[CUMBERLAND] THE FENIAN RAID OF 1866 99 
That night, at a public meeting in Buffalo, of Fenian sympathizers, a 
fervid orator named Fitzgerald, created intense indignation by expa- 
tiating upon the inhumanity and outrages of the Canadians, which he 
said “was worthy of the brutal Saxons.’ He declared that the bodies 
of the fallen had been horribly mutilated and that of Lonergan had been 
almost scalped. A headquarters’ enquiry, which at once followed, 
proved that every care had been exercised; but we were advised that 
when burying the dead without coffins it is better to place them with 
faces downward, and the false report was publicly refuted by Col. 
Lowry in a letter to the American consul. It is ill founded, virulent 
statements such as made, which create international animosities, for 
the truths and refutations seldom come to all the hearers or readers. 
During our stay at Fort Erie we were not without recreation. Our 
energetic bugler boy had brought to our camp two horses which he had 
found straying about on the day of our arrival. One of these, although 
with mane and tail closely cropped, was promptly claimed by our 
adjutant, the horse and its rider, who was not celebrated for his horse- 
manship, having parted company during the advance. The other, 
never being claimed, may have been “borrowed” elsewhere by the 
Fenians so the officers of our company had ample opportunity for 
riding around the neighbourhood, including sundry visits to the New- 
bigging farm. 
Our company was rich in negro minstrelsy, and Privates Lee Jacobs 
and Dave Farrell were professional clog dancers. A pair of barn doors 
were set up in front of our tents for a stage, and on “off nights” enter- 
tainments given, much for the amusement of the other companies who 
flocked to the concerts at “No. 1.” After matters had been settled 
down many visitors came over from Buffalo, parties of ladies and 
gentlemen, to see the unusual sight of a British brigade in camp. We 
entertained them to the best of our ability and formed and received 
much pleasant association. 
Thus the hours of duty and relaxation passed quickly away; but 
we were glad when at noon on the 19th June we entrained for home. 
We did not reach Toronto until after 10 p.m., the night was dark and 
disagreeable, the streets empty, the people had all gone home,so we 
marched along in quiet and dismissed at the drill shed. Next morning 
the mayor and officials came down to our parade full of regrets. They 
had given a public reception to the Queen’s Own on their arrival from 
Stratford at 3 p.m. on the previous afternoon; but by some omission 
they had not received any notice of when the 10th would come back 
and so they had not been able to arrange a similar reception for us. 
Regrets, too, were warmly expressed in both regiments that the Queen’s 
Own and 10th Royals had not been together from start to finish. 
