Tuesday 26 April 2016

The Fenian Raids Part 1 – “And we’ll go and capture Canada, for we’ve nothing else to do!”*

By Joe Corrigan

If I were a betting man in 1866, I wouldn’t have bet that Canada’s Confederation scheme would ever come about. In fact, the odds were stacked against this tiny, fragmented little group of colonies ever becoming the second largest country in the world. Back then, things looked pretty bleak.

After the Charlottetown, Halifax and Quebec Conferences, where the idea of a united British North America took shape, only three colonies were on side with the project and opposition was strong and very passionate. Canada East (Quebec), Canada West (Ontario), where the plan originated, were in favour. Nova Scotia had voted for Confederation as well though it was actively opposed by the prominent politician Joseph Howe. However, when the question was put before the electorate in New Brunswick in the election of 1865, an anti-confederation government came to power. Confederation really couldn’t work without New Brunswick forming a unified territory between Canada and Nova Scotia. It created a two year stalemate but, suddenly in the spring of 1866, an unlikely force became a catalyst that galvanized popular opinion in Confederation’s favour. Yes, we owe our country, in part, to a group of Irish veterans of the War Between the States. 


The American Civil War had just ended and there was much animosity, particularly in the northern United States, towards Great Britain and Canada. Many Americans felt that, despite any claim of neutrality, British North America and Great Britain had aided and abetted the Confederates during the war. Incidents like the Trent affair (1862) and the St. Albans raid (1864) had only served to spur demands for the U.S. government to annex British North America “by force if necessary”. Although the British did send several thousand troops to the Maritimes and the United Provinces of Canada following the Trent affair, they had no intention of fighting a land war on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean with a country that had over a million man army. If push came to shove, the British would have surrendered the British North American colonies to the Americans. Many people stateside believed this would fulfill their “Manifest Destiny”. Indeed, many American politicians were pressing for concessions from the British as reparations for the harm caused them during the Civil War.

Enter the Fenians. A great many Irish emigrants came to Canada and the United States during the first half of the 19th century. Many were driven by poverty and oppression in their homeland and most harboured a resentment towards the English who had made them a dispossessed people in their own land. Immigrating to North America gave these people opportunities they would never have had in the old country. Still, they were looked down upon in their new homeland. With the great potato famine of 1847, thousands departed to escape the threat of starvation. Many of the men who left Ireland at this time joined the US Army just in time to participate in the War with Mexico. When the Civil War began, both the Union and Confederate sides had entire regiments made up of Irish troops. One of the most heart-breaking conflicts of that war occurred at the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862 when Irish Southern troops slaughtered their Northern compatriots in a conflict where the Union troops undertook suicidal attacks against well-entrenched positions. 


With the end of the war in 1865, both sides demobilized, with many of the troops being allowed to keep their firearms. The Irish veterans soon gravitated to the Fenian Brotherhood, a political group determined to establish home rule for the Irish; something that wouldn’t actually occur until 1921. Not being able to influence the situation in Ireland directly, they came up with a plot to invaded British North America and trade it for Ireland’s freedom. Given the American attitude towards Great Britain and its colonies, the Fenians didn’t expect any interference from the US government; especially from northern politicians who were counting on the Irish vote. They didn’t expect much of a fight from the Canadians either. As their marching song of the day stated “and we’ll go and capture Canada, for we’ve nothing else to do!”* Unfortunately for the Fenians, the Canadian government was well aware of their plans. John A. Macdonald, Minister of Militias for the United Provinces of Canada, had engaged agents to infiltrate the Fenian Brotherhood and determine their plans. An alert went up in March of 1866 that the Fenians were planning a St. Patrick’s Day attack on the 17th of the month. The militia was mobilized but no attack materialized. That was the day however, that the Fenian leadership authorized a raid on Campobello Island, New Brunswick. The thinking was that if the Fenians could occupy a piece of British territory, it would legitimize them as belligerents under international law. “They could then issue letters of marque and reprisal to privateers to prey on British shipping, purchase arms and ammunition freely, and raise an army without breaking American laws or violating neutrality.”**


Canadian Militia Re-enactors
Canadian Militia Uniform


Fenian Re-enactors
Fenian Uniform


Fenian & BNA Flags
Already on a state of alert, the New Brunswick government was filled in on the details of the plan by Charles Beckworth of Fredericton who, while attending Harvard University, was invited to a Fenian rally where the plan to invade Campobello Island was openly discussed. Despite all the bluster on the part of the Fenians who gathered at Eastport, Maine, only minor incidents occurred. On April 13, 1866, Fenian leader Dennis Doyle crossed the St. Croix River landing at Porter’s Farm. They were spotted by “Old Joe” Young who made like Paul Revere and rode off to warn the locals to arm themselves and repel the invaders. Fortunately, no blood was shed and the Fenians contented themselves to fire their guns in the air and set fire to a few woodpiles before returning to Maine. The next night, the infamous “Indian Island flag incident” took place where nine Fenians took the island’s lighthouse keeper and his family hostage for a brief period and seized the Union Jack flag. The Fenians set bonfires on the American side of the river border and fired their guns in the air on at least one occasion. A group of Fenians even boldly came across the bridge and spent some time in New Brunswick but, as they remained peaceful, there was nothing the militia could do to detain them. This incident lead some of the New Brunswick militia members to cross the bridge themselves and stroll around Calais Maine in their scarlet uniforms in a rather juvenile form of retaliation.


The only serious effort to invade Canadian territory took place on April 28th, 1866 when about 50 Fenians boarded a British owned schooner with the ironic name “Two Friends” and set out for Campobello Island. The ship became becalmed and the Fenians forced the ship’s captain to come along-side the schooner “Wentworth” which they commandeered before scuttling the “Two Friends”. The Royal Navy had been called in to patrol the area and, with their plans in disarray, the Fenians returned to Eastport and disembarked. General George Meade, the Union general who was the victorious commander at the Battle of Gettysburg was sent by the U.S. Army to disperse the Fenians and thus this episode came to an inglorious end for the Irish freedom fighters. 


Dedication of Fenian Raids Monument West of Queen's Park in Toronto
Historic Sign Commemorating Raid Site

Fenian Raids Campaign Medal

Funeral for Fenian Raids Casualties


Though comic opera in nature when one looks back, there was so much concern of a renewed attack that the people of New Brunswick voted in the pro-confederation government of Leonard Tilley and the road was clear for negotiations to take place with the British government at the London conference, later that year.The irony for the Fenians comes in the fact that all they were able to accomplish was putting the stalled confederation scheme back on track.        

        


On Sunday, July 3, we will be staging a Fenian Raid Re-enactment as part of our Lang Celebrates Confederation festivities (one of only two such re-enactments in the province that we are aware of). We hope that you will join us as we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Fenian raids and celebrate the victory of the Canadian Militia. 


Fenian Raid Re-enactment at Lang Pioneer Village Museum 2012

Canadian Militia- Fenian Raid Re-enactment at Lang Pioneer Village 2013

Fenians- Fenian Raid Re-enactment at Lang Pioneer Village 2013

Sources: * & ** from Turning Back the Fenians – New Brunswick’s Last Colonial Campaign by Robert L. Dallison – Page 73                


Joe Corrigan has been Museum Manager at Lang Pioneer Village since February of 2003. He has been a lifelong student of history. His specific areas of interest are Canadian and world political, military and sports history with a particular focus on biographical works. Joe has been interpreting Sir John A. Macdonald at the Museum's Historic Dominion Day event since 2007.    

Thursday 21 April 2016

Volunteer Cheer Competition

By Janelle Kelcey 

Here at Lang, our volunteers truly are the roots of our community!  So put on your thinking caps – we’re asking you to create a Lang cheer to root on our amazing volunteers!  The winning cheer will be presented by the staff at the Volunteer Meet & Greet on April 30th 2016! Below are some examples. Please submit your winning cheer by 4:00pm Tuesday April 26th. 

Here are a few examples for inspiration!

2, 4, 6, 8
We think volunteers are great!
3, 5, 7, 9
Our volunteers are oh, so fine!

(clapping)
So start the beat, beat
Volunteers are sweet, sweet
You can’t compete, pete
They can’t be beat, beat

(Call & Response, military cadence style)
I don’t know but I’ve been told!
Volunteers have hearts of gold!
Thank-you!
Thank-you!

Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you… thank-you!

Good luck!


Janelle has been a seasonal interpreter at Lang Pioneer Village for three years. She is a recent graduate of Queen's University and her areas of historical interest include local histories, ethno and historical musicology and history education. 

Monday 11 April 2016

National Volunteer Week- Crossword Puzzle

By Ruth O'Connell

Do you think you know Lang Pioneer Village and history in general? Well, here is some wordplay to test your knowledge! To kick off this year's National Volunteer Week, I have created a crossword puzzle (please click here to access a pdf of the puzzle). Please submit your completed crosswords by Thursday April 14th either by mail (470 Water Street, Peterborough, K9H 3M3), by e-mail to roconnell@county.peterborough.on.ca or in person. All completed crosswords will be put in a prize draw and the winner of the crossword contest will be announced early next week. Put your thinking caps on and remember that all the answers relate to Lang Pioneer Village. Good Luck!


Ruth began volunteering at Lang Pioneer Village in 2012 at the event craft tables. She is currently the Acting Administrative/Volunteer Coordinator and has played several roles at the Museum this year including the role of the Keene Hotel Hostess. She likes to consider herself a perpetual student as she always enjoys learning new things, taking courses and joining clubs.

Friday 8 April 2016

“In Flanders Fields” Part 7 – The Importance of April 9th

By Joe Corrigan


I noticed on a calendar that my sister created and gave to her siblings for Christmas last year that April 9th was designated “Vimy Ridge Day” in Canada. I’m not certain that is an official holiday but it very well could be. As much as we celebrate the political birth of Canada every July 1st, a case could be made that, in its fiftieth year of existence, the Battle of Vimy Ridge marked the true coming of age of our country on the world stage.

When Great Britain declared war in August of 1914, Canada, as a Dominion of the British Empire, was automatically involved. This was true whether we wanted to join the fight or not, or whether we understood the reason for the conflict or not. The truth is, most of English Canada was in favour of joining the conflict. When Sir Sam Hughes called for 20,000 volunteers to form the first elements of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in August 1914 over 100,000 answered the call.

All through the conflict, Canadian troops made a good account of themselves. From the initial gas attacks at Ypres in April 1915 to the end of the “100 Days” in November of 1918, the Canadian Corps was a force to be reckoned with on the Western Front. At the Battle of Kitchener’s Wood, which took place at the end of April 1915, the Canadians became the first colonial power to defeat a European power on European soil. This was an action which French Marshall Foch later referred to as the greatest feat of arms of the entire First World War.

As the Canadian Expeditionary force added divisions and rose to Corps strength, Prime Minister Borden’s government insisted that they fight as a unit and not be split up to support British army units. The Battle of Vimy Ridge would be an opportunity for the four divisions of the Canadian Corps to prove this to be a valid strategy. The Canadians were spared having to participate in the first days of the ill-conceived Battle of the Somme. Their counterparts from Newfoundland did not fare so well. When the battle commenced on July 1st, 1916, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, 800 strong, left the trenches at Beaumont Hamel in full equipment and at a walking pace. An unprecedented artillery barrage that preceded the assault had failed to do its job of eliminating German opposition and the Newfoundlanders fell by the score sustaining 90% casualties in about half an hour. The Canadian Corps moved into the line in September and, although they did sustain casualties at the Battle of the Somme, it was nothing like the Newfoundlanders.

26th Battalion of the Second Canadian Expeditionary Force

Lieutenant General Arthur Currie went to study the battles of the Somme and Verdun in depth and came back with an understanding of what hadn’t worked and what should be tried in the next assault. For the Canadian Corps, that assault came at Vimy Ridge. The ridge was a dominant defensive feature on the Western Front. Both the French and the British had tried to take it only to be driven back with heavy losses. The Canadians were set to attack on Easter Monday 1917. In preparation for the assault the Canadians used scientific means to determine the location of the German artillery batteries and targeted them in the initial barrage. The barrage itself was a “creeping barrage” which rained down only yards in front of the advancing troops. In this way, the Germans didn’t have time to get out of their dugouts and man their machine guns as the Canadians were in their trenches before they could react. Even the lead up to the attack was considered. The Canadians dug miles of underground tunnels from the supply area to the front lines. In doing this it prevented the Germans from disrupting the attack by bombarding our troops as they were forming up. The tunnels still exist today at the Vimy memorial. You can see the graffiti left on the walls by the soldiers as they waited their turn to move into the line. For over three thousand it would be their last attack. 

Naval gun firing over Vimy Ridge

Smashing barbed wire with trench mortar shells

Vimy tunnel
Vimy Monument

The attack was carried out by all four divisions with close to 100,000 soldiers taking part. The bulk of the objectives were taken within hours although some fighting continued for three more days. At the end of the first day, many of the troops stood on top of the ridge looking out over the vast Douai plain to the east, a region largely unaffected by the conflict until that moment. Many believe this achievement, the major success of the larger Battle of Arras, marked the coming of age of Canada. One soldier was quoted as saying “We went up as Albertans and Nova Scotians … we came back as Canadians”. As an example of what this achievement meant, the French government deeded part of the battlefield to Canada as a permanent memorial to our nation’s contribution to the allied victory. Walter Allward’s magnificent Vimy Ridge Memorial was officially dedicated by King Edward VII (in what would have been one of his few official functions as King) on July 26, 1936.   
There are a great many recent television programs that have covered the topic of the Canadian Corps in this engagement. The second installment of the excellent documentary series “Far From Home” focuses solely on the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Saturday, April 9th, 2016 marks the 99th anniversary of the battle (https://youtu.be/w2OslpiDVwI).  

The Battle of Vimy Ridge painting by Richard Jack
Ghosts of Vimy Ridge painting by Will Longstaff

Hubert Michael Corrigan
This article is dedicated to my uncle, Hubert Michael Corrigan, who was born on April 9th, 1916, the year before the battle of Vimy Ridge. Uncle Hu was born in Bellville, Ontario and moved with his family to the homestead farm near Stockdale when he was very young. He played hockey and baseball and worked at the nearby Bata Shoe Factory prior to service in the Canadian Armed Forces in World War II. He served in the army with the Royal Rifles of Canada at Quebec before his enlistment in the RCAF was taken up in 1942. While training in Quebec he learned how to play golf, a lifetime passion he was able to enjoy well into his eighties. He was trained as radar operator at Clinton, Ontario and went overseas on the Queen Elizabeth sailing out of New York City. While in Great Britain he served briefly with Coastal Command’s squadron 119 (equipped with Sunderland Flying Boats) before joining the Command’s #58 squadron where he spent most of his time servicing the squadron’s Halifax bombers. He returned to Canada in 1946 and moved to Detroit, Michigan in the early 1950’s. He introduced me and my twin brother to Gordie Howe after a playoff game at the old Olympia Stadium during the 1963 Stanley Cup final against the Maple Leafs. He also gave us our first exposure to Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers. Playing little league baseball back home in Whitby, brother John and I wore our Tigers ball caps while everyone else seemed to be New York Yankees fans. This Saturday would have been his 100th birthday. He almost made it to his personal centennial having passed away in 2011 during his 96th year.    

Sunderland Flying Boat

Halifax Bomber




 Joe Corrigan has been Museum Manager at Lang Pioneer Village since February of 2003. He has been a lifelong student of history. His specific areas of interest are Canadian and world political, military and sports history with a particular focus on biographical works. Joe has been interpreting Sir John A. Macdonald at the Museum's Historic Dominion Day event since 2007.