Ridgeway: The American Fenian Invasion and the 1866 Battle That Made Canada

[Old Sweat]

On 1 June 1866 about a thousand Irish-American members of the Fenian Brotherhood crossed the Niagara River from Buffalo and occupied the village of Fort Erie. The next day they fought two battles with Canadian troops, first at Ridgeway against a brigade sized column consisting of the Queens Own Rifle, the 13th Battalion and the York and Caledonia Rifle Companies, and then at Fort Erie against a small party consisting of the Welland Canal Field Battery and the Dunnville Naval Brigade which had been landed by ship to cut off their retreat.

Ridgeway was the first battle in which Canadian troops fought since the passage of the Militia Act of 1855 which created the Canadian army. Until the 1930s its anniversary was also used to commemorate the sacrifice of Canadians in battle from the Fenian Invasions to the Great War.

Peter Vronsky has written the first full length account of the invasion in over a century. His book (title in the subject heading) is scheduled to appear this November. Further information may be found here: http://www.fenians.org/

Edit to add: Just to be clear, other than having met the author and discussed the battles with him, I have no ties, commercial or otherwise, with his project.

 

[AJFitzpatrick]

Quickest Out of Ridgeway...

I'll be looking for it come the late fall.

 

[GK .Dundas]

      Quickest Out of Ridgeway...............Them's fightin words or at least they sure used to be!

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Quickest Out of Ridgeway...

I'll be looking for it come the late fall.

For those that didn't get the connection.
Quickest Out of Ridgeway
Queen's Own Rilfes

Perhaps some historian can give us a true accounting of the QOR at Ridgeway to settle this.

 

[Old Sweat]

Most of the published accounts of Ridgeway are just plain wrong, especially the ones that say the Fenians were on the verge of withdrawing when the Canadian commander ordered his troops to form square in response to a report of cavalry. A few days after the battle a senior Canadian officer interviewed participants and walked the battlefield as part of a formal investigation. His report, which I have read, is in the national archives. In it he stated that the Fenian skirmishers withdrew from the initial contact, drawing the Canadians into a trap. The Fenians then launched an assault from the high ground down through 9 Company of the QOR and onto the main body, throwing them into confusion and causing the retreat. For some reason it has largely been ignored by most historians, probably because it did not agree with the "approved" version, which came out of a rigged formal inquiry into the debacle.

It however is correct in its finding that the Fenian assault down the slope of the ridge fell upon troops on the left right of the Canadian line, who were driven back in disorder. It also conforms to the record of events reported by the Fenian commander. I confirmed this by checking the Canadian casulaties by company. I found that, except for a couple in the initial skirmishing, most were in sub units that were in the area of the Fenian assault, especially in 9 Company of the QOR. That company, which numbered about 25 or 26 all ranks, lost 3 killed and 4 wounded, in its post on the extreme right of the Canadian line.

Edit to correct deployment of 9 Company, QOR.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Thanks OS