or distributed to distant places in obedience 66 to the exigencies of strategy, the rural aggregations of the mass levy, and the rural regiments of militia, while defending towns and cities from hostile occupation and ravage, may be told of their own undefended homesteads laid in ashes; barns plundered and pastures cleared of cattle ; women and children fleeing to the wilderness distracted, or dying on the cinders of the homes, in which they live happily this day, believing that none dare make them afraid. . 4^ ^t- . ^ ^ «U > ^h t •< ' ' ^^ •^ ^f* ^* *f* ^P " And those aggregations of militia and volunteers, and the mass levy, in this newspaper-made war, may be told of such atrocities, when absent on the frontier service, or may see them after the occurrence. If they do , the fiercest spirits in Canada, not few in number, will volunteer with all the vehemence of revenge ; or they may, in desperate frenzy, form expeditions on their own account, to make reprisal on the towns and country opposite. Offended humanity there, which is now as innocent of political feuds or evil intention to Canada, as any non- political farmer and his wife and baby on this side, will in turn cry for a reciprocity of vengeance. Patriotism on that side will be crime on this : the patriotism of Canada will be crime be- yond the frontier. They who are least successful in devastation and in victory, will on their Fast days, pray to have a due sense of sin, and better success. The side which enjoys the highest satisfaction for defeats avoid- ed, and battles won, will proclaim a day for thanksgiving and sky-rockets. And what wonder if Eternal Justice should leave them all to the consum- mation of their own wrath ? The only warrant for hope, that they may not be utterly forsaken of merciful Heaven, rests on this ; that they who are exposed the most to suffer such calamities are the least guilty in pro- voking war. " On the frontier homes of Canada, two thousand miles of war-track. One thousand miles open to attack on the frontier of the States. On the one side and the other, three thousand miles of war, among cities, towns, hamlets, homesteads ; tracks of plunder in the mansions of the wealthy ; houses of the poor ; iron safes of the merchants ; strong vaults of the banks. Tracks of battle and of marching armies on fields of summer greenness ; on harvests of ripe wheat. Tracks of blood on three thousand miles of death'bed snow. - • " War-tracks of wreck, vessels and canals all a wreck, on lake, river and canal navigation. Mutual destruction along the frontier lines of railway, American and Canadian— ^populated Canada nearly all a frontier as yet. " Locomotive engines, offspring of genius more godlike than human, now carrying civilization through the primeval forests, dispensing the elements of sooiid happiness as they go, these, compelled to be their own execution- ers. " The wheels of Human Progress are reversed. Viaducts broken down levy, and om hostile omesteads omen and ers of the •are make ass levy, Q absent they do, bh all the )editions )pposite. Is or evil baby on )tism on ime be- and in i better avoid- ockets. onsum- y may >y who in pro- • -track. ►n the towns, ilthyj >anks. ness; lesof and way, !t. now mts ^ion- 57 E™ Ferry, Kta^i^ V*""? "' ^^''^^ "^ « SS, »fl '^r''^-"' ''■^««^ They „«4i » [^ bLfe Jr'^"' '^ y'. «" "ofenlT.f^'l ^ '°<""h,t *o aat which is «m1^ . ^/^ ""^ «Wted yZrd.v? ' P'»"S'"»g— OB piolet and toS^J^^'yi <"• 'hey are hCrS^' »',"»'""«'-"'arch or next montbvIr„i."u"''°''»n''»U fresh inSr''^ *«pless niulito while herte;^t"&n "''"" ""» ^^bt cZiTT^'^ ?"^' "^t are noHemltedtTfe'^*^^ ^«ficient harvests in R •. • domestic convulSn by S«? °" ^^^ ««abo Jd Britfin '• "-'"^ ^^^"«« and external commeri^T®'.^"'^^^ '' ^" P^'-il of ^ria, «'ea7^e.??;";,^^ Continental Europe sharW Jhe ^' "^T^^^^^^'^ '''"* nearer da4e7To^P:^^^^^ ^»«order. ^,,. ^'^ea^er peril to Can^ n^^**^ ^«*^' «»^ ^Aa/ri: '■'''?^^' ^''^^"i/- ed suddenly home rt!' ^\ ^^^ular troops TlZi^ • f''^'*^** '"»i^ scomsneutilirand ulv^T^'''^ ^^P^ctTd mat not ''''^' '"">' ^« ««"- «»ake grim fratS w&'. ^^^^ Probably .^'^^ stL'"'"'- ^'^'^^^ merce of two oceans an^^*^,f 'f^" '^"»« of America LIT '^^^ofwar «ank by privateers it I -^^ *^^ ««as and ruE 'nK^^^; ^^^ corn- unofficial army^Lr^f^'^^/"^^^^^^^ ''^ur o J^"''^""'^' ^"^ed or f es well inSJmeT :' ctS^^^'l"^ ^'^^^ andTi/^;;7o«dents" and olutionary section of the 0^^ ^'"^^' "*^^i*i««- The foe K^T°^ ^°^- erfmtnonVy o/^^, ^^^^^ ^J?^da press, happily a verT^n^^ f ?' '^''- name of « consorvaTh^e '' o^ « '° ,»^ocker7 of coSrsfir^^.^/*^'"'^- and put rational consprl'o*- . "moderate, " yet hasT«*. T ''®^'°8 the peaceful frontier rSen" J^'^^^^^^P-adWatnTlL"^^-^^^^^^ sentry eo'' on dnri- ^*^^^^ ot discord and pnniT,,iJ- ^ ^°d across the try suifer hLt 1^ ''^'^^ "i^hts, k ^^^^^^ And " snecial / ^ P'^^ost-martJal keeninl tK S^"^' «' ^a^", or sul f If'.,: ...,; ■..-.. : . ' " It would have been to the advantage of international amity if Mr. BuBsell of the Times had seen and described the actual battle of Manasses &9 jts who lively grand ^during rid, has I safety of the of the the, ob- rsation irked ; lif Mr. Inassea alias Bull's Run, which, while it lasted, was a valiant conflict, carried on by troops, on the Government side, famishing for want of water and/oodf and unsupported hy the necessary adjuncts of a campaign^ all difficulties caused by a too early advance without the means of transport^ and all ag- gravated by the battle occurring in a thickly wooded country. Killed and wounded at Bull Run, 18 per cent of all engaged, in five hours. Killed and wounded at Waterloo, in the year 1815, 24 per cent of all engaged of British and Allies, in twelve hours. The defeated veterans ran six times farther from Waterloo, than the defeated troops at Bull Bun. ",Truths about Battles — ^Wellinqton and Waterloo. Even Generals in command can only make a guess at the incidents of battle. Civilian correspondents, viewing the smoke from afar, can tell nothing but by hearsay. Nor do Generals find it desirable to publish all occurrences in their dispatches. A historian having applied to Wellington for a full ac- count of Waterloo, that he might exactly describe it, the great General re- plied as follows :— " You cannot write a true history of the battle without including the faults and misbehavior of part of those who were engaged. and wh^se faults and misbehaviour were the cause of material losses. Be- lieve m«, that every man you see in a military uniform is not a hero ; and that although in the account given of a general action, such as that of Wat- erloo, many instances of individual heroism must be passed over unrelated, it is better for the general interests to leave those parts of the story untold than to tell the whole truth. Wellington." "Victory is not always a certainty even with the ablest Generals in command of the best troops. Many unrefleotive admirers of Wellington, military men as well as civilians, have asserted that he never engaged in battle but with the certainty of success. He has himself affirmed the con- trary, and what he said should be treasured as words of caution to over con- fident officers in command of armies or detachments. Writing to Sir Charles Stuart, British Envoy at Lisbon, in March, 1811, previous to a new campaign, he said : — '' I have but little doubt of success ; but as I have fought a sufficient number of battles to know that the result of any one of tJiem was not certain, even with the best arrangements, I am anxious that the Government should adopt preparatory arrangements* and take out of the enemy's way those persons and their families who would 8u£fer if they were to fall into the enemy's hands," Where was Canada drifting in 1863 ? — The following passage from the Canadian Illustrated News of May, 16, 1863, was widely reprinted in British newspapers, its sentiments meeting the popular British opinion of that time, as it expressed the opinions of the press and people of Canada with but few exceptions. Tt is given here that Americans who peruse this Book of the Fenian invasion, may see that sympathy for the 60 pooplo who were loyal to the legitimate authority in the United Stat-os was in Canada .i fvct in the years of the war, not an after-thought in this year of the Fenian trouble, 18C6, as sonin of them now allege. One of the ex- ceptions just noted, a Brantford paper, had jeered at the American army then on the Potomac ; and spoke lightly of a rupture which it said, " might occur between England and the Federal States at any time." A rejoinder of rebuke by the present writer, which accorded with the popular voice of Canada, was in these terms, necessarily now abbreviated : " ' May lead at any time to an open rapture.' And what might that bo to Brantford ? Read the selections from the report of the committee of Congress on page 4 of this journal. * An open rupture' means the probable sequences of war ; the stoppage of all through traffic on the Buffalo and Lake Huron railroad, whose central works are at Brantford. It means the enemy's occupation or bombardment of Goderich town from Lake Huron. It means the approach of an army of invasion from Buffalo and Port Dover, and all the ports on the north shore of Lake Erie towards Brantford and Hamilton ; and a battle perhaps the bloodiest in the annals of time, the Thermopylae of Canada fought on the banks of the Grand River near the village of Caledonia, or between that village and the lake shore, but more probably in and around Brantford town. Then will every brick of that place be battered to rubbish heaps, in the battle which decides which army shall hold the key-ground of Canada West. The key-ground of Canada West extends from the Grand River below Caledonia, by way of Brantford to Paris, and northerly to Guelph; from thence to Toronto eastward, and to London westward. The three railways, Buffalo and Lake Huron, Great Western, and Grand Trunk, will be kept open to the hst extremity, for though we may be terribly tried, Canada will submit willingly, — never. " I will not describe in these columns the probable disposition of forces. I direct the reader's eye through the curtain of the future to take that one glimpse, because of the fervency uf a terrible apprehension that the wilful negligence of the Government of Canada to organize, or provide means for organizing a defensive force, may leave the Province to the appalling hazard of seeing a time of war with insufficiency of means to resist the invasion at the beginning. . ,, . ,: " What, to Great Britain, are the aspects of the contingency of an ' open rupture' or Roebuck's ' declaration of war ?' War with the United States, the Southern blockade broken, and secession achieved, involves either the defence of Canada by all the might of the Moihcr country or abandon- ment. Abandonment means, the confiscation of every man's estate, every child's heritage. " Then we may see Alabomas playing havoo on the wrong side. The 61 for sard k at jpen ites, the lon- rery sordid traitors to their Queen and country who, in 1862 and 1863, have built them on the Mersey and the Clyde, in breach of British neutrality, standing accursed in the presence of the Bri tish Empire immersed in the three-fold baptism of convulsion famine and pestilence, weird offspring of havoc and of war. " Such, Mr. Roebuck, of Sheffield, would bo the probable result of your crazy counsels. Such, Mr. Laird, of Birkenhead, will possibly be the early convulsion of nations in which your sordid iniquity is preparing to plunge the British Empire "And you, the suicidal section of the newspaper press of Canada, hap- pily araiiiority of the whole, mocking common sense by retaining the other- wise respectable name of *■ conservative,' outraging all moderation in blind- ly, prodigally goading to implacable anger our nest-door national neighbour, struggling as that great nation has been during the last two years, in the noblest cfiorts that could engage the sympathy of conservatives — the con- servation of nationality, the repression of internal rebellion — what of you in that day which I have depicted ; in that conflagration which you will have contributed to kindle ? you will stand, not as Cassandra stood, in frantic joy at the havoc of your torch, but you will be whiffed out, extin- guished in the dread convulsion of this distracted Province, your types and presses in the custody of the provost martial. That is where Canada is drifting to." — Alexander Sojierville, * Whistler at the Plough.' " American journalists— orators—statesmen. Such were the sentiments of Canadians towards the United States, with only the small exceptions indi- cated in the years of the war. Some of you now enjoy, what you term a " grim satisfaction" at the thought of the women and children of Canada being exposed to ravage, plunder, murder, who in no way offended you, An u the large majority of men who felt your cause to be theirs— the cause of constitutional freedom, national stability, true conservatism, you are grimly satisfied because they are now, or but lately were, exposed to the contin- gencies of invasion. History will judge that you cruelly wrong this Prov- ince. And Almighty God whom you worship, is witness, that the people of Canada, as a people never did you wrong, never spoke of you but in friendliness. NoTB FOB TO-DAY — Whilo tUis sheet is passing through the press intclligeK c from Britain informs Canada that the new conservative government compre- hends and wiil acton a just conception of conservative philosophy towards the United States, In society the first characteristic of a gentleman is courtesy to- wards his neighbors. In international policy the first duty of true conservatism is promotion of friendship with other nations. August, 1866. ^he 62 CHAPTER IX, Colonel Peacockes advance to Chippewa on June 1st. His march next day. And the day after. Lieut-Cohneh Booker and Dennis. Night of June 1st, and morning of the 2nd. Wc are now arrived at the morning of June 2nd. In the Niagara Dis- trict the first act of the Fenian Invasion being in progress Colonel Peacocko is looked to as the leading actor lu tne operations. Around him the main forces for dofence and repulsion of the enemy have gathered. On hira ex- pectation rests. A senior officer Colonel Lowry of t^e 47th will presently appear, but not yet. Colonel Peacocice's official report as written in his own terms is demanded by the pretentions of this narrative to fulness, and fidelity to truth. A chapter describing his advance and halts from Sus- pension Bridge to Fort Erie to be followed by that report, and the report by comments on his movements and strategy would occupy too many of these pages. It is convenient therefore to introduce his offisiul statemen t first. This is it : Colonel Peacocke's Report; To Major-Gencral G. Napier, C B. Commanding 1st Military District, Toronto, C. W. ?ORT Erie, 4th June, 18G6. Sir. — I have the honor to make the following Report of my operations in the field since the 1st inst. In compliance with a telegram received from you, I joined at 2 o'clock, at Hamilton, with 200 men of my own bat talion, the force proceeding from Toronto to St. Catherines, consisting of one battery of Royal Artillery, under the Command of Lieut, Col. Hoste, C. B., and 200 men of the 47th Regt , under the command of Major Lodder. You had also placed under my comm'md, for the defence of the frontier, 7 companies of the volunteer force stationed at St. Catherines, under the com- mand of Lieut. Col. Currie, the Queen's Own regiment of volunteers at Port Colborne, and the 13th Battalion volunteer militia, commanded by Lieut. Col. Booker, at Dunnville ; and you had informed me that I should be reinforced at St. Catherines by 800 men. Your instructions were that I was to make St. Catherines my base, to act according to my own discretion, to advance on Clifton or elsewhere, and to attack the enemy as soon as 1 could do so with a force sufficient to ensure success. On arriving at St. Catherines, I received telegrams to the effect that the Fenians, about 80U strong, were marching on the Suspension Bridge and were actually two or three miles from Chippewa. I pushed on immediately to the Bridge, leaving orders for all troops arriving at St. Catherines to follow mejis soon as pos- sible. On reaching the Bridge, I heard that the enemy had not yet reached 63 Chippewa, and being anxious to save the bridge over the creek, I pressed on with the 400 infantry, preceded by a pilot engine — the battery marching by road in consquence of the reported want of platform accomodation at the Chippewa station. (1.) It was dark wh?n we arrived at Chippewa. We bivouacked there that night. I there received numerous reports from scouts sent out by Mr. Kirkpatrick, the reeve. They agreed general- ly in the statement that the Fenians had entrenched themselves roughly a little below Fort Erie, at Frenchman's Creek, and had sent on a party to- wards Chippewa. Their strength was variously estimated from 800 to 1,500. I resolved on effecting a junction with the force at Port Colbome, to which place I had already ordered the battalion from Dunnville. With this object in view, I selected Stevensville as the point of junction, and having explain- ed to Captain Akers, of the Royal Engineers, who accompanied the force from Toronto, what my object was, and that this point was chosen, because judging from information received we conld not be anticipated at it by the evening. (2.) I despatched that officer at 12 o,clock, to communicate with the officer commanding at Port Colbome, to make him conversant with my views and to meet me at Stevensville between ten and eleven o'clock next morning, informing him that I should start at six o'clock. I continued to send out scouts during the night, and to receive reports which made me be- lieve that my information was correct, and that the enemy had not left their camp. At about two o'clock, I received a telegram from Colonel Booker, despatched before he was joined by Captain Akers, informing me that he had given orders to attack the enemy at Fort Erie. (3.) At about half-past three I received another one from Captain Akers, despatched after he had reached Port Colborne, saying the enemy was at French Creek, and propos- ing that Lt. Col. Booker's force should advance on Fort Erie and join us at Frenchman's Creek. At about 4,130 o'clock, I was joined by the eleven companies of volun- teers from St. Catharines, formed into a battalion 350 strong, under Lt. Col. Currie, and by the expected reinforcement under Lt. Col. Villiers, of the 47th Regiment, which consisted of 150 men of the 47th, and of the 10th Royals, 415 strong, under Major Boxall. The volunteers, being un- provided with the means of carrying provisions and of cooking them had not been able to comply with an order I had sent the previous evening, that they were to bring provisions in their haversacks. I saw that the absolute necessity of furnishing them with some would cause delay, and I telegraphed to Port Colborne that I should be one hour later in starting. (5). vVe marched at 7 o'clock, leaving the Garrison Volunteer Battery, from St. Catharines, under Capt Stoker, to hold Chippewa. The day was oppressively hot, and our guide took us by a road much longer than neces- sary. (6). When about three miles from Stevensville, at about 11 o'clock, I received a few words from Lieut. Col. Booker, written at 7,30 o,clock, to the effect that he had just received my telegram, but that he was attack- ed in force by the enemy at a place three miles south of Stevensville, (7). '•Mm At the same time, I received information that he had retired from Bidg- way. I encamped a milo further on, at a small place called New Germany, across a road leading due south to Stevensville. At about 4 o'clock, having gathered information that the enemy was falling back on Fort Erie, I left everything behind which would encumber the men and started to follow them. At the moment of starting, we received an important accession to strength by the arrival of the Cavalry Body Guard of His Excellency the Governor General, 55 strong, under Major Denison. (8.) We marched until dark ,and halted two and a half miles from Fort Erie, the men sleep- ing on their arms, due precautions being observed. Daring the night, I sent out scouts to collect information. It appeared that the Fenians, on retiring, had posted themselves at once near the old Fort. Some said they had been reinforced, some that they were attempting to re-cross into the United States. I also heard that three companies of the 60th Rifles had arrived at our vacated camp at New Germany and that a force had reached Black Creek; also that 10 more companies of volunteer militia had arrived at Port Colbome. The Volunteer Garrison Battery, which I had left at Chippewa, joined me during the night. Anxious to prevent the escape of the Fenians, I sent word to the officers commanding at those places that I was going to attack Fort Erie, and asked when they would be able to co-operate. Subsequently, fresh reports of at- tempts of the Fenians to escape having reached me, I determined to advance at once. We were about to move when Lt.-Col. the Hon. John Hillyard Cameron c ame into camp and informed me that the Fenians had escaped. The intelligence caused great mortification in my little force. I desirre the back ihbe- each cap- llage, ffWs s, by orne at is the |e de- at Lrm- \¥ 69 strong. This last falls to be noticedin next chapter but one. Major Denison says, referring to Chippewa, morning of June 2 : " Colonel Peacocke's re-inforcements were to join him sometime in the morning, and being anxious that there should be no delay in starting, he telegraphed back to Hamilton and St. Catharines directing that the re-in- forcements should bring with them a supply of cooked provisions, so that no delay should be occasioned by waiting to get breakfast for the men after they arrived. At about 4,30 a. m. the expected re-inforcements came up and after being unloaded, Colonel Peacocke mentioned to the oflftcers com- manding that he should march at six o'clock, it being then nearly five. Th^t/ at 07ice objected on account of their men not having liad any break- fast, and very little to eat the lohole of the previous day, and they were unable to bring anything with them, as they were unprovided with haver- sacks in which to carry it." Severe animadversions have been directed against this commander for his having delayed on that morning to give his own regiment and other regulars breakfast, while the Hamilton, and Toronto Volunteers had marched to battle while fastiug. It was the volunteer?,, newly arrived at Chippewa, not the regulars, for whom breakfast and delay were requisite. Whatever the degree of misfortune may have bsca, arising from that circumstance , it was directly traceable to the misjudged economy of the Provincial execu- tive in not having provided equipments for volunteers suitable for the field and to the negligence of commanding officers, who preferred scrupulous attention to the inferior trifles of parade show, well enough in their way, but not vital to the soldier's efficiency in fight, existence under privation. Two more passages are here materially important. " Being unwilling to set out open a very severe march, to finish proba- bly with a severe battle, and through a country where it would be difficult to get food, Col. Peacocke decided it would be better to wait an hour to enable the men to get breakfast, and immediately telegraphed to Lieut-Col. Booker to delay his march an hour. This message, did not reach him until he was engaged with the enemy. Had he started at the proper time he would have received the message be/ore he left, for even to have reached Stevensville at 9,30 it was not necessary for him to leave Port Colborne until six. He was at the battle ground, three miles from Stevensville at 7, 30 ; and if not interrupted would have reached Stevensville at 8,30, about an hour earlier than Capt. Akers mentioned, and two hours before Colonel Peacocke's time of junction. This mistake of one hour led to his not receiving the message to delay, and therefore caused him to be really three hours too soon. " It must not be forgotten that at the time Colonel Peacocke decided to to wait that there was no reason for him to fear any ill result from the delay. At that time he expected that a heavy battle would take place, before the Fenians would be driven out, and that instead of the object being to pre- vent them getting out of the country, the opinion of every one was, that the great difficulty would be to drive them out, and that he was right in proceeding cautiously with that object in view. At any rate he anticipated that the steamer (for which he had given orders to be employed) would have prevented their escape." In another passage the writer speaks thus, of the plans of Dennis, Booker and Akers, at Colbome in contravention of their chief at Chippewa; '* There was the commanding officer's plan changed by his subordinates almost at the moment of execution. The three officers whom he had charg- ed with the execution of his orders, even including the staff officer who car- ried them, coolly forming themselves into a mimic council of war, aided by a customs officer, and unitedly deciding upon a plan which has been previous- ly shown to be absurd, a plan for cutting off the Fenian retreat to the east, but leaving the whole country open to them to the west, as well as uncover- ing the canal they were sent to protect. " Again Lieut-Col. Dennis's instructions were to wait further orders be- fore any attack was made ; and yet Capt Akers says, he was anxious to move with the volunteers at once without arranging a junction with Colo- nel Peacocke. Capt. Akers was sent to go with Lieut-Col. Booker, and consult and advise with him on Col. Peacocke's plan, and assist him in car- rying it out. Col. Dennis was sent to command the * Queen's Own,' and yet before receiving any answer from Col. Peacocke, both these officers, in disobedience to orders, went off in the tug to carry out their own plan." •' The only way in which their conduct can be accounted for is, that they were so confident that Col. Peacocke would at once fall in with their plan of operation in lieu of his own, that they never, for one moment, cal- culated that his answer would be in the negative. Being imbued with this idea it can readily be imagined that Capt. Akers would not be very partic- ular in going into details and explaining minutely to LieHt-Col. Booker the plan which they had both looked upon as vrtually abandoned. It can also be conceived, even if Capt. Akers did enter minutely into the details of the plan laid down by Col. Peacocke, that Lieut-Col. Booker believing that it was a useless precaution, would not give so close attention to it, or be able so clearly to remember it, as if he felt when he heard it he was about setting out to put it in execution. "It also so happened, unfortunately, that Captain Akers, fearing the delays which often occur in the movements of a large number of men, as a matter of precaution directed them to start an hour curlier than they should, and to be an hour earlier at Stevensville, thinking that in all probability s.Ueast an hour would be lost in setting off, or on the march, and that if and ig, that ;h their snt, cal- th this partic- iBookcr It can Itails of peving it, or le was Ing the In, as a [hould, [ability that if 71- they were before the time they misrht be kept back*a little on the way. If he had staid with them to have kept them back, it would have been all right, but unfortunately he was away when ho was wanted. " Lieut-Col. Dennis and Capt. Akers as stated in the report, without re- ceiving any answer from Col. Peacockc, left Port Colborne about 4 a. m. in the tug ' Robb' which had at that time arrived taking with them the Wet- land garrison battery (but without cannon, these having been removed to Hamilton, and not then returned) under command of Capt. llichard F. King, and a few men of the Dunnvil le naval company under command of Capt. McCallum. " After they had left Colborne Lieut-Col. Booker received a telegram from Col. Peacocke directing him to adhere strictly to the first plan, the particulars of which had been carried to him by Capt. Akers." This telegram was in these words, " Chippewa 3,45 a, m. Have received your message of 3 a. m. I do not approve of it. Follow original plan. Ac- knowledge receipt of this. George Peacocke." Major Denison con- tinues : " Lieut-Col. Booker, therefore had set out upon his march without the assistance he should have received from Capt. Akers, and without the op- portunity of referring to him for enlightenment on those parts of his instruc- tions which he did not clearly understand. " Having his men all ready in the cars to start, and having heard that the railway was clear as far as Fort Erie, he decided to go by train as far as Ridgeway, and to keep his men in the cars, or at least under arms for the short time he would have to delay before starting. Having his men thus all ready there occurred none of that delay which Capt. Akers had antici- pated, and to provide against which he had named an earlier hour for start- ing^. Being in the cars ready, and only waiting for a particular hour to arrive, it can readily be believed that he would be likely to start a little be- fore the time rather than after it. However this may be, there is no doubt Lieut-Col. Booker started at least as early as 5 a. m., an hour or more ear- lier than necessary. Immediately after the force had left a telegraph ar- rived from Col. Peacocke directing Lieut-Col. Booker to delay his march ;, for one hour, which would make his time of arrival at Stevensville between 11 and 12, cautiously feeling his way in the direction of the rendezvous, Mr. Stovin of the Welland railway seeing the importance of the message took a hand car and followed Lieut-Col. Booker as fast as he could. The more exact fact is that Capt. McGrath, general manager of the "Welland line, seeing the importance of the message took the hand car Mr. Stovin with him, and proceeded about halfway, five mUes, when thej saw ,. 72 the train returning frem Eidgeway after debarking the troops. Oapt Mc- Grath stopped it by signal, and having a pressure of business on his own line returned with the train to Colborne. Ho directed Mr. Stovin to be exact in noting the time at which the telegram was delivered to Col. Book- er, as he already foresaw through the various nature of the orders with an apparent desire to disobey them,that trouble would arise. The message was delivered at 7.30, when the action was just begun at the Ridge and not at 9.30 as stated ly Lieut. Col. Booker, " when the troops had been under a hot fire an houi and a half. " This telegram was addressed " to the officer commanding, " and said ; "Be careful in feeling your way for fear obstacles should prevent a junction ; if possible open communications with me. I willdo theiiime. G. Peacocke." » ♦ > CHAPTER X. Nineteenth Volunteer Battalion. Statement of occn ces which does not correspond with the official report of Colonel Peacocke^ and historical narrative of Major Denison. ! > ' /I ■Jr.. ';v The nineteenth battalion of volunteers comprises the St. Catharines and Thorold companies. It is commanded by Lieut-Col. the Hon. J. C. Currie, member of the legislative council. St. Catharines is situated about twelve miles from Clifton Suspension Bridge both on G. W. Railway. Chippewa is five miles higher on Niagara shore with railway connection, the Erie and Ontario line. Col. Peacocke says, (official reports.) " On arriving at St. Catharines (about 4 p. m.) I received telegrams to the effect that the Fenians about 800 strong, were marching on Suspension Bridge and were two or three miles from Chippewa." 1 am informed, for the object of this full and true account of the Fenian Invasion, and enabled on authority the most reliable, to remark on Major Denison's history, that he says nothing about the fact that until about 8 p. m., Friday, June 1, the village of Chippewa and important bridges were entirely unprotected. At 10 a. m. on Friday, ten hours sooner, the St. Catharines 19th volunteers, under Lieut^Col. Currie, could have easily t8 ippewa rie and ims to ansion Lajor 8p. were bSt. easily been there 450 strong. It is now asked, why were they not sent there instead of the men kicking their heels on the street until half past 9 p. ni. ? The 19th at that hour, a day wasted, left St. Catharines with the detach- ment of 47th and 10th Royals, for Clifton (Suspension Bridije) and could have reached Chippewa that night at half past 11 o'clock. But instead of that being done they remained at Clifton in the cars until 4 a. m. next day. " H.td they been allowed to go up tie night before, the whole force nnder Colonel Peacocke could have left Chippewa at 3 or 4 a. m. on Satur- day, and by going the direct road, would have reached SlevensviLe by 7 a. Vi. with ease." [Letter from the 19th.] As to the delay at Chippewa to enuble the volunteers to breakfast [seo Col. P.'s ilep. and extracts just given from Major Denison], it is stated on behalf of the 19th, that they did not take breakfast until they ro.icheJ New Germany. There they partook of their own supplies, and shared them with both tho royals and regulars. At noon they reached New Germany and there remained until after r> p. m. Col. Peacocke says he left this place at 4 p. m. Mijor Denison says Col. Peacocke at about 4 p. ra had positive intelligence, of the Fenians falling back on Fort Erie. " He immediately made arrange. ments to move in pursuit. It was about half past 5, when ho started from New Germany." And then says Major D. " Had this delay not occurred the Fenians in all probability could not have escaped." V\ hich delay ? does hie mean the time that elapsed between noon and 4 p. m ? or the time lost after 4 p. m ? He says ; " it was particularly unfortunate that Col. Peacocke had not decided to move on Fort Erie three hours or so sooner." On be- half of the Volunteer 19th it is said, the whole force remained at New Ger- many until after 6 p. m. " I cannot understand why we delayed unless Col. P. waited for reinforcements (see Lowry's report.)" Looking to Col- Lowry's report it does appear that Col. P. had telegraphed for assistance, and additional force arrived at New Germany after he had left. The sup erintendant of G. W. Railway told Col. L. at Hamilton, that Col. P. had twice telegraphed for reinforcements. It may be reasonably suggested on behalf of Col Peacocke, that at New Germany he neither knew th ) force of the Fenians, nor where they were, nor whether they had been aUj.meited in strength by artillery. As it was, they bad on that morning, though unknown to any British commander,from forty to fifty horses. They had oayalry men also, but no cavalry accoutrements. u The oritios of Col. Petieooke are writing after the time and the occurrances when all is known. It is eas}' in that case to say what should have beei done. But this suggestion only covers the time from 12 noon to 4 p. m. Why the loss of ninety minutes (Denison) or over two hours (authority of 19th) be- fore starting when the locality of the Fenians became known at 4 p. m. But the other question raised by the letter from the 19th battalion is mo'e serious. Why were the forces, (they all nij;ht in the cars at Clifton only five miles off,) not at Chippewa to advance to Stevensvil e at 3 or 4 a. m. ? The delay for bre ikfast wau meant well, but no breukf 'st re- warded the delay, at least for the 19th. None of these authorities t 11 why. Let me. The delay w is for breakfast ; the marching to New Gor- mf^ay without breakfast was from want of camp kettles to ccok it. These were not up in time. The government was at fault. The St. Catharines authority says : At p. p. 52, 53, Mijor Denison gives the cause of our halt when within two and a half miles of Fo tEi-ie. I have und^iniaole authority for saying that there «*ere really no Fenians in 'he woods there referred to, nor had there been any for twenty-four hours before. These woods were on Lots 8 and 9, R. and W. Bowens, fifth concession of Bertie. The Fenians had boon on Newbigging's farm less than two miles distant until the midnight preceding and entrenched there as related in this work. Col. Pcacocke not knowing their number and resources was right in being cautious now that night had come. Yet, again, Why so l&te in gettinf? t. ere? The writer continues: "' I do not deny that he and his troop (Denifeon) saw some men. But they were people of our own, who aocompanied us to see the ezpcctol fight. This halt was most unfortunate. Then, as to the poi»itions of the troops at page 54, he commits other errors. " The 19th were the only men in line on the left of the road ; but were covered by a company of the 16th, regulars, and by No. 7 of the 19th, as advanced skirmishers." The satement of Major Denison is: " The 19th battalion, Lieut-Col. Currie took up a similar position [in line] on the left of the road ; in the rear of the 16th." There was a small creek close in front, and at a mile farther, French- man's creek ; both crossing Col P's line of march. " At this time," says Major Denison, p. 54. ' While I was close beside Col. Peaoocke, a voice ia the dark, said, ' you oon't go down that way, sir.' On looking olosel/ n were fth, us 19rh leleft anoh- says iroioe Uel/ we saw that it wan a farmer living about a quarter of a mile back, who had given us some information as we passed. Col. Feacocke anked him; 'Why not?" Heansweied, "The bridge is broken.' The Colonel questioned him closely and he adhered to it positively that we could not get through. This information, together with the inability for the sk rmishers to sake their way through the woods (these were tangled bush and logs, the ground marshy and wet, p. 53). This decided Colonel Peacocke. With that report of a broken bridge ; with darkness of night set in ; with uncer- taintv of liis enemy's place and strength ; with the possibility of an ambush in the woods, or at the broken bridge, he was fully justified in remaining as he did until daylight. The reader will keep in mind thnt the blame laid on this commander for that halt implies that he thereby permitted the Fenians to escape. This is no light charge. But the graver charge of his not advancing from Chip- pewa at 3 or 4 a. m. so as to reach Stcvensville at 7 remains as the gentle- man of the 1 9th has put it. In Major Tenison's account of the line of march taken, and as Col. Pea- cockc related to me personally when in convers 'tion at Fort Erie, there arose several circumstances of hinderance. There wis the bad and devious road taken by the river side ir staid of the better and sh )rter direct way, through his relying on advisers and informants who seem to have led him up the river side to Black Creek, around windings and out of the way in order to drive the Fftni ins from their properties, or prevent their coming upon them. Mr. Tupper, a government constalle resident at Fort Erie, has since told me that he W!'8 sent to inform Col. Peacocke and conduct him from Chippewa, but that his service was not accepted. Tupper says that Mr. street M. P. P. told the Col. that he was an oflSeial person and reliable. But after seeing Lim pt Foit Erie that officer had no recollection of him at Chippewa. Ma- jor Denison remarking on the unreliability of persons offering to be guides, relates that one bustling person, talking on Friday night at Chippewa told what he could accomplish in taking a message to Port Colborne if he had a horse. He was futnished with a horse, and the message commiUed to his care ; what did he do ? He rode to the Fenians, gave them the message and the horse too ; himself also, perhaps, for he never again turned up. We are now sufficiently informed on the aspect which the cimpaiga presented on the morning of 2nd June ; at Chippewa, where del all presently see. Observe that all the open ground lying to the left of the Ridge road and down to a marshy rivulet on the edge of the forest, in farm land. It is inter- gectel by many rail fences, all of zigzag form. The York Rifle, and Trinity College companies got along the lower edges of those fields, and on the concession road, formed tV e left of the advanced skirmishers. The Toronto Rifles hid the lead assigned then'. Major Dcnison says because they were the senior corps. Coming up from Ridgway No. 5 company, under Captain Edwards, were sent forward as an advanced guard. They were armed with Spencer rifles. . On arriving near, perhaps a little beyond, that part of the road marked B. B. intimation of the enemy hav- ing then been given by Mr. Peter Learn J. P. No. 5 extended from its centre. The troops were marching in a column at quarter distance. No. 1 moved forward and extended oi the left, and No. 2 on the right of No. 5. As supports No. 3 formed the centre ; No's 4 and 6 the left and right. In this formation one does not recognize an adherence to any ordinary battalion movement. Indeed throughout, the Q. 0. seem to have acted as iadtpondent companies. After moving on in this way for some distanoe, 83 says 5 ard. ittle hav- n its No. 0. 5. lary das ice, according *o Major D's report, but precisely how far I have failed to aaeer tain, No. 7 was sent out as a flanking p irty to the left towards the woods on that side, supported by No. 8, Trinity C )lleT;3 company. This last was but a section, about twenty in number. Subsequent'y, the University, and Fighland Compini-*s No. 9 and 10 went on the right; but for the present they formed a rcerve. The York company went with the Trinity college youths as an additionul support on the left. The advance was steady. They with the Spencer rifles -had only thirty rounds of cartridges per man, and these tbey fired rapidly away. They fell back, some reports say in seven, others in ten minutes from the time they began to fire. Rapid firing, with repeating rifles had in that instance the disadvantage of too quickly expending an imperfect supply of ammu- nition ; but it produced noise, and had a formidable appearance. It as- sisted matr'ally to drive bick the foremast Fenian pickets. In crossing into the first field from t'.ie gar.'ison road an oflisGr of No. 5 was killed. At this time, seven to ten mi'.iates after the first firing of the Fenian pickets on the advance of the Queen's Own, the Hamilton 13th moved over the ^toney ground on right of RiJge roid, distant from Garrison road, about a hundred yards. Companies No's 1. 2. and 3, then advanced and ezt?nded as skirmishers; their uppors being No's 4, 5, and 6, M.ijor Skinner and Adjutant Henery accompanied the front line. " They advanc- ed " says Adjutant Henery, who is an experienced Sergeant from Her Majesty's Coldstream Guards, "as steadily, evenly, as ever t id soldiers on a field day.'' Said Sergeant-Major Rosconnell, an old British soldier, " their advance over the fences and c cross those fields was as regular and steady as could be desired." This was strictly a battalion movement. The Queen's Own also advanced as companies regularly, steadily, but not as a battalion. Let us here observe them from the high ground beyond concession road, a^-. the Fenian chief O'Neil saw them. This is how they looked to their enemy : The Nashville Press of July 9, 18G6, reported a statemant made the day before by 0"Neil, on the occasion cf a public reception. *' Tell us," cried a voice in the crowd, " about the ' Queen's Own' " He responded : " I desire to rectify a mistake iib)ut those troop<«. It has been said that they acted in a cowardly manner. Not so. When they adoavced in lint of battle in their red uniforms they prrsmte I a beautiful appram nee. It was one of the prettiest sights I ever witnessed. The line was welljormed and f/i(^> advance was brave." r 84 Words similar to these had been used by General O'Neil at Buffalo, The present writer did not at first attach importance to this matter, until he observed that the Nashville statement was so well accept d at Toronto by some who have with an unsoldler-like spirit un'ler rated the 1 3th, to exalt the Queen's Own, that they re-printed the paragraph omitting the distinctive mark of the 13th. " their red uniforms." It was known that not only on the American side, but generally about Ridgeway and Fort Erie, Canadian.residents spoke of the volunteers collectively who had been engaged, on June 2od, as the " Queens Own." For the accuracy of his- tory, in face of this perversion in Toronto newspapers, a writer whose con- stant aim is historical accuracy and fair play to all persons irrespective of frowns or favours, addressed, General O'Neil, as to which of the reports was the true one. He replied thus: (The letters in full will be seen on another page) ; — Nashville, Tennessee, July 31st 1866. " In answer to your inquiries I beg leave to state that on account of the prominence given to the 'Queen's Own' by the American and Canadian newspapers, I had been led to believf^ that tiey were the principal troops opposed to me on the 2nd. of June last. And as the red uniform appeared to me the most conspicuous on the field, I had taken up t! e idea, without making any inquiry ou the subject, that the 'Qaeen's 0>vn' were dressed in red. In my speech at this place I did not intend to distinguish the troops dressed in 'red' from those dressed in 'green'. I intended to speak of the whole when I stated that they fought well." Thus, from the enemy's point of view on those heights above concession road, it is seen that while nothi ig was observed detracting from the steady, soldier-like gallantry of the Toronto and York and Caledonia Rifles, who wore green uniforms, the equally soldier-like gallantry of the Hamilton 13th. is vindicated. The enemy, agaiupt whom a force advances in moital conflict is the best judge of the efiect which it produces. Prisoners taken, and other Fenian informants, concur in stating that while the men in dark green (Q. 0.) had driven ia the advanced Fenian picket?, it was the addi- tional line, the line of red which decided them to abandon the concession road. About the same time, the University Rifle Company supported by Capt. Gardener's Highlanders (Denison's Hist ) advanced on the extreme right. "There," says a writer in Toronto Leader "they bore the brunt of the battle." The University youths like all el e on the field were brave, and bravely did their duty, but it was not while advancing on the enemy's position that their casualities occurred, nor while keeping that post on the «5 )8ion ady, who Iton ital en, ark di- oa by e of e, '8 right under oovor of tbe wood on the upper ridge; They Buffered severely, but not yet, and cot there. From the accounts so plentifully written by members of the Q. 0. in va- rious newspapers the writers seem to have exhausted their soldierly qualities oa the field of fi^ht. It is not soldierly, whea the fi^ht is over to tike •pens in hand for the detraction of another portion of the force equally enga- ged with themselves. The 13th. continued to advance and co-operate, all its companies as a battalion; its three companies of skirmishers, and its three companies of supports. It had not been ordered, it was not its duty to take the place of Q. 0. companies that they might fall to the rear. Its duty was to do what it did, advance as closely as practicable upon the enemy, and make the best use of its arms and the position. The ultimate pos- ition was in the ore hards north and east of the concession road. The Q. 0. companies interchanged and relieved each other, or without being in each case, relieved, fell back, making a column of reserve. The order in which this was done cannot b3 distinctly traced, as few of the Q. 0., oflBcers or men, agree in giving th^ same statement. Captain Gardener, (Court of Inquiry,) speaks of having been twice with his Highlanders sent to the front. Mnjor Gilmore says (Court of Inquiry,) Gardener did not retire from the front until the last. Capt. Aiam is re- presented as saying that he and No. 6, Q. 0. drove t' e Fenians out of J. N. Angur's brick house, which is situated in the corner at the crossing of ridge road with concession road; while again Lieut. McLean (Court of In- quiry) relates that his company on the concession road, should have been relieved by one of the 13th., which did not advance so far, .-ind that an its default to relieve him he said to his men ''peg away", and they pegged a- way accordingly. Mr. McLean's story in other respects is equally marvel- ous. The 13th. were in the front. They had nubody to relieve. The duty of Jill was to fight, not to fill back. Three companies of the 13th. had advanced upon the brick house and to right and left of it. No. 1, Capt. Grant, Lieut. Gibson, Ensign McKenzie, took a position, extending up the concession road, where Fenian breast- work of rails had been. No. 2, Capt. Watson, and Lieut. Sewell. [Ensign Bak»r of that company being with the regimental colours at the reserve], occupied a space of the road on each side of the brick house, within and in front of it. No. 3 company, Lieut. Ferguson, [his Capt. absent, and Mr. AriDBtrom^, his Ensign, with the 13th's colours at the reserve], advanced 86 upon concession road to the left of J. N. Angur's brick house. Finding here that his men could not fire at anything but a thicket of orchard trees, wber2 no enemy was visible, Mr. Ferguson advanced his company across the road towards the letter B of the ra ip, half wheeled to the right and ob- tained a range of fire towards a Foaian position beyond Stoneman's orchard. No other company was so far advanced towards t iC enemy. Mr. McLean says he and a subdivision of No. 6, Q. 0. were there; others say no. Ma- jor Skinner and Adjutant Ilenery with portions of the 13th. took posses- sion of the brick house and the gurdea ia front. The front garden gate and house doors were all fast until they forced an entrance, and took up a fighting postion. Fenians were not driveij out by the Q. 0. ; they had not been in. But that house was then in the range of Fenian bullets. Nor did the 13.h find the Q. 0. in possession of the premises, nor see them in front, except a very few, some half dozen men , on the road, their companies hav- ing scattered and gone back as pirt of the reserve, so these -aen said. At the corner of Angur's barn an ofiieer of the Q. 0. was industriously firing the rifles which two or more me;i behind the barn loaded for him. This yf&8 probably Capt. Adam; because, Major Denison says p. 43. "For some reason the company of the 13th. which was to have relieved No. 6 Q. U. Capt. Adam, marched up to the brick house, whe e No. 6, after driving out the enemy with great gallantry had established itself; and both compan- ies remained in that position fighting together." The meaning of this is obscure. A tone of doubt is not here assumed as to the gallantry of the Q. 0. bat as to the exictnuss of their recollec- tions, or of the description of their motions. I hea-d this briek house in- c'dent freely spoken of at Toronto before Major Denison's book came out, and have therefore be n more particular in examining the recollections of the loth. The skirmishers of that battalion, extended on both sides and in front of Angur's brick house, have a vivid recollection of Major Skinner and Adjutant Ilenery going along their line, speaking words of cheerful en- couragement, patting some of the youngsters on the shoulder, accompanied with remarks, such as, " good boys; take steady aim ; do not throw away your fire; do not expose yourselves needlessly". There is a large single tree on the rid^e road side, fifty yards or so, to north of Angur's brick house , and near to that tree a land roller. In the hinder part of the frame cf the roller is a bullet hole made by a shot which came from the direction of the barn 200 yards behind Angur's house. 87 Thi3 . to the Ihich mse. f i Adjutant Henery and some men were firing from behind the roller using it and the tree as cover, when that bullet struck close to his head, he kneel- ing and taking aim. This was a circun-, stance to make him look around and notice who was shooting in that diiection. Nobody was then visible except men in scarlet, none of whom could have fired that shot, and eight or nine Q. 0. men, who said their company had retired to the re erves but that they had remained. This incident is only named as a mark- ing place of memory. Mnjor Skinner who commanded the three com- panies in front is equally clear that men in scarlet uniforms wero the sole occupants of thoso premises and of the concession road adjoining, as of the orchard across concession road, when he advanced and hel 1 possession of it. From the natu'^e of the ground which undulated, and from frequency of wooded thickets, and orchards interrupting the view, the Q. companies which went earliest to the front, esjDecinlly those on the extreme right, be- came concealed to tho5e behind. And the iSt'i. when they soon after ad- vanced still further to the front, were in like mnn-ier indistinctly seen by the Q. 0. who fell back. When the right wing of the 13th had advanced in even skirmish lino about 400 yards, from garrison road, the left wing under Mjor Cattlcy advancing compactly, as supports, at r-n interval of 150 or 200 yards, the coolness, caution, precision of eye an*, soldier-like watchful- Dcss of the oflGcers were hapfily exemplified. Mnjnr Skinner having pas- se'^ along the skirmish line to confer with the adjutant and observe what was in the front, and on the right flank noticed objects which some of the l3*h were about to fire at. These objects from their apparently stealthy motions in the bush were supposed by some to be Fenians. The Major perceived they were not. And Ciptain Grant also reported to him that men in d irk clothing were creeping about under cover and occasionally visible in the higher wood, on the ridge, easterly ; that he had difficulty in restraining his company from firina; on them as Fenians ; but that he did not think they were Fenians. Major Skinner said they were not the enemy, and went along the extended files of No 1. as also did the officers of the companygiving the men caution that the heads indis- tinctly seen in that bush, up to their right, were not heads of the enemy. It is probable they were the University. Rifle Company, perhaps also Cap- tain Gardener's Highlanders. Poon after this the supporting companies of the 13th occupied the orohard, which is about 200 yards south aud in rear of the skirmiah liae IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) (./ ^, 1.0 14AI21 |2.5 US UL 12.2 II 1.25 40 12.0 I Hteb U 11.6 I "^14 >* ^. ^ ssss "^^ /A w Photographic Sdeiices Corporaticn 33 WKT MAIN STRHT WIBSTH.N.Y. MSeO (71d) •72-4503 f\ ^ ^N V <1 c ?^ m 88 on concession road. These were No. 4, Lieut. Routh (Capt. John Brown absent with leave) and Ensign J. B. Young. Ko. 5, Capt. Aekin and Lieut. Bitchie. Captain Askin is assistant engineer on the Great Western Rail- way. I, and the battal-on, and the puMic, are indebted to him for t> e map of Lin-estone Ridge, published herewith. He had been absent at Windsor when the alarm to assemble, fall in, march, was given at Hamilton. A telegram told he was wanted. Taking the earliest train east, he heard at Paris that the 13th had gone by B and L, H. Line to Dunnville. He overtook them at Port Colboroe, jusi; as they were march- ing for Ridgeway. The other company in support, occupying that orchard, was No. 6, Ensign Roy. Captain Irvin ; of this Company was absent from Hamilton when they left, ard thinking to reach the battalion by a shorter route followed Colonel Peacocke's force, by which he was pre- vented from reaching the field of tight in time, much to his mortification* At a point of the ridoje road about 400 yards north of Angur's brick house, a reserve of the Q. 0. was halted. The two colours of the 13th, carried by Ensigns Armstrong and Baker were here, in their proper pi ce. Also the men guarding the colours, and some orderlies. Major Gilmore ((Jourt. of In.) mentioned this reserve as comprising green and scarlet uniforms. Those just indicated were the only officers and men of the 13th there at that time. Theonly compmies of men in green not in the reserve on the road, when the hottest fire was being delivered in front by the skirmishers, were the University and Highlander companies then engaged on the extreme rig*^t ; Trinity College and York compmies on the left, not then exposed to Fe )ian fire. The Caledonias forming a rear guard; anddisuUory portions of several Q. 0. companies on the concession road, or under the trees or aba it the barns. It b3ing sait' by Major Den- ison that No. 6, Capt. Adam, was there, that must also be admitted, but if so, that company was considerably scattered towards the rear. All these in the front delivered a steady, well sustained fire, forward, and into copse woods, and places of covert where the Fjoian smoke and rattle indicated the enemy to be. At n-) place, in front of concession roid, 'could more than 200 yards of clear range be seen. Very few oasualities had then occarred, the Fenian ballets going high. Bjth Q. 0. and 13th men were struck in rear of the line of skirmi:jhers by bullets flying over the beads of the front line. Besides the enemy were retiring before the liaiidy, brave, Boldier-like advances of the Q. 0. front companies and IStb. 89 ard, and o-id, ities 3th >ver the Itb. The Fenian chief Bays the men in red were the more conspicuous ; but both his testimony, and that of others competent to judge give the Q. 0. and York Rifles credit in largest measure, highest degree, as well as the gallant 13th in red. Had there been any generalship then, the fight was won. Major Denison says p. 44 : " Our troops had been in this position for some time when it seems that the Fenian leaders decided to charge again, to drive our men back from the line they had carried." Charge again, means that they had charged before. Nobody saw them charge either before or then. Their tactics were exclusively movements under cover. They crept from bush to bush. They were retiring to get round to concession road to retreat to Fort Erie. They could not have come round the right flank, on crown of the ridge without being seen by the U. R. and Gardener's companies posted there, and by Grant's of the 13th. Major Cattley of 13th who was attached to the three companies of supports was at the upper end of the orchard, at a copse where the low stone wall, before mentioned, ran parallel with the ridge, 100 yards from the wood on the ridge, and he saw persons, supposed at the time to have been Fenians the same as were seen from the Q. 0. reserve and Capt. Grant's company of 13fh. If these had been the enemy no better place than that low stone wall could have been found to shelter troops to keep the position an 1 d"ive the Fenians back. Major Cattley made his appre- hensions known. But the brigadier, Lt-Col. Booker, made no disposition of force in that direction, nor in any other. These men in the upper wood* and near to it, were the U. R. and Highlander companies of Q. 0. Two Fenian officeis had been at different times seen on horseback. One was unhorsed, the animal galloping away to eastward with empty saddle, itself wounded. It was found dead at the top of H. F. Angur's field, near the wood of the Fenian graves. If cavalry had been seen in that direction which it was not, it could not have charged either upon skirmish lines, or supports, or reserve. There were several high zigzag fences, impassable by cavalry, had there been any, on the right, on the left, and in front, except only in front of the re- serve when it stood on the ridge road. And there also it was flanked with fences, proof against cavulry. Major Denison says p. 44. "The skirmishers seeing the mounted men coming towards them, thought a body of cavalry was going to charge; and raising a cry that cavalry were 90 coining began to run back, calling out to the reserve ' look out for cavalry'. The reserves were on the road and there mounted men were also seen upon it. Lieut-Col. Booker, from the position in front of the reserves, could not possibly see for himself whether the report was true or false; but hear- ing it reiterated, be called to Major Gilmore to ' look out for cavalry.' Major Gilmore therefore ordered his battalion to form square. This was done. The bugles sounded to 'prepare for cavalry! ' and the companies on the flanks ran in — some forming in rear of the square, others forming rally- ing squares in the fields, and afterwards falling back on the main body." How or why Major Denison could have written this story can only be accounted for, by his saying in his book that for information received, he tcndors his thanks to Lt. Col. Booker. To the facts as they were; not as the story was afterwards concocted and imagined. The facts were these. Between the place of the reserve on ridge road, letter on the map, and J. N. Angur's brickhouse, there are two houses on the left of the road, and a barn on the right of it. From undulations of the ground, bending of the road, and orchard trees, Booker and those near him, behind that house next to the reserve, could not see along the road. He had been screening himself from imaginary bul- lets. He knew nothing of what was going on at the front, or to the right of the skirmish line. He was not in a place to see. He was not in a condition of mind to understand. But of that presently. The Q. 0. men and ofl3.cers who were scattered behind the other houses and barn — [not improperly, shelter was legitimate to all who could obtain it where duty required them to be] — they could not see farther to the front along ridge road than 100, 200, to 300 yards. But Major Skinner and part of the 13th were in possession of the brick house and orchard opposite. They could see farther along to north-east, and saw no horsemen in that direc- tion, nor heard any cry of cavalry. Adjutant Henery of the 13th, and some men were advanced still farther, out on the open of ridge road, they heard no alarm of cavalry. Capt. Ferguson and his company of 13th, were still farther advanced, by the side of the orchard on left of the ridge road, near Stoneman's house, at letter B. of the map, they heard no alarm of cavalry. All these ultimately retreated ; but when they reached the place, where the reserve had been, where the square had been, where the cry of cavalry had been, — all had vanished. The cry of cavalry did not come from the front. Those who were fighting in front, and came in, when they discovered that their supports were gone, saw no reserves, no square. )re are From Booker not see ry bul- .e right >t in a '^ men — [not duty ridge , of the They direc- d some heard re still road, rm of place, cry of come I, when mare. 91 They were afterwards told that such formations had been. Nor did these men, with their company officers, and the battalion officers. Major Skinner and Adjutant Henery, see Lieut-Col. Booker. None of the 13th had seen him after commencement of the action, except the few with the colours and the orderlies, and they had been in action one hour. Several persons had noted the time. The retreat, the confusion, did not originate in the cry of cavalry, The fight was a soldier's battle, net that of a general. No coherent words of command had been given by Lt-Col. Booker. The fight was won. The Fenians were retreating. With waggons and stores they were get- ting away to Niagara river Perry from Henry F. Angur's house, O'Neil's head-quarters. They were throwing food out of the waggons to make room for the wounded and hurrying around to be off". Captain Mahony came into Henry F. Augur's house, hurriedly put oflf his uniform and a a- sumed the clothes of a labouring man to disguise himself. They were destroying arms and ammunition which they could not carry with them. Unused rifles and bayonete in quantities they were plunging into a marsh to be hidden. On the upper woods they were retreating on the run to reach round to the concession road and so on to Fort Erie vUage. They had lost the battle. What stopped them ? O'Neil and his officers heard Booker's bugle sounding retire, that stopped them. A second time it sounded retire. A third time retire, and the call to double. At first the Fenians thought this was a trick of tactics to draw them on in pursuit, and into arabush. They were cautious, but at last discovered that the force which had advanced upon them so gallantly, steadily, beautifully , was actually retreating, and in confusion. They then raised a shout. Thry followed up. The U. R. Company had been nighest to them, nearly concealed in the upper wood. It did not hear the retire and lingered- When the increase of Fenian firing, with shouting, and the decrease of fir- ing on their own skirmish line, led them to examine their position, the U. R. retired. And then came their casualties. They were now at short range and shot down ; so also the Highland Company, but in less degree. Let us examine that bugle call, retire. Sergeant Gibbons of the 13th, (an experienced soldier of H. M. 71st), says : " It was that bugle call, retire, that began the confusion. The first call was for the. skirmishers to I •I! come in, and also the second, and they were retiring, in proper order ; but the third was given with the double ; and then men came running, and leaping, over fences, and stumbling." Capt. Grant, who was with Lieut. Gibson, beside No. 1 Company of the 13th, highest up concession road, except U. R. and Highlanders, heard the bugle call retire. He knowing the enemy had been retreating, and Fenian fire declining, remarked : "what is meant by that relire f Why is it sounding ?" On its second call they retired upon their supports at head of the orchard. Others fell back in obedience to that call, and formed on the supports. Major Skinner, Adjutant Henery and the force nearest their position at the brick house, and in the orchard beyond the house, over concession road, remained, the bugle sound not having reached them through the noise of firing, and impediments of trees. O'Neil docs not admit that he was beaten. Perhaps he did not feel that he was. But in his Nashville speech he admits that he felt the neces* sity of retreating, having a formidable force in his front, and knowing that, "two or three other small armies were pressing forward to overwhelm hia small and inadequate force." He was retreating, pressed by the gallant 13th, and Q. 0. with York and Caledonia Rifles, and would have yielded the field to their advance, had not the unaccountable retreat of his assailants recalled him to action. They of the skirmish line who heard the first and second calls retired. The supports retained their places in the orchard until the third call and double were sounded. Then they also retired across the orchard, fields, and fences towards the Q. 0. reserve. Then arose the panic ; the cry of, look out for cavalry. Perhaps O'Neil and his mounted oflScers may have been seen at this crisis riding to their front to ascertain what was the matter. Perhaps some of the portions of companies and officers of the Q. 0. who were near Lt. Col. Booker, beside the barn where he had taken his station, with its walls in front of him, the orchard on his right hand, nothing visible to him but the reserve in his rear and the persons around,- it may have been some of these who cried "look out for cavalry" if he did not himself imagine its presence. Booker did not know where his front skirmish line was, did not know th^t some were beyond hearing the recall of the bugle from his place of retirement, did not know the enemy had re- treated. The bugler bears testimony that Booker gave the contmands to sound. He seemed to have decided, so far as, in a condition of imbecility, • ( prs may ras the ' the Q. taken hand, 3und,- Ihe did front kcall of lad re- ids to hility, ^3 And nervous pr* -tration, he ooold decide anything, to retreat from the field of action. 7.> had been his custom on field days, and Hamilton holidays, to follow the call of «A irmishers retire, with form square ; prepare to receive cav- alry. My old note- books written when looking on, bear that record, so do the memories of his men. Perhaps, in this hour of his mental prostration ho reverted to the old rotation of movements learned from a book, and gave the order to the bugler form square. Charity would rather believe that he made that mistake in forgetfulness, than that his vision of cavalry, crossing a variety of fences, five and six feet high, in pursuit of the retiring skirmishers, whom he had called in, led to the formation of a square. An hour and a half earlier, the action about to begin, but no shots fired, he mistook a farmer " running off his cows" for a Fenian force of two hun- dred men, some of them mounted. In his narrative to the court of inquiry, concocted after the events, and in contradiction to animadversions on his conduct published two or three days after the 2nd of June, he said : " lob- served loose horses moving about in the woods to our left, but saw no men." Officers of the 13th who were then beside him, would make affidavit were it required, that he said to them his field glass enabled him to see, distinct- ly two hundred men, some of thiem mounted. But these are gentlemen of honor. They have ptssed their word to this statement, their word is suf- ficient. Thus we have it that Lt.-Col. Booker, entered on the field seeing cavalry where none were. It was shortly after this, at 7.30 a. m. that Mr. Stovin of the Welland railway delivered the telegram from Col. I'eacocke, to Lt.-Col. Booker who expressed, in words of vehemence, anxiety for a messenger to goto Col. Pea- oocke. Detective Armstrong was at hand and offered to go. " .Tell him,'» said Col. Booker, " how I am situated," " you must write it ." rejoined Mr. Armstrong. "I have no paper ?" Booker fumbled about his person and finding no paper said : tell him that" — Armstrong repeated that he must have a written message." "Well then, don't go at all," Mr. Lawson of Port Colbome who was present offered paper, Mr. Armstrong gave paper and pencil. Lt.-Col. Booker enquired the time and was told by Lawson, by Stovin, by Armstrong and others 7.30. He wrote 7.30 the only portion of his despatch which was legible. Mr. Armstrong says it was written on paper given by him. Booker says to the court of inquiry that now 9.30j ■%'i 94 "I turned to Det«ctive Armstrong and wrote on the telegram which I had re- ceived that the enemy had attacked us at 7.30." Mr. Stovin says : " It seemed a strange thing to me that he sent away the telegram he had re- ceived ; and still more so that after Armstrong was gone, he inquired of me where that telegram came from. He had not read Chippewa." Squire Learn said of Booker, then : " If they have not got a fool for a commander, he is something worse." .... The time of 7,30, put in the past tense, was an afterthought for the Court of Inquiry. Mr. Armstrong, rode out two norses in seeking Col. Peacock, and delivered that paper, he will swear if required, near Black Creek by 8.30. He is positive it was delivered within the hour from the time of his getting it. From whom Booker got paper is in itself immaterial. He went to the field in command of a brigade, without a map, without a pencil, without a scrap of paper. Says Major Denison, apologetically, p. 39: *'Lt. Col. Booker was on this eventful morning, for the first time in his life in command of a brigade. * * During his whole military career he had never commanded a brigade of infantry, even at a review, and was sent to the front merely as a commanding officer of his regiment, the 13th. and not in any other capacity. Chance threw him into the position of a brigadier general on the mornin? of a battle, without any mounted staff, without any mounted orderlies, without any artillery, or cavalry, and with- out a mounted officer in the field but himself. Such was the position in which he found himself when lorming up his command at the village of Ridgeway after taking them off the cars." ., _ . Chance may have made that the morning of battle, but chance did not find him in command of the brigade. On the cars all the way from Hamilton he had boasted of his seniority to erery other Lt. Col. of Volunteers likely to come in rivalry with him , and told in grand tones that within a few days he expected to command a force of at least 3,000 men. "And," say the companions of his journey, "he talked as if he were competent to command fifty thousand men." "Without a mounted officer in the field but himself!" By what chance, since chance ruled the day, was he himself mounted? At Hamilton before starting, an officer inquired "Are you not to be mounted colonel? Why don't you take your horse?" His reply was to poke the officer in the side with his fingers, and say: "Skinner! there is Skinner with his horse; I'll 95 jot find ulton likely Ihance, Ibefore Why side I'll dismount him." So, that had Lt. Col. Booker supplied himself with a charger for the field, he would have hnd at least one mounted officer he- sides himself. He says to the Court of Inquiry, and Major Denison says; that finding himself in command of the brigade, ho handed over the com- mand of the 13th. battalion to Major Skinner. Not true. He arranged that Major Gilmorc should handle the Q. 0. and York Rifles, and that he would take the rest. The only words approaching to an order given to Major Skinner on that day were, to proceed to the front with the right wing of the battalion. Major Cattley having charge of the left wing as supports. Had Major Skinner been placed in command of the battalion, Major Cattley would have gone with the right wing. "In command of a brigade for the first time in his life." The force on Limestone Ridge was not at any time formed or moved as a brigade, ex- cept on the line of march from Ridgeway to the place of first deployance. He neither commanded his own battalion as such nor the whole brigade as such. Yet the 13th. did operate as a battalion The Q. 0. operated as a series of independent companies, some advancing, some falling back,pretty much at their own will and option ; or dividing, some portions of a company remaining in position, another portion falling back upon the reserve; no one in particular controlling their motions. Questions by Lt. Col. Booker to Major Gilmore, Court of Inquiry: "What did they, (the Highland Company) report on their return?" Ans. "I do not recollect their return. I believe them to be the last to leave the field." QuES. "Didyou seethat we wereontflanke.1 on theright?" Ans. " No." By the Court. "On what do you gro md your belief that they were not outflanked on the right?" Ans. "Principally on the statements of the officers and men who were ou!, skirmishing on the right." Following this Major Gilmore was asked by the Court, whose members seem from first and to the end, to have had a very imperfect knowledge of what occurred on the field, and small wonder, as they shut themselvcp up against information, refusing to permit any one who could have directed their inquiries to hear what was said by others, except Lt. Col. Booker, and peremptorily stopping explanatory observations of witnesses, when they attempted to lead the Court into a clear channel of information; Ma jor Gilmore was asked: " When three companies of the 13th. were sent out 96 to relieve the Queen's Own, had the movement been executed before the re- treat was sounded?" Ans. "No; so far as my knowledge extends. Both lines of skirmishers, Rifles and 13th. came in together." The 13th had been out and their movement executed nearly, if not quite one hour. Their movement was to drive back the enemy. With the skirmishers of tho Q. 0. who remained in front they did it. Major Gilmore could not see from his position at letter C on the map, where the right wing of the 13th. were. He may have seen the rear of the left wing, in the orchard before him. "Did you notice," asked Lt. Col. Booker, "men coming down the hill to our front at a double in front of the reserves crying, * cavalry'?" Ans. "No." Previous to this Court of Inquiry, the story had been thot the cry of cavalry came along the Ridge road from direction of the brick house. — That story being given up it was tried, on Booker's behalf, to fix the cry as coming down the hill from what he calls "our front," but which was his right flank, for he had never changed front, at least his troops had not. That company was No. 1 of the l^th., coming in at a run in obedience to the retire and double. They had heard no cry of cavalry. No. 6 Company of tho 13th. being of the supports, the one nearest the Q. 0. reserve, got over the rails, not in time for the square, but to form in rear of it. No other men in scarlet had reached that square then, ex- cept they with the colours and the orderlies of tho 13th. But just as the Q. 0. were being re-formed into column from the square, which had been imperfectly formed and but momentary, {Jot, says Major Gilmore, a sharp fire was then direpted on it from tho enemy's front and left,) No. 1 Com- pany reached the ground. They hurrying over the railngs into the road, were about to form in rear of tl at reserve, now half square half columm, when it broke. It broke through No. 6 of the 13th., and through No. 1. Capt. Grant was violently thrust against the fence rails on a heap of stones. He saw some of his men trodden down. Ensign Roy of No. 6 and some ot his men were trodden down. And in that moment of emergency Lt.Col, Booker called the orderly who held the horse. Major Skinner's horse, and quickly vaulting into the saddle rode oflF rapidly to the rear. All this has been denied on behalf of Lt, Col. Booker. Capt. Grant is a gentleman whose word is not to be doubted. He saw the act of riding away. Others ^^^Bs' ' : \ rest the to form hen, ex- it as the ad been a sharp 1 Com- e road, olumm, No.l. stones, id some ILt.Col, [se, and [his has tleman lOthers 97 saw the same. The companiesof the 13th, wiich had been coming into the road at the call of form squctre, on seeing the reserve" broken and hur- riedly retreating continued their line of retreat across the fields towards gar. rison road. The companies at the front which had not heard the bugle call to retire, observed their supports gone, and retreated along the ridge road. When arrived where the reserve had been there was no reserve, no square, no column, no Queen's Own. Bugler Clarke says Booker ordered and he obeyed to sound the halt.. — It was sounded, but most say who heard it, rather faintly, bugler and col- onel being both in a hurry. The Court of Inquiry makes one witness, Mr* Urquart assistant editor of the Hamilton Spectator, and who was in the ranks of the 13th. to say: "Several attempts by officers of the 13th. and the Rifles were made to rally or re-form the men. I noticed Colonel Booker and Adjutant Henery do this, and Ensign Armstrong who carried the colours." Mr. Urquart did not say this. The Court made several answers into one; thereby placing Booker where he was not. Adjutant Henery was not where Booker was. Mr. Armstrong was with the colours, but Booker was not there. Mr. Urquart was in No. 4< Company, which under Lieut. Routh was one of the supports at the head of the orchard to the right front of the square C. " What made your Company retreat ?" asked the Court. " We retreated because the bugle sounded retreat ; and we were also ordered to retreat by Lieut. Routh the officer in command o(* our Company, who afterwards said it must have been a mistake as it should have been the advance, and ordered us to halt and front — and we halted and fronted ac- cordingly." Then, as the skirmishers came in rapidly in obedience to the call of double, they all retreated . There was no reserve to go to, it had melted away. No. 4 Company and No. 5 under Captain Askin again halt- ed and formed at the corner of garrison and ridge roads. By that time also Major Skinner, Adjutant Henery and they who had been in the, most advanced front got up; all tritd their utmost to re-organize a force to withstand the enemy now steadily though cautiously coming in pursuit. Lieut. Gibson of No. 4 saw Adjutant Henery near the log house (see map) at a tree, assembling men around him ; also Major Skinner near the same spot endeavoring to arrest and reform the retreating current, which was then a mixture of green and rf d uniforms. He saw Captain Davis of the 98 York rifles making efforts to organize a force neai Mrs. Ryerson's house. Major Skinner had partially succeeded in forming a red line across the road with fixed bayonets directed against the retreat. But his men were overborne by a rush from behind. Lieut. Eouth was there shot through the body and carried xuto one of the houses. The University and High- land companies were then streaming along, having left several dead and wounded on the track of their retreat. Brave spirits all. Youths of fair promise cut down in the morning of life, who an hour before had, with the rest, driven the invading strangers before them, now destroyed on a retreat which should never have occurred, for which there was no cause; the culpable author of which was away on ho. so back to the front, among the leaders of the panic. He denies, and loud denials have been made on his behalf that he went away on horseback. Captain Grant saw him ride off, when the square and the column dissolved. The Revd. Mr. Inglis who, as a minister of religion accompanied the 13th. from Hamilton, and witnessed as much of the actioii as lay between Garrison road and concession road, and was now on the ammunition waggon with Q. S. Stoneman, says ; " I saw Col- onel Booker on the horse (Major Skinner's) coming towards Ridgeway." "Oh no," said Colonel Booker to the Revd gentleman when before the Court of Inquiry, " I was on foot, not on horseback." But Mr. Inglis was not mistaken, and he is a witness not to be over^'^me by such questionable ob- liquity of an inculpated party. Lieut. McKinnon, Caledonia company, said "Col. Booker was on horseback when he came to Ridgeway." But, "Colonel Booker may have hastened to the front of the retreat to intercept it." Did he ? What in this supposition comes of the want of evidence of his trying to stem the panic which he had made ? What comes of facts to the contrary, showing that he not only hurried away himself but prevented others from arresting the retreat ? Here are facts which would have been given in evidence to the Court of Inquiry, which sat at Hamilton in July, had its members summoned witnesses whose names were furnished to them, but whom they did not call. A volunteer officer who commanded a company in the action wrote to Hamilton for the information of the officers of the 13th. He said; " Have Lieut. Da- vis of York Rifles, and Capt. Jackson of Caledonia Rifles summoned, wit- nesses as to the language and action of Col. Booker upon the 2nd. nit. I will give you a resume of what they will swear. Mr. Davis stopped the 91) treat to rant of What away \e facts which whose lunteer m for [t. Da- Id, wit- Id. nit. 3d the Colonel (Booker) and begged him to halt, and rally the men as they knew him. The reply he got was ; ' We must go to the lake shore.' Some dis- tance farther on he came up to Captain Jackson's company which was the rear guard. He asked, * what company, and who commands? ' and receiv- ed the reply as above (that it was rear guard, Caledonia company, com- manded by Capt. Jackson). Tlien Colonel Booker said: ' Save yourselves men, the Fenians are after you!' The company broke at once, until stop- ped by their Captain." The^ writer continued: *' I have not tlio slightest ill-feeling, or wish, for Col. Booker. On the contrary I feel heartily sorry for the man; but I do not think it fair that the good name and fame of the officers and men of a good regiment should be impugned, much less saciificed, to shield the in- competence of any man. I think I am only doiug my duty as a man who loves his country, and as a volunteer who knows the stuff there is in the force, if I can throw any light upon the cause of the disaster of the 2ncl. of June." , The gentlemen indicated by this officer were not cnlled, though t heir names, on behalf of the slandered 13th, weic furnished to the Court of In- quiry. As was also the name of Captain McGrath, Manager of the Wei- land Railway, whose important s';iteraent will be read presently. At the end of August while these pages are preparing for the press, I am in receipt of a letter; from which the following extract is made in reference to the pas- sages just quoted: " Had Lieut. Davis been called before the court he would have given his evidence without any malice, fear, or favour." " Must go to the lake shore." Could not halt then. The lake shore, from the point where this fugitive speech was made, Mrs. Ryerson's house or thereabout, was eight, or ten, or more miles away according to the road he might take. By the road he took it was twelve m. es away. Major Gilmore says (C. of In.) he could have at any time halted and gathered around him a few hundreds of men, but deemed the effort of no use. He saw officers at different points of the road " exciting themselves frantically" to arrest the retreat. Such were his words, but he was more cool and allowed thinsfs to happen as fate Qnd confusion without a commander would have it. Lieut. Arthur of the Q. 0. has been reported as grandly stemming the tide of retreat, in its very front, at Eidgeway. He may iOO have been one of those who " frantically excited themselves." A more practical question, is; how did Lieut. Arthur get there so soon? Mr, Arthur a civilian gave evidance to the Court of Inquiry somewhat excul- patory of Booker. Put it is not forgotten at Hamilton that this same Mr. Arthur returned from the field of action, where he had been a nun-comba- tant, on the evening of 'ind of June, and at the railway depot was the first to give intimation that Booker had broken down as commander and made a fool of himself. Men of the 13th called to mind on the line of retreat, that wheft Book- er was largely pompous at the Hamilton drill shed on the previous morning he said, " I know you will follow me." They followed, but only a few could get sight of him. Captains Grant, Askin, Ferguson, Lieut. Gibson, and other ofiicers of the 13th got aight ofhiiu half a unle past Ridgeway. A considerable force was then halted on the road. Tiey expected that a stand would be made, the ground being advantageous for resistance, and fighting. Booker was heard calling for somebody to show the road to Port Colborne. To a farmer looking on, he trotted up, then returning to the imperfect column cried " Fours right, quick march !" And so the return to Colborne was contin < d in that disorder which incompetency had initiated, and aggra- vated. Sometimes he was seen riding, again walking, and trotting on foot in the semblance of a man crazed in the head. At Sherkston, five miles west of Ridgeway, they got a railway train to Colborne. It took them at two trips. At some point on the ro?^d Booker turned to observe the dislocated column and accosted* Sergeant Gibbons whom I have named as affirming with others that the bugle calls of retire and donhle gave origin to the re- treat. This general of brigade, who had been so grand yesterday, that " he looked and talked as if able to command fifty thousand men," and who at Port Colborne had asserted his seniority and displaced the officer who came in command from Toronto, now murmured in t.". laing tone, and bro- ken speech ; ** Sergeant, I suppose this is not your first engagement with an enemy ? It is mine." He gave the horse to carry a sick man. and on this his apologists form a claim for magnanimity. It would have been the attitude of a General to remain mounted, especially on the retreat, that his person migVtbe observed, his place known, his command heard. A 101 true soldier, while modest, mild, keenly perceptive that necessary equip- ments were present with his force, while days were pleasant and peaceful, would have now risen with the crisis, firm in his saddle, firm in mind, lofty with the great emergency, to retrieve order out of confusion. But Brigadier General Booker straddled on foot a little- while, then got on the horse a little while, got down again, and again ambled on foot, seeking sociality with the bugler, the groom, the sergeant, abjectly mum- bling that he had never previously been in battle ; then getting hold of a Lieutenant's arm said ; " I am a failure ; I have failed ; I acknowledge my failure." And to a Captain uttering words to the same effect. And at Port Colborne continuing his abject confession to others. Generous minds might have forgiven him after his miserable ccnfessions however much they deplored the unhappy consequences of his incompetency, triumph to the enemy, derision of the Province by Americans; wild inven- tion' of calumnies against the 13th. battalion, because he, its Lt. Col., had involved the Q. 0. llifler in discredit. In face of all this his subordi- nate officers and battalion might have pitied the man while thcy deplored his military failure. But with a feeling of safety to his own person, he be- gan to retract his confessions of incapacity, and to give currency to ac- cusations of blame on his troops, and proclaim himself a martyr. At Col- borne a report of the morning's work was written for the authorities, im- perfect, and untrue. He did not seek the assistance of any officer of the 13th. all of whom could have informed him of as much of the action as they engaged in the front could know. He did not employ his own or- derly room clerk to write for him. . He got a person of the Q. 0. to write, in order to satisfy Major Gilmore; and even then the Major gave only a gen- eral assent to the report. 'Yes, its general tenor was correct, and I assent- ed to it." But Major Gilmore was not quite exact about it himself ac- cording to his own statement. The report said the telegram arrived at 9; 30 after an hour and a half of hot fighting. That was not true. It spoke of driving the enemy from their rifle pits. There were no rifle pits. It said we were in a cul de sac. There was no cul dc sac. All was open to the front except intervening woods. The enemy had retreated through the woods. The report said nothing of the 13th. having as a battalion ad- vanced from garrison road across fields and fences half a mile, the enemy retiring before their beautiful red line, and then across concession road; they engaged in fight one hour, except the supports lying within 150 yards 102 of the skirmish line, which however were actually advancing to the relief of their right wing when the retire stopped them ; while most of that one hour the Q. 0. were in reserve, two companies on the right front, and one on the extreme left front only excepted. On the contrary Lt. Col. Booker caused a telegram to be sent to his superiors reporting the 13th. as demor- alized, and unfit for duty. It has been denied by himself and friends thaf he did so. But it is known on the highest railway authority that such messages with his name appended, went over the wires. A Hamilton nev/spaper gave currency to that phrase, demoralization. Two days after » Lieut. Colonel Booker visited the reporter, and besought him to retract the imputation, saying " You know it was not I who said demoralized ; it was that rascal Gilmore." The Square. Qucs, by Lieut-Col. Booker to Major Gilmore. "Were you satisfied with my conduct on the field ? Ans. Col. Booker asked me the same question in Port Colborne, and I now give him the same an- swer that I did then, which was that I cculd see nothing in his conduct to disapprove of except with regard to the formation of the square, which 1 thought at that time was a mistake and I think so still." Ques. By Court. ''Who gave the order to form square?'' Ans. Lieut-Col. Booker gave the caution to look out for Cavalry, and I gave the command to form square." Ammunition op Q. 0. The paragraph beginning on page 77, and ending on page 78,in this chapter is inaccurate as respects the alleged non-supply of ammunition ; but not as regards the omission to post sentries on the arrival of the Q. 0. at Colborne. The misstatement made on authority which I trusted was unfortunate, yet tho ammunition served at Toronto was inad- equate to go into a locality near the presence of an enemy. The following evidence touches this highly important question : Ques. To Alex Muir, Q, 0. "How many rounds of ammunition had been issued to you ? Ans. I received 5 rounds at Toronto before leav- ing; and 30 rounds at Port Colburne. I had 35 rounds." To Ques. of the Court to Major Gilmore ; Ans. No. 5 company were armed, about forty of them, with Spencer rifles, and for those rifles they had under thirty rounds each man ; the remainder of the company were armed with long Enfields. The whole regi xent had on average forty rounds of auimunition per man." Q. by the court: "How long were Ty Ids they under fire when the right wing of the 13th were advanced to their relief? Ans. " I could not form any idea as to the time." Major Skinner, Adj. Henery, Capts. Askin, Grant, Watson, Ferguson, Lieut. Gibson, Private Urquart, Editor of Spectator, all say that the 13th were engaged about one hour. Drill op the Q. 0. In .reply to questions from the Court, Major Gilmorc said ; " They were as a rule partially drilled, some men undrilled. Recruits are joining every week. All the available men, drilled and undrilled, were in the field. With the exception of one or two days in May when the whole battalion was out skirmishing, I am satisfied that half of the bat- talion had never fired a shot," (with blank cartridge). Ques. " What proportion had not fired with ball cartridge ? Ans. " The proportion was about the same ; one half. Ques. " What proportion of the regiment was composed of lads under 20 years of age ? Ans. I should say more than half the regiment. Ques. Did you abserve any difference in the demean- our of the lads and the older soldiers going into action?" Ans. "No. Each were equally cool. I may state here that this was the first occasion in which the whole regiment had the opportunity to skirmish as a battalion. I also wish to state that I saw the right wing of the 13th extend and ad- vance in skirmishing order, and that nothing could exceed the steadiness and regularity with which they advanced." )n had leav- wcrc they were forty were LIST OP KILLED AND WOUNDED AT LIMESTONE RIDGE. Toronto Q. 0. Rifles. Killed. — Ensign Malcolm McEachem, No. 5 Company, Sergeant H' Matheson, No. 1, Private Christopher Alderson. No. 7, Private M. Defries, No. 3, Private W. F. Tempest, No. 9, Private William Smith, No. 2, Pri- vate J. H. Mewburn, No. 9, Private M MoKenzie, No. 9, Corporal F. Lackie, No. 2. Wounded. — Captain J. B. Boustead, No. 3 Company, Lieut. J. H. Beaven, No. 3, Lieut W. C. Campbell, No. 6, Ensign Fahey, No. 1, Color Sergeant Forbes McHardy, No. 10, Private C. F. Bell, No. 5, Private W. Vandersmisaen, No. 9. Private Kiugsford, No. 9, Private John White, No. 10, Private Paul bobbins. No. 6, Private Thomas Oulster, No. 1, Private William Thompson, No. 2, Private Charles Winter, No. 3, Private Colin Forsyth, No. 10, Private Edward Copp, No. 6, Private J. H. Rutherford, No. 6, Private B. J. Patterson, No. 9, Private Joseph Lugsden, No. 4, Private Alexander Muir, No. 10, Private JBJ, T. Paul, No. d, Sergeant 104 William Foster, No. 7, Color Sergeant John Tuck, York Rifles. Private Kobert C7ranston, ditto. HAMILTON 13th. — Wounded. Private Edwin Hilders, No. 1 Company, Private S. Dallas, No. 3, Pri- vate J. G. Powell, No. 3, Private James Stewart, No. 3, Lieut. Routh, No. 4, Private John Donnely, No. 5, Private Richard Pentecost, No. 3, Private McKenzie, No. 4. Private Morrison died of fatigue. Several suffered from sun stroke. Welland Field Battery, at Fort Erie Village. Wounded: Capt. King, leg amputated. Sergeant Bradley, and several others very severely. Fenians Killed. — Nine bodies found on Limestone Ridge, one at French Creek. Several said to have been found dead near Fort Erie, and some bodies carried to Buffalo. Most of the wounded were carried away; two were brought prisoners to Colborne Hospital. LIEUT-COL. BOOKER'S REPORT OF THE COMBAT AT LIMESTONE RIDGE. Port Colborne, June 2, 1866. - Sir, — I have the honour to report that, in accordance with instructions received from Colonel Peacocke, through Capt. Akers, I proceeded by train at 5 a. m. to-day to Ridgway station on the Buffalo and Lake Huron R. R., with the Queen's Own, of Toronto, Major Gilmore, say 480 men of all ranks ; the York Rifles, Capt. Davis ; the Caledoni a Rifles, Capt. Jckson ; and the 13th Battalion of Hamilton — together about 360 men — total of all ranks, say 340 men, in order to form a junction with Col. Peacocke, at Ste- vensville, at 9 to 9,30 a. m. On arriving at Ridgway, I sent the Great Western Railway train away ; and as I could not obtain a horse or waggon in the place for the conveyance of the force, I was compelled to leave with- out the stores, and sent them back lo Port Colborne at a little before 8 a. m. We were feeling our way on the Stevensville road, and were about three miles from that village, when our advanced guard felt the enemy — Major Gilmore extended the Queen's Own in fikirmishing order, in admirable style — the men advancing in good spirits. They were supported and relieved, as required, by the 13th Battalion of Hamilton and the Rifle companies from 105 rivate , Pri- ^outh, No. 3, ike. King, one at •ie, and i away; T York and Caledonia. After Major Gilmore had expended mucli ammu- nition, he reported to me that his ammunition was failing. At 9.30, after being engaged under a hot fire for an hour and a-half, I observed the en- emy throwing back his right aud reinforcing his left flank. I immediately ordered up two comp&nies in support, to counteract the morement. At this moment I received a telegram by the hands of Mr. Stovin, Welland Railway, on the field, informing me that Col. Peacocke could not leave Chip- pewa before 7 o'clock, instead of 5 a. ra., the hour named by Capt. Akera on his behalf. The enemy was strongly posted in the woods ou the -west of the garrison road, the road forming the entrance as it were to a cul de sac. We outflanked him, when he brought up his centre reserves and out- flanked us. Wo drove them, in the first place, over a mile, and held poss- ession of the rifle pits. A cry of cavalry from the front, and the rotreat of a number of men in our centre on the reserves, caused mo to form a square and prepare for cavalry. This mistake originated from relieved skirmish- ers doubling back. I immediately re-formed column, and endeavoured to deploy to the right. A panic here seized our men, and I could not bring them again to the front. I regret to say we have lost several valuable officers and men. I estimate the strength of the enemy as greater than ours ; and, from the rapid firing, they were evidently armed with repeating rifles. I have, &c., (Signed) A. BOOKER, Lieut. Col. Coin. Vol. Militia. 1866. • ructions )y train R.R., [ ranks ; pn ; and fl of all lat Ste- Great raggon with- 1 8 a, m. it three -Major lie style >lieved, I from CHAPTER XII. Lt Col. Dennis; Capt. Akers of Royal Engineers. Well and Field Bat- tery. Capt. McCallum, Lieut. Rolh, Steam tug Robb and Dunnville Naval Brigade on 2nd. of June. Capt. Harhottle and IlamiUon Na- val Brigade. Toronto Naval Brigade. Let us return to Lt. Col. Dennis who came to Colborne on June 1st. commanding the Toronto Q. 0. Rifles, lie made rcconnoisanccs during the afternoon in various directions; on B. and L. H. Railway twelve miles east from Colborne, to a point five miles from Fort Erie, where the Fenians had burned a railway bridge at 7 a. m. that day. Lt. Col. Booker having, as senior ofl&cer, taken command, Dennis and Capt. Akers of the Royal En- gineers, who arrived at midnight from Col. Peacocke to advise and assist went on board the tug steamer Robb at 4 a. m. June 2nd. They took 106 with tliem tlio Wellaod Artillery, with only small arms (^their heavy guns bfiing at Hamilton), 3 officers, Capt. King, Lieuts. Scholefield and Nimmo, and 50 men. Lachlan McCallum Esq., owner of the tug, and captain of Dunnville Naval Brigade, with Lieut. Robb, sailing master of the boat and 25 men were present. Whatever may be said of the indiscretion of attempting to alter the plans of Col. Peacocke who commanded in chief, it must be accorded to the officers of this expedition that they evinced enterprise and courage in seek- ing to find the enemy at the earliest moment, and confront him in mortal combat when found. The same credit is due to Lt. Col. Booker. That he is not covered with honorable renown, and known this day as Sir Alfred Booker, Knt. is due to his want of perspicuity of judgment, allied with firmness in the crisis of action, not to a want of preliminary boldness to advance and encounter the enemy. Supported as he was by officers whose souls were in the service, and whose souls were honour, and by men every one of them worthyof such officers; and with an enemy before him well armed and equipped and accustomed to arms and to field strategy the most difficult to cope with, but a strategy affording the more honour to him who circumvents and vanquishes it, namely: the wary,hiding, creep- ing, advancing, retiring, slippery tactics of disultory bush-fighting, Lt. Col. Booker had that day a life-long renown within his reach; but he did not grasp the glory flitting before him. On passing down the river between Buflfalo and Fort Erie, a patrol boat of the U. S. steamer Michigan challenged the Robb, and after explanations, permitted its passage, giving information that the Fenians had quitted their entrenchments on French Creek during the night. The Robb went ('.own the river as far as Black Creek, nine miles below Fort Erie village, eight miles above Chippewa. There they were informnd that the Fenians had turned westwj^rd, passing near New Germany. Says Lieut. Col. Dennis^ iuihis report: ** A message was at once sent off to Col. Pea- cocke, we presumed then under previously concerted arrangement to be near there moving up, and we returned With the tug in accordance with that arrangement, to meet Col. Booker and the Port Colborne force at the upper railroad depot at Fort Erie. On our arrival there we could see or hear nothing of them." No. Had they come there, the Fenians would have slipped through between both forces, Booker's and Peacooke's; done what damage they 107 rol boat latioDS, quitted I Robb Erie at the Lieut. 1. Pca- t to be with at the see or [rough they chose to the Welland Canal, and have been, possibly, afloat on Lake Brio before evening, in shipping seized at Colborne or Dunnville. Or, still possi- bly, though not probably, they, daring much to obtain a temporary success, might have arrived at the city of Hamilton. What then, imagination de- clines to suggest. The Robb then returned to Fort Erie village, where the Welland men were landed. They were divided in two wings; the right with Lieut. k'cholefield; the left Lieut. iNinmio, the whole under Capl-. King. One wing took the lake shore road, the othei- the railway line, and scoured the district northerly, collecting prisoners which the farmers and customs ofl&- cers and villagers had previously captured. They were occasionally ac- companied by Lt Col. Dennis and Capt. Akers. During the afternoon in- telligence reached the village that the Fenians had been engaged and were defeated. Capt. King expecting them to retreat towards the Niagara, put his men on board 'ha Robb, and the prisoners under hatches, and was pre- paring to defend the vessel by breastworks of cordwood on deck; the vessel to patrol the river and prevent the enemy's escape. But on Lt. Col, Den- nis who had been for a time absent, returning and assuming command, the Welland company were ordered on shore; for, says Dennis: "conclud- ing that the action which was known to have taken place had resulted in the capture oftheenenjy, I," &c. The enemy not having been captured, made a sudden appearance, coming down the street from south, and over the heights, only 100 to 200 yards distant from west. They opened rifle fire on the Welland men at once, which was as promptly returned. . Capt- King was shot in the leg; several men were also severely hurt. Dennis, at a run led them to northward, down the river side. Moai of the men, and Lieuts. Scholefield and Nimrao occupied Mr. Leslie's house, the post office, and for a time returned a sharp rifle fire. TJltimately they capitulated as prisoners, being but as one to twelve of their assailants. Windows and doors were riddled with Fenian shot. Lt. Col. Dennis continued his is- treat a half mile further. Tie entered the house of a frien 1 , Mr. Thomaa, changed his clothes, shaved his beard, took a pipe and came out to the door smoking, as if a resident of the house. The Fenians who came in pursuit were told that no one else was there, and returned to the village, not suspecting the man before them to be Lt. Col. Dennis. I heard language of severest censure used against Dennis by the Wel- land company. Since then Capt. King has accused him of cow&.rdiqQ and he has in turn demanded a court of inquiry on his conduct, 108 The Robb with 65 Fenian prisoners on board and only a portion of t'm naval brigade fell down the river but afterwards steamed up, exposed to a rifle fire from the shore. The Fenians knew their people were captives en board, and therefore aimed to shoot the steersman. Lieut. Robb stood by the helm, several bullets hitting near him. He proceeded to Colborue and delivered the prisoners. They were carried by railway to Brantford jail. From there to Toronto. The prisoners whom the Fenians held were detained in the post office, and in Dr. Kempson's house, Fenian guards over them in the early part of the night. At daybreak they saw no guards. After a time some ventured out. Then all were informed that they were no longer prisoners. About the time when the Fenians arrived near the village on Saturday afternoon, from Ridgeway, Capt. Akers was near the Fort Erie railway station. He discovered his dane^er, and having a wheeled conveyance drove away westward, and reached Colbomc about seven in the evening. In his report ta speaks of finding the garrison there in disorder. The Q. O. exhausted from the battle, and other newly arrived volunteers, being billeted through the village, there was no doiibt a semblance of confusion. But Capt. Akers did not see the 13th. They were quartered all in one building, the school house, outside the village, and remained there in as good order as troops usually are in after coming from a long march. I saw them next day and affirm that they were orderly, soldierly, diligent in re- storing their accoutrements and clothes to cleanliness. Nothing unusual to the best military regulations issued from their lips, except a unanimous out- pouring of scorn against Lt. Col. Booker. The Dunnville naval brigade under Capt. McCallum, and the steamer Robb his property, under Lieut. Robb, continued their good service to gov- ernment and for public interests. They complained of being overlooked in official thanks; and some newspapers intimated that Capt. McCallum, of- fended at ill-treatment was about to sell his property at Dunnville and leave the Province. They who said so, little understand the patriotism of Lauchlin McCallum; or of his Lieutenant. Their zeal lor Canada, the new country adopted, and for old country laws brought to consolidate am- plest political freedom with social stability in Canada, is too earnest, to be converted to antagonism, by any temporary oversight, or neglect, or even rebuffs of government. 109 Captain Harbottlc at Hamilton organized a naval company in 1862. He aod his officers have twice supplied them with naval uniforms to the number of about seventy; besidea paying drill instructors. During the cri- sis of June and July 1866, when the regular troops were removed from Hamilton to the frontier, this volunteer naval brigade, numbering then 55 men present, some of its members being as sailors absent with their ves- .sels, did all the garrison duty, and did it well. They mounted guards on the sto ^s, magazine, military hospital, and drill shed armory. They watched the bay. The Captain performed the duty of com mandant of Hamilton city in all its departments. Hg an ' his men gave the citi zens confidence in union with the Voluutccr Artillery, p.nd Home Guard. Their services have been appreciated by the people, yet not well rewarded. The uniform of the company instead of con»ing from government has been pro- vided solely at the expense of the captain and his officers. In Toronto a naval company ,7as organized, with Mr. McMaster, a mer- chant, acting as captain. They went to Lake Erie on service in the steamer Rescue in Juno, which vessel was afterwards manned by British man-of-war's men from the Aurora frigate. The Toronto company is dis- solved. The reason why I have failed to ascertain. CHAPTER XIII. iamer gov- ced in ,of. and pm of the am- be leven At Port Colborne. Officers of Volunteers from St. Catharines and London urge Copt. AJcert R. E. to obtain orders to remove, Booker from com- mand. The midnight alar.n. Morning of ord. June. Cupf Mc- GratKs Statement. Booker at Hamilton. Returns to Colborne. His . telegrams to Col. Lowry commanding Niagara force. Col. L. refuses to restore him to command of the 13th. BattaVum. Court of Inquiry . Suppression of truth. Perversion of facts. Capt. Akers stated in his report, after relating what he knew of occur- rences at Fort Erie: "1 arrived at Colborne between 6 and 7 o'clock in the evening. The troops that had been engaged in the morning were consider- ably exhausjcd from want of rest and food. Col. Booker appeared quite overcome with fatigue and anxiety. He begged mc to undertake all ne- cessary arrangements, and later in the evening requested me to take the command out of his hands. Findivg this was the wish of other volunteer no officers of rank superior to myself, I telegraphed for instructions, and was desired by Col. Lowry to take the command." The tioops which had arrived at Colborno fcince the morning were seven volunteer companies of Prince Arthur's Own, from London C. W. Four of the 22nd. Oxford, with the Drumbo company attached, and two companies orHome Guards from St. Catharines. Added to these were now the Q. 0. and 13th. battalions, York and Cal- edonia companies, in all about 1,400. Brigadier-General Booker who last night asserted his seniority and took command, was now in a condition of maudlin imbecility. He should have taken command of this force of 1,400. There it was, for aught that any mortal could tell, exposed on one of the most important strategical points of Canada to a reinforced enemy from Fort Erie; and to invasion by water from southern ports of Lake Erie. Nobody in command. That man, whom a court of inquiry subsequently pronounced to have behaved as a soldier, now going about in a condition of idiotcy. Had he .'irrendered to his next in command in the 13th. mea- sures of precaution would have been taken. But Major Skinner knew no- thing of Booker's resignation. The garrison was without a responsible head. Lt.-Col. McGiverin, M. P. P., arrived at 5 p. m. and assisted. About midnight an alarm was sounded. The troops who lay accoutred rose, fell in, stood to arms, threw out patrols, and strengthened piquets. Booker was lying among the men in the school house, weary no doubt, as all were. He was shaken, rolled over, and violently pulled in eflforts to a- rouse him (men's statement). Then he arose staring wildly, calling, *' Where are they? Where are they? What shall I do? What can I do?" CAPT. McGRATH'S STATEMENT. At ore o'clock, a. ra., Sunday morning, 3rd of June, 1866, sixteen hours after the combat with the Fenians, at Limestone Ridge, Capt. McGrath, Genc^ral Manager of the Welland Railway, received at St. Catharines the following telegram from Port Colborne. " Men at Station, Hurry up. A new attack expected here." This was signed by Dr. Mack, of St. Catharines, who was then at Colborne. The meaning of the message was obscure. But a train was placed upon the track without delay, and certain companies of Volunteers carried from St. Catharines to Colborne, Mr. McGrath accompanying the train. While baoli^iDg to clear the crossing of the Buffalo' and Lake Huron line, and r Ill while it was yet barely daylight, a person came on the Welland line platform, at a running pace, carrying a cloak, and a sword and belt loose in his arms . This was Colonel Booker. In manner and language, excited and incoher- ent, he cried ; " For God's sake send back this train to St Catharines. I want to go — to go now. We are attacked in the woods a mile back, the alarm has just sounded, I want to go to St. Catharines at once, send this train special!" Capt. McGrath replied that the train could not go then, the wounded and sick were to be carried in it and he must wait for them. To which Colonel Booker rejoined, " Hold my cloak ! what shall we do ? we are at- tacked, hold my cloak." " 1 cannot hold your cloak, sir, I have other busi- ness to attend to, some of these men about the platform can hold it." That was the response of the General Manager. Then said Colonel Booker, " Take my sword, hold my sword"; On which Mr. McGrath responded, " Really, Sir, I have no time to hold your sword, I am busy ". Colonel Booker again murmured incoherently, something about the Fenians being in the wood, and that he wanted to go a passenger to St. Catharines b^ the train. His words, action and look, suggested that he was in a condition of vio- lent mental aberration. An alarm had just then, or shortly before, been sounded by the bugles, and the 13th. battalion of which Booker was Lieutenant Colonel, as well as the other volunteers which with the 13th. he had commanded as General of brigade on the previous day, had turned out and were standing under arms. An attack was expected. He had left them to their fate. Either Colonel Booker was in a condition of temporary insanity in rela- tion to his duty, on one hand, and in relation to his personal danger on the other, or he was sane, and wanted to escape the supposed danger of another Fenian fight. Which of these conditions do his friends elect to judge him by. The foregoing statement was first published when the Court of Inquiry was about to meet at Hamilton. In August it was again submitted to Capt. McGrath to know if lapse of time, or newer information had led him to modify his first impressions. He said this was true, and various other occorrences of that morning and of the evening before, not related in that 112 st&tement, confirmed the opinion that Booker was on those days wholly un- fitted, physically and mentally, for military command. One of these oflScers of volunteers whom Capt. Akers alludes to as of su- perior rank to himself and who advised that Booker, for the safety of all, sh' uld be removed from command of any, was on Sunday morning witness of his frantic imbecility in clutching hold of Mr. McGrath at the railway depot. ' Lt-Col. Booker went to Hamilton on Sunday 3rd. June. Telegrams published there on the 4th. gave him information that the Fenians were Tanquished; had retreated across the Niagara river, after a fight with the Welland field battery and Dunnville naval brigade on the 2nd. and were intercepted by the U. S. steamer Michigan, which held them prisoners for breach of the neutrality laws. On the evening of Monday the 4th. Booker re-appeared at Colborne. He telegraphed to Col. Lowry as if nothing bad occurred to interrupt his command, " I am here awaiting your orders.'' This was not replied to. But on next day Col. Lowry, in a telegram to Lt-Col. Villiers of the 47th, regulars who was there, inquired; " What does Booker mean ? He says he awaits my orders. He resigned his com- mand on Saturday; it was accepted; he cannot be re-instated." On being informed of this Booker telegraphed again that he had only resigned com- mand of the brigade, not of the 13th. battalion. Col. Lowry did not an- swer, but sent to Lt-Col. Villiers saying: " Major Skinner commands the 13th. battalion; render him all the assistance he may require. If Col. Booker is not satisfied he may apply to Major General Napier." Booker on next day returned to Hamilton, went to Toronto, and indue ed General Napier to telegraph to Lt.-Col Villiers to assemble the officers of the 13th, and submit a proposal that they should sign a letter of solicita- tion, asking to have Lt.-Col. Booker restored to the 13th battalion. The officers refused to sien any such application. They unequivocally made known to the military authorities, then and afterwards, that if Booker were re- stored to the command of the battalion they would not serve under him. By him their honor had been impugned ; by him the battalion was maligned, and all to cover his own unsoldierly, scandalous misconduct. Not alone on the field, but by his desertion of them and misrepresentation at Port Col- borne. He applied for a Court of Inquiry. It was granted. Three volun- teer colonels assembled at Hamilton on 3rd of July. Col. Denison of 113 iuc 3ers ita- 'he )wn re- iBy |ed, on 3ol- in- of Toronto, President ; Colonels Chisholm of OakvlUe, and Shanly of London C. W., members. The officers of the 13tli were not perniitted to bo present at the Inquiry neither in their own persons, nor by a legal representative to examine witnesses, and keep them to lines of truth, and to lead them to a development of truth, beyond the points at which it suited Booker to interrupt them. And yet he, wibli the assistance of a lawyer out of doors, had his choice of persons and questions, and style of putting questions at his discretion. And the Court acquiesced in that mockery of Inquiry . Witnesses who would have given inculpatory evidence had they told truth, as they tell it out of doors, were not called. But the Court pronounced ; *' That so far us the courage and char- acter of Lt.-Col. Booker, with reference to his command of the fcrce en- gaged with the enemy at Lime Ridge, on Saturday the 2nd of June, are affected, there is not the slightest foundation for the unfavorable imputa- tions cast upon him in the public prints, and most improperly circulated through that channel and otherwise." * ^i; :|j " And the Courv lastly find that the whole of the wounded and sick were brought with the retreating column." The wounded and killed were left on the field except in the cases of «Hght hurts. On 11th. of August the official Gazette announced that the command of the 13th, battalion, resigned by Lt-Col Bouker on 8th. of May had been accepted and that Major James Skinner was appointed to the Lieut-Colo - nelcy. Colonel Lowry as chief in Niagara District had refused to re-instate Col. Booker on the 5th. of June when he begged to be reappointed, he having been superseded on the 2nd. Who re-instatcd him so that lie should be gazetted out of command on the 11th. of August? But he re- mains commandant of Hamilton, of the volunteer forces, the 13th. includoJ, naval brigade, and artillery. He is a gentleman of good address, and looks well on holidays. The Wounded.— Lieut. Routh, of the 13th, has stated that when he and other wounded volunteers were left in the house, (log house on the map) Colonel O'Neil entered, and after enquiring about their wouuds, ex- pressed hope that the Lieut, would recover. '' Does your sword-belt hurt you?" said the Fenian chief "Take it off," replied Mr. Routh; " I am your prisoner ; I suppose the sword is, by right of war, yours." 114 •if O'Neil removed it, handling the wounded officer tenderly ; then said : "No, I will not take it, it's possession may be a solace to you ; I will leave it by your side." " Thank you," rejoined Mr. Routh, " but some one less kind may come and take it." Said C'Neil " Let me conceal it under the bed- ding." And he placed the sword under the mattress, where it might not be seen by any less hoii able visitors, and in mild accents said farewell. Mr. Routh has recovered, but no one then thought him likely to recover. Mr. Lawson of Colbome, who was present near the fight and remained a- mong the wounded, relates that O'Neil or some other Fenian officer gave him a written protection to go over the field and collect the wounded into the houses. Major Denison on this, pp. 69, 70, says : "Before closing this chapter I must mention that from all accounts the Fenians, except in so far as they were wrong in invading a peaceful country, in carrying on an unjustifiable war, behaved remarkably woU to the inhabit- ants, 1 L; "nt three weeks in Fort Erie and conversed with dozens of the people of the place, and was astonished at the universal testimony borne by them to the unvarying good conduct of this rabble while among them. They claimed food and horses, but they can hardly be blamed for that as an act of war. but can only be blamed because the war itself, which alone could give them the right to take these things was unjustifiable and wicked. They have been called plunderers, robbers and marauders, yet, no matter how unwilling; we may be to admit it, the positive fact remains, that they stole but few valuables, that they destroyed, comparatively speak- ing, little or aothiug and that they committed no outrages on the int .bitants but treated every one with unvarying courtesy. " On taking a number of the Welland Battery and the Naval Company prisoners they treated them with the greatest kindness, putting the officers under their parole and returning them their side-arms, taking them down to the wharf on their departure and releasing them, bidding them adieu with ex- pressions of good will." But the treatment of the University rifleman, the youthful student, J. H. Mewburn, was by evidence of surviving associates,not tender nor chivalrous. " John Hern.an Mcwburn, who fell at Limeridge, a member of the Ifniversitv College Rifles, was a student of three years standing, and had distinguished himself very highly at Upper Canada College, and also at the University of Toronto where he carried off" four scholarshps, and although in ill health from hard study, and unfit for service, he hesitated not a moment at the call of duty to join his brave comrades. In the retreat he fell, struck by a rifle bullet on the temple, which fractured the inner plate, and pro- duced delirium and convulsions. He was made prisoner by the enemy, rob- bed, and very roughly if not cruelly used by them. His hands were bound 115 behind him and he was thrown on his face, but at the earnest request of a wounded comrade, Mr. Rupert Kingsford, he was turned on his back, and his hands unbound half an hour before he died. Loved and esteemed by all who knew him, and deeply regretted in death, the inhabitants of his native township honored him with the highest honors it was in their power to bestow, viz : a public funeral. The deceased was a grandson of the late Dr. Mewburn of Danby House, Stamford, County of Welland, and had just attained his twenty-first year. Prisoners op War. — When two parties come into mortal oombat, and each holds prisoners taken from the other, a law of expediency arises out of present circumstances, over-riding all other laws. The United States, during the war of 1861-65, held rebel prisoners who by the national laws had forfeited their lives. Yet in view of the fact that the rebels held prisoners taken from the army of legitimate authority, that authority was by expediency forced to treat its captives as prisoners of war. To have hang- ed them as traitors wouii have led to the rebel power hanging prisoners in retaliation. By the laws of civilized communities the Fenian invaders of Canada are pirates and liable to the penalties for repression and punishment of piracy. Humanity may plead for them on one hand. Indignant vengeance may denounce humanity and demand execution of the laws against piracy on the other. But while passion and abstract principles are thus at issue, expediency arises and presents the subject of contention in another aspect, this is the practical aspect. The time u 4 p. m. June 2nd. Lt.-Col. Dennis, Capt. Akers, Capt. King, Lieut. Scholefield, Lieut. Nimmo and seventy-five men had, at their mercy, fifty-nine piratical prisoners an hour ago. The fifty-nine are under hatches on board the steamer Robb. By the laws against piracy they have forfeited their lives. But now, through the fort'^nes of war, in one hour, Capt. King, Lieuts. Scholefield, Nimmo and fifty out of the seventy-five are captives to Fenians. Had the seventy-five Canadians slain the fift) -nine Fenians when first captured, might not the fel- low Fenians of the fifty-nine slay the disarmed fifty now ? For the present there is no power to prevent them. But happily the fifty-nine were uninjur- ed after surrendering to tho seventy-five. The fifty being captives in their turn are unhurt. The higher \a.\7, the law oi expediency, which is in this case the law of humanity, has interposed. And the oiroumstances of one day may be the chances of war on another day. Heaven forbid that day should come. 116 I write on this subject with a military experience as to prisoners of war not acquired by many now alive, and known to but few in Canada. When I served as a soldier on the side of Queen Isabella and constitutional govern- ment in Spain, 1835 to 1838, our enemy in the field fought under the ban- ner of the Darango Decree of Don Carlos which was, " Peath to every pris- oner taken in arms." All prisoners taken from the British Lej^ion were without mercy execut- ed, and ia some cases tortured before execution. That decree was carried into effect. But did it deter, as its diabolical authors intended it should, the British Legion, (English, Irish, Scotch, twenty thousand of them,) from engaging in the hazards of such a conflict ? No ; the Durango Decree of, " Death to every prisoner," transformed ordinary men into ex- traordinary devils. And I was one of them. Of a mild type, yet one of them. CHAPTER XIV. Camp at Thorold in August and September, 18GG. Meeting of the 13th. and Queen^s Own, first time after the action of 2nd. June. Speech of Adjutant General McDougal. Corrections. Additions. Varieties. Fenian demonstrations on the U. S. frontier under name of picnic festivals, with sham fights caricaturing the Limestone Ridge affair — one near Buffalo on the 21st. of August; together with openly avowed, widely announced determination of Fenian headers to lavade Canada soon, secret- ly, and with augmented numbers; and in addition to those circumstances of threatened aggression, a sense of propriety in Canada, of promoting the military education of the Yoluntcers by service in the field, it was resolved that a camp should be established at Thorold. The ground selected was on the high level overlooking the town of St. Catharines, Q. Western Rail- ' Wiiy, and Welland Canal locks, to the westward of Thorold village. The first troops posted were volunteers, 10th. from Toronto, 7th. from London; a portion of the 16th. regulars, and of Royal Artillery; also Major Denison's Toronto Troop of Volunteer Cavalry. They assembled on the 18th. of Augu?t. On the 26th. the Volunteers were relieved by Q. 0. from Toron- to; the 13th., Hamilton; and 22nd. Oxford Rifles, the latter from Wood- 117 i. of ron- 30d- Btock, Drumbo, and other places io Oxford County. On arrival of the 13th. and Q. 0. on the ground the first under Lt. Col. Skinner, the latter under their Limestone Ridge commander Major Gilmore; the Adjutant General brought them together in column, and in the spirit of a soldier, and military philosopher, thus addressed tham: " I am glad that I happened to be here to walcome to camp the two bat- talions who fought at Lime-ridge. I know that foolish people have done their best to create a feeling of jealousy betweea the corps, by praising the performance of one at the expense of the other. I say that all honor is due to both; and that there is not the smallest foundation for the statement that one battalion was, in any respcot, behind the other in gallantry on that occasion. Up to the moment when the unfortunate alarm of cavalry was given, I say, and I declare I speak it without exaggeration, that no troops of any army or nation could have behaved better than did the two battal- ions of inexperienced volunteers who, at Lime-ridge, attached an enemy posted in a strong position of his own choosing, without the support of a single regular oflScer or soldier. Aad what I said at the time I repeat now — that the manner in which the volunteers alone sought out the enemy and attacked him like bull dogs, before he had been twenty-four hours on Cana- dian soil, produced both a moral and physical effect which disconcerted his whole general plan of operations. He had landed at a remote corner of our I- territory, counting securely on being left unmolested for at least forty-eight hours, during which period the attacks on other points were to be matured ; but thanks to the men I see before me, and to the York and Caledonia Rifles, that time was not allowed him. The equal share taken by the Hamilton 13th in that day's work was not undervalued bv|the Governor-General ; neither was it in any manner the fault of the Queen's Own, for that regiment is composed of brave men, and brave men never depreciate the gallantry of their comrades in the field. I have been told that the feeling which exists between the two battalions is such that it would be dangerous to bring them to this camp at the same time. I will not believe that such is the case, and I have purposely brought them here together to prove that such an apprehension is groundless and that the only rivalry existing between them is the honorable rivalry as to which regiment shall do the best service to the country. I appeal to you all earnestly to show by your brotherly demeanor while in camp that I have judged correctly. If it were possible that by unseemly quarrels you should prove me mistaken, I shall of course be severely blamed for my misplaced confidence. A few words now on another matter. Both newspapers and individuals have asserted that the government has been and is neglecting its duty in the matter of proper equipment for the volunteers. That statement is un- true. There is no foundation for it whatever. I would ask who is it that 118 is responsible for the faulty equipment, who is responsible for the starving of the malitia expenditure up to the last meeting of parliament ? Why the people of Canada through their representatives ; and I declare positive- ly that from the moment of the passing of the last militia estimates, no government could have done more than the present government has done to render the volunteer force efficient. It is natural that the people of Can- ada should be impatient in this matter, but they should consider that the labor to be performed is enormous and that the completion of it must take time. When it is considered that new clothing had to be issued to the greater part of the old existing force ; that knapsacks, haversacks and water canteens had to be provided ; that the field batteries required new harness as well as guns and stores, and that the cavalry required saddlery and fire- arms', at the same time that about 150 new companies were to be equipped throughout, it must be evident that the work could not be done with that rapidity which all must so earnestly desire. Even before the militia estim- ates were passed an urgent request was forwarded to England that a complete equipment in knapsacks, haversacks, tent equipage, &c., for 35,000 volun- teers should be sent to Canada, as well as for the necessary harness and ar- mament of four field batteries and for a supply of heavy guns for the instruct- ion of the garrison artillery. The Imperial stores in Canada have been drawn upon to their utmost capacity for our pressing wants, and to make up defici- encies contracts have been entered into in Canada for haversacks, water can- teens and boots, and as a substifcute for knapsicks, which can only be ob- tained from England, great coat straps have been made or are making in Canada sufficient to supply every man of the force. New rifles have been sent to London, Hamilton and Toronto for the purpose of exchanging dam- aged or unserviceable arms. I have entered into this explanation in order that the country may know that the militia department is doing its utmost to enable the volunteer force to take the field, if required, with that full and proper equipment which its merits so well deserve." Correction. — On page 112, the name of Lt.-Col. Villiers is used where it should be brigade Major Villiers. The name of the Lt.-Col was also associated with the subject. The passage relating to Booker's resignation at Colborne on 2nd June, and his telegrams to Col. Lowry commanding in chief, soliciting to be reinstated in the 13th Battalion should read thus : Lt.-Col. Booker on returning to Colborne, from Hamil- ton, evening of June 4th, telegiaphed to Col. Lowry saying, " I am wait- ing for orders." Brigade Major Villiers telegraphed on his behalf to the same effect. Col. Lowry replied to the Brigade Major : " What does Booker mean ? He was relieved of his command at his own request, and will not be re-instated by me ; Major Skinner is in command.*' Booker then telegraphed to Col. Lowry : " I only asked to be relieved of the com- mand of the Brigade, not of the 13th Battalion." Col. Lowry replied re- 119 the Hoes md Iker re- ferring him to Maj.-Gen. Napier. Booker then telegraphed to Napier and remained in Golbomo nntil Wednesday, June 6th. Lt.-Gol. Villiers had not then arrived at Colbome, npr until some time after, the date I cannot ascertain. This correction is made to obviate the mistake of introducing that officer's name in that stage of the electric correspondence. But the main fact stands as before, which is, that Lt.-Col. Booker, Wt the 13th battalion early on the morning of Sunday, 3rd of June, without announcing his departure to Major Skinner, next in seniority in the battalion. The officers mentioned by Capt. Akers of " superior in rank to himself," who had, on the evening of the 2nd, urged Booker's removal from command, by reason of his manifest incompetence, saw him on morning of the 3rd when the force was about to be led towards the supposed position of the enemy ; bear witness to his exhibition of imbecility, or whatever his malady may have been, at the railway station, as related by Mr. McGrath, manager of the Welland Railway, when he pleaded to be sent away, in his flight from Colbome, by a special train. I have not in the proper place named it so explicitly as the circumstance demands, that Booker had reported that the 13th were demoralized, that is in a military sense unfit for duty, untrustworthy before an enemy. That is the military signification of a battalion being demoralized. The troops then at Colbome, June 3rd., 4, a. m., were about to march towards the scene of yesterday's action; and the 13th, whether because of Booker's slan- derous report or not, yet with it resting on them, were left behind, in Col- bome. There lay the stigma from which the officers on their own behalf and that of the gallant fellows of yesterday's combat sought to be absolved before the public, through Bookers Court of Inquiry, which, however, refus- ed them a status in it as parties, or a place within its doors as listeners to what others said involving their interests. True, it has since been officially stated that the 13th was left there to do garrison duty. But the invidious distinction was not removed by that explanation, of the Toronto Q. 0., Caledonia and York companies being taken to the scene of yesterday's fight where an enemy was expected on the 3rd, and the 13th left out, apparently as imworthy. And there waa this other set of a^ravations. The Q. .0 notwithstanding what Adj. Gen. McDougal has so handsomely said at Thorold camp, (see another page), that brave men never calumniate their fellow soldiers, did set afloat stories at their new quarters in Fort Erie vil- lage, and in their letter-writing to Toronto, slandering the 13th. The St. Catharines Journal had a reporter at Fort Erie camp, and his ear was fil- 120 led, Ms paper supplied in turn, with calumnious lies about the 13th. and unqualified praises of the Q. 0. Other volunteer companies such as Barrie and Scarboro took the story from the Q. 0. and when they came to do gar- rison duty at Colborne along side of the 13th., about June 12th., were in- solent almost beyond endurance. " If we had been in the fight," said they, " we would not have heeded Booker's bugle calls to retire; we would have gone on with the battle, we would." That is each man would havo taken the command upon himself. It was about the 11th. or 12th. of June that Lt-Col. Villiers met the ofiicers of the 13th. at Colborne and stated that it was the desire of Maj. Gen. Napier that Lt-Col. Booker should resume command of the battalion. He urged that " bygones should be bygones," but they all without excep- tion said Lt-Col. Booker could never command the battalion again, while they remained its officers. They were not, it seems, asked to write a let- ter of solicitation to have him reinstated. At Colborne, I was informed that such a request had been made. And so gave it in the Narrative writ- ten from my Notes. The names of certain witnesses presented to Booker's Court of Inquiry may have been considered by the Court as withdrawn. The officers of the 13th. decided to have nothing to do with it when Major Skinner was refus- ed the privilege of being present as a party to the proceedings. I have only briefly, for want of space, referred to the evidence of the Rev. Mr. Inglis. It should havo been added that when Booker contradicted him about the horse, saying " No, not on horseback, I returned to Ridge- way on foot," or words to that effect; Mr. Inglis addressing the Court said; ".Well, gentlemen, if I were on my oath I would only repeat what I have just said." The passage on page 110, second paragraph: " Had he surrendered to his next in command of the 13th., measures of precaution would have been taken," may be misunderstood. It means that Major Skinner would have taken command of the 13th. and posted its guards and night piquets. There vare superior officers present. See paragraph beginning St. Cath- arines Home Guard. I That Flao. It was reported that but for the Q. 0. the 13th. would have lost their colours. The colours were never out of the keeping of En- signs Armstrong and Baker and the guard told off to attend them. When 121 )eea lave lets. Lth- )uld [hen the whole of the 13th. went into action, right wing in front, left wing sup- porting, the colours took post with the reserve of the brigade consisting en- tirely of the unengaged com panics of Q. 0. When that reserve led the retreat the Ensigns of the 13th. retreated with it. The story which To- ronto papers first started reached New York. There the pictorial journal- ists added to the Toronto fiction, and made pictures of a flag of the " Queen's Own" captured by Fenians. The Q. 0. had no flag. And here, I repeat, that commandci'S of experience will not take flags into a wooded country upon a disultory campaign of bush fighting. But an order to that effect should emanate from the Commander-in-chief. Page 98. " Major Skinner had partially succeeded in forming a red line across the road with fixed bayonets directed against the retreat." The Major did not state this to me and he is too conscientious to accept a state- ment made by others, which it seems is not strictly correct. At that point, [near log house on the map] Major Skinner and Lieut. Routh were togeth- er and endeavoured to form a party. Two lads in red, with fixed bayonets had faced round as ordered, and others seemed willing to stand by the offi- cers, when a rush of men in green uniforms [ Highlanders or U. R's. re- treating from the extreme right ] pushed over them, trampling one of the lads, Parker by name, under foot. He was found by the Fenians insensi- ble and carried into an adjoining house. In a few moments after that Ma- jor Skinner was told that Lieut. Routh was killed. The wound however, was not mortal. The Major like others who came last out of the field, ex- pected that a re-formation of the force would be made at Ridgeway; but on arriving there he and they saw nothing of Lt-Col. Booker, or Major Gil- more, or of any one attempting to restore order. Under thc<:e circumstan- ces Major Skinner, and officers with him lent assistance to support aoiuu disabled men along; they could do no more at that time. O'Neil at Nashville. — On pages 83, 84 a letter from the Fenian General O'Neil is quoted. It was asked for in the following terms: " Ham- ilton Canada West, July 23rd. 1866. Sir. I am a correspondent of Brit- ish newspapers resident iu' this city, and author of a small work soon to be Jublishcd bearing some such title as ' Somerville's Narrative of the Fenian avasion of Canada, June 1866.' As such I take the liberty of writing this note and soliciting a reply to questions which to me as a truthful jour- nalist and current historian are important. Before stating the questions permit me to remark that while I as a Brit- sh subject deprecate and deplore your invasion of Canada, I am constrain- 122 ed by force of truth to acknowledere, and will ia my forthcoming Narrative place the acknowledgement on permanent record that you individually, as also some of your officers and men performed acts of kindness to some of our wounded; and that you and also some of your officers interfered with persons in your force to prevent outrages on property and persons. It has been reported in American newspapers but the report varying m its terms that in conversation at Buffiilo and subsequently in a public speech at Nashville, you paid a military compliment, which coming from one in your position was a generous tribute to your enemy, those Canada Volun- teers who were in conflict with you on the 2nd. of June at Limestone Ridge. You are reported to have called them the * Queen',, Own' and to have spoken of them as wearing red uniform. Some newspapers reprinting the report in Canada have omitted the words red uniform. The only troops in red which were in conflict with you, or in your sight on June 2nd. were the 13th. battalion of Volunteer Militia from Hamilton. The ' Queen's Own' from Toronto wore dark green uniform; as also two detached com- panies from Caledonia and York villages. Did you speak of the whole force opposed to you as the ' Queen's Own' ? Did you speak of a part of the force before you as \^earing red uniform? Did you in your speech distinguish, which I presume expressed any distinction observed by you on the field of action, between that portion of the Canadian force wearing dark green and that wearing red uniforms? If it be agreeable to you to repeat in writing any statement which you made in Buffalo or at Nashville about the Canadian force opposed to you on the 2nd. of June 1866, your courtesy will be duly appreciated. I am, Sir, your obedient serv&nt, ; ' Alexander Somerville." *' General John 0' Neil, Nashville, Tennessee." ; , ,.-. The portion of the reply relating to red uniforms and affecting the 13th. battalion is printed on page 84. > k,\ I quote a passage from O'Neil's Nashville speech in which he disclaims that the plunderers who followed him to Canada were Fenians. It is small comfort to Canadians to bo told that American thieves coming over the line under c over of a Fenian invasion are not of the brotherhood. He said " I wish to correct another false report, that ninety of our men were taken prisoners by the enemy. Only a few who did not remain with their com- mand, and a few who were wounded and could not be removed were cap- tured. The other prisoners were camp followers who accompanied the ex- pedition for plunder^ and some who went out of curiosity. These robbers I hope will get a halter yet. Had I known them I would have strung them up myself." In another passage O'Neil said of the action of the Amerioan Govern- 123 ment: " The reinforcement that would certainly have reached us that night, and have enabled us to hold our ground, was stopped by the vigilance and promptness of the United States government on the way to us." The retreat of O'Neil's army over the Niagara on June 3rd., was in a considerable part intercepted by the U.S. gun boat Michigan. About 600 were detained as U. S. prisoners on a charge of a breach of the neu- trality treaty and law of nations, of whom were 18 officers. The latter after proceedings in the N. Y . State courts, were held to bail, but in Au- gust dischai^ed. The rank and file of the Fenians were sot free at once. And some thousands were provided with conveyance to theiu h omes by the American government. St. Catharines. — Limited space compels to an apparent oversight and injustice to the many gallant volunteers called out in all parts of the country, and who hardly waited to be called in the fervor of their patriotism, but T can- not omit the St. Catharine's Home Guard inasmuch as Lt. Col. McGiverin, M. P. P., who took it to Port Colborne, on 2ad June, wns for a time the superior in command at that strategically important place. This gentleman is Member of the Legislative Assembly for the County of Lincoln, sind has places of business both in St. Catharines aud Hamilton, Eeceiving intel- ligence of the Fenian landing on Fort Erie shore, through Brigade Major Villiers, he, with that officer, Colonel Peacockc, and Mr. Swinyard of the G. W. Railway, proceeded to the station at Hamilton where arrangements were made to transport the volunteers from Hamilton, Paris, Brantford, Grimsby, Beamsville und St Catharines to meet the enemy. On the morning of the 2nd of June, Lt. Col. McGiverin procured 200 stand of arms, which were conveyed to St. Catharines. And there he or- ganized a Home Guard to aid in the defence of that town. The rreatest enthusiasm was manifested by all classes of persons in St Catharines. Young and old of the male population pressed forward, praying to be admit- ted to the honor and privilege and duty of defending the country. Ladies offered assistance in whatever manner help could be available. And it became available in various ways, for volunteers at the front, and for the sick and wounded brought from the front to St. Catharines town hall, converted on the emergency into a general military hospital. On Saturday, June 2, about noon, intelligence was received of the fight at Limestone Bidge, and the subsequent retreat of the volunteers who had first defeated the enemy, to Port Colborne. Col. McGiverin called for men of the Home Guard to volunteer to Colborne. In less than an hour about one hundred and forty offered, were accepted, and were on passage up the Welland railway to aid their countrymen in driving the invaders out of the peaceful land they had dishonored by their presence. On arrival at Colborne Lt. Col. Booker was met. He appeared exhaust- ed. Col. McGiverin offered him every assistance in his power. A portion 124 of the volunteers who had been in the fight being without provisions, their wants were supplied from temporary stores brought up from St. Catharines. About f) p. ra. the steam tug Robb, under command of Capt. McCallum, arrived in port from Niagara river with 59 prisoners. Those were placed under chnrgc of Col. McGiverln, with instructions to have them conveyed to Welland County prison. But from alarming rumors that a Fenian army reinforced since morning, was marching on the Welland canal, the Colonel judged that it would be unsafe to have them in a position so much exposed. He therefore sent them to Brantford, under a guard of thirty, five of his men, commanded by Capt. Rykert, having previously telegraph- ed the Sheriff ef Brantford to receive them. , Col. M'Givcrn believing it possible that the enemy might attack Col- borne during Saturday night felt it prudent to order the hotels and drink- ing saloons to be closed, which was promptly and cheerfully done. Find- ing a large portion of the force then in Colborne without ammunition he telegraphed to Maj. Gen. Napier for supplies. To that requisition there was a prompt response. A largo quantity arrived in charge of an officer of the commissariat department at 3,30 a. m., Sunday 3rd. June. The troops were immediately paraded and ammunition served out. All expressed an impatient desire to advance upon the enemy. The main body soon af- ter left, and by a circuitous route of 22 miles reached Fort Erie before breakfast. The noble manner in which the Militia of Lincoln (without uniforms acd without expectation of receiving pay), behaved on that occasion is de- serving of the highest praise. As evidence of the gallant spirit which in- spired all, youthful and aged, to seek the enemy, it maybe related that two veterans of the war of 1812 were present ; Lewis Clement a man of 80 years, who had been wounded at the battle of Chippewa in that war, and Capt. John Gibson, aged 75. They made the whole march over rough ronds, rifles on shoulder, from Colborne to Erie Village. The 13th. battnlion as already stated were retained at Colborne on that morning to do garrison duty. Farther evidence is not requisite as to their efficiency, their earnest desire to share in the expected combat with the en- emy, and their well grounded mortification at being left behind, in conse- quence of the misrepresentation of Lt-Col. Booker. But Col. M'Givern bears testimony that the 13th. were in every respect soldierlike and fit for any du^y on that occasion. Of the manner in which Col. Booker left them, left Colborne, that morning and hurried to Hamilton, enough has been said in these pages. 125 i CHAPTER XV. Invaiion of the frontier of Eastern Townships, Lower Canada. Freligs- burg. Pigeon Hill. Losses hy Fenian invasion. Compensation paid. Another invasion threatened. The Fenian plans of invasion, as sketched in the first chapter, embraced the river St. Lawrence and the Eastern Townships frontier of Lower Canada. The intervention of the United States authorities to enforce the laws of neutrality and intercept the incursion of the Fenians into Canada has been lightly esteemed, after the event, by some in this country from whom a wiser policy might be expected. I am not of their number, but prefer to say, as Her Majesty's speech at the prorogation of the imperial parliament said ; as the Prime Minister, head of the great conservative party of Britain, said; as his son, Lord Stanley, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs «aid, that the friendly action of the American gcvernment was just and honorable and entitled to the thanks of this Province and of the Em- pire. On the 8th of Juno President Johnson issued a proclamation direct- ed in strong terms against such citizens of the United States as had taken part in or been accessory to the Fenian raid upon Canada. It was late. but the government had intervened to arrest the passage of Fenians to the frontier, before the proclamation was issued. Its true value is to be estimat- ed by a calculation of what was likely to have occurred had no hindrance to the invaders been opposed by the American authorities ; or by the mea- sure of disquietude now, month of September, prevailing in apprehension that the President and his cabinet have ceased to enforce neutrality, as they enforced it in June. The portion ol the Narrative which falls to this concluding chapter com- prises a mingled sketch of Fenians pressing to the frontier, and intercepted by United States troops ; or crossing the boundary line in Lower Canada, committing depredations and escaping from before Provincial forces direct- ed against them. r Under date of New York, June 5th, it was reported that quantities of ammunition and arms had been seized at O'Day's, in Buffalo, the day before and confiscated. But that on the other hand that Fenians were moving upon Canada from Malone and were said to have artillery. A Montreal de- spatch to New York said that all was quiet on the 4th at Plattsburg- Lake Champlain and in that vicinity. That there was a large number of Fenian spies in the city. That the Mayor had compelled the police to take the oath of allegiance, but that a number had refused, (last not true). And it was thought the Fenians would cross and make a stand near Cornwall. . A Rutland, Vermont, despatch of same date, June 5th, said that the main body of Fenians at Fairfield met smaller columns at Swanton and 126 Fairfax about 12 miles from the Canada lines. And that they had in large force crossed the border and were marching toward the St. Lawrence, the border there being only a geographical line. And in the night of June 4th, a force was said to have come up by the Vermont Central railroad, 2000 strong. Same date specials from St. Albans, Vermont, said 31 cases of Fenian arms had been seized at Rouse's Point. And the St. Albans Fenian camp under Colonel Spears had moved towards the Canada line. And special messages from General Sweeney had reached Spears. Something important was expected to be immediately done. Ogdensburg specials intimated that Canada had about 2,000 regulars and volunteers assembled at Prescott, the scene of the fight at Windmill point in the rebellion days of 18.37, where United States adventurers com- mitted the mistake, the crime of crossing into this Province, Other specials of the same date, June 5, received in New York, were as follows: One from Potsdam said, the Beauharnois canal [in the St. Law- rence group] was cut by Fenians from Cote.iu du Lac to the river; also, that Gen. Murphy was to cross at St. Regis and Cornwall with 4,500 in- fantry, and another column was to cross at Beauharnois or Laprairie, and cut the Lachine canal. Gen. Spears, with 3,000 men was to move from St. Albans via Philipsburg, cutting the railroad at St. John's Junction and the Grand Trunk at St. Hilairc and St. Hyacinthe. Watertown, N. Y., June 5. — The Fenian train was come up with at Richville by a company of U. S. troops, who took the arms, ammunition and men in charge. Cincinnati. O ,Junc 5. — $3,000 were subscribed for the Fenian cause at a meeting on the previous night. It was stated that 3,000 Fenians had left for the frontier. Boston, June 5. — It was estimated that 600 Fenians left Boston yester- day afternoon for St Albans and northern New York. About 300 belong- ing to the 3rd regiment left by the Lowell road. About the same number took the Fitchburg R. R. A Montreal special said the authoritice, liud reliable information that the Fenians were marching from Fairfield or St. Armand. Toronto, June 5. — A Toronto special said the Volunteers and Regul- ars had been recalled from the front, and would concentrate at Toronto. Boston June 5. — That day special despatches from St. Alban's said the main column of the Fenians commenced moving from Fairfield at 4 o'clock p. m. yesterday. The column headed towards Canada. Seven car loads of Fenians arrived from Massachusetts this morning bound for the front. . 127 New York, June 5. — Colonel James Kerrigan, late member ot Con- gress, left on Saturday in command of a full brigade, the officers were taken from various volunteer regiments in the late rebellion. New York, June 5. — The Tribune's telegram, dated Hamilton, C. W. said 2000 men were concentrated along the line of the Detroit and St. Clair rivers. The main concentration of troops was about Prescott, that being considered the real point of attack. Few troops from the west had been sent to that point, it being guarded by the regulars and volunteers from Montreal. The west was quiet all the troops being at the front. The reports telegraphed on the 6th. 7th. and 8th. were but repetitions of the foregoing, with additions to the eflFect that Spears had crossed near St. Albans; and Heffernan at a point farther west. Then came detailed accounts of the marching of Volunteers and regulars from 3Iontreal and elsewhere in the east to confront the invaders in the counties of Missisquoi and Hun- tingdon. A Montreal correspondent wrote of the volunteers thus : " Frelighsburg, 11th June. — I learned on Sunday afternoon that troops were to be sent to St. Johns by special train ; and managed to procure per- mission to come out with them. " This '<°^as so far towards the front, and I might either by a team, or another train with troops for the front reach the Missisquoi frontier. The troops sent forward were, a part of the force recently garrisoning Cornwall — a portion of the 25th Regt. under Col. Fane, and the Argentenil Rangers under Lieut. Col. the Hon. J. J. C. Abbott. The 25th men, Montrealers know. The Argentcuil Rangers — the Gentiles (corruption of Ar-genteuil) as they are called by their fellow soldiers of the line. They are a splendid body of men, fine, strapping, yeomanry — lacking something of the nattiness of dress, and precision of drill, of their compan- ions in arms ; but seeming in every way, fit for hard fighting when called upon. Some of them were strapping fellows from 6 to 6^ feet high. Altogether, the two corps filled eighteen cars, which were drawn ly tv. o or three engines. Regulars and Volunteers vied with each other in alacrity to reach the front, and eagerness to meet the robbers. This campaigning, however, falls with great severity on those farmers from Argenteuil — many of them having left without having put in all their crops, and fearing now lest they may reach home too late to put them in, so as to secure a good crop this season. The barracks at St. Johns were full of troops — the Art- ilery under Col. Pipon, the provisional battalion of Montreal Volunteers under Capt. Bond, detachments of the R. C. Rifles, and other corps under Lieut. Col. THibbert, and the Chasseurs under Lieut. Col. Coursol being all here, and a part of the troops already under canvass. The 25th and Rangers were compelled therefore to encamp upon ground somewhat damp after the heavy recent rains, and their officers could procure no straw for them at the late hour of their arrival. They had, however, a very fine night, and did not suffer such discomforts as some of the Volu. xteers on the 128 Huntingdon frontier in the midst of rain, &c. I found our Montreal boys indignant that they had not had a chance at the froiit." To follow the operations on the Missisquoi frontier and elsewhere in Lower Canada would lead to a narrative for which the present sheets cannot be prolonged. The Fenians who had invaded and pos^d themselves on Pigeon Hill wore driven out of the land; but many who were on the border ready to come in stayed their advance in obedience to the injunctions of U. S. Gen- eral Meade acting on the proclamation of the President of the United States. The Villages of Freligsburg, parish of St. Armand East, and of Pigeon Hill, St. Armand West, District of Bedford, Canada East, were the centre of invasion by the force under Spears, the days of occupation being the 7th, 8th and 9th of June. A return of the damage done by plunderers was made to the Provincial Government, with the report of Joshua Cham- berlin, Esq., Commissioner. These copious documents were not printed though laid before the legislature. I have, however, to day, Sept. 10, re- ceived a written copy of them, but not in time to be used in this Upper Canada section of the Narrative. For these I return thanks to the officers of Government who sent them. The claimants for compensation were in number 102. Each gave a detailed statement of lotfses. The total amount claimed being $18,232.80. Allowed $15,463.83. It is noticable that damage to bureaus, and safes, and to axes broken in breaking safes, are items of account. Also, in Freligsburg very considerable quantities of high wines, old rye, and other liquors are named. The losses on the Fort Erie frontier were about $6,000. As this page closes rumors of another invasion, more secretly planned, and on a wider scale than that of June, and the military preparations to meet it occupy the minds of the people of Canada. Some public personages who assume to be leaders of opinion, and who, whether with good intention or evil design, resisted for several years a full organization of a defensive Militia, are, in this supreme crisis, engaged in reviling public men who happen to bo in possession of power, and who have practically evinced the capacities of statesmen. T bough the men in power may have made political mistakes, and I think the conservative section of them did grievously err in not conciliating the American national mind i» the years of civil war (see chapter eight), it is now the duty of all good citizens to be of courage, of one mind, loy«l to the ruling authorities. • ALEXANDER SOMERVILLE. The " Whistler at the Plough." losses Jg i