[CUMBERLAND] THE FENIAN RAID OF 1866 101 
The geographical position was somewhat of a triangle with the 
Welland Canal and Welland Railway as its base and Fort Erie its apex. 
The sides being, southerly side Port Colborne to Fort Erie, 19 miles; 
northerly side, Chippewa to Fort Erie, 15 miles; Stevensville mid-way 
between the two starting points and 10 miles inland from Fort Erie 
was selected to be the point of junction. Col. Dennis’ force was to 
proceed either north by the Welland Railway to a point opposite to 
Stevensville, there to detrain and march direct east to Stevensville, 
or to proceed east some miles by the Buffalo and Lake Huron Railway 
and then march north to Stevensville. The routes and the time of 
leaving Port Colborne to be settled by Capt. Akers after consultation 
after his arrival at Port Colborne. Col. Peacock and the eastern force 
were to leave Chippewa at 6 a.m. and march southerly by road to the 
point of junction. Both forces were to time their movements so as 
to meet at Stevensville between 10 and 11 a.m. on the morning of June 
2nd. 
As the routes of both columns would thus cover the Welland 
Canal and be kept between it and the Fenians who might be advancing 
from Fort Erie, the plan was considered by all the critics to have been 
entirely judicious and that it would have been effective, if it had been 
properly carried out. 
Col. Dennis at Port Colborne, learning the Fenians were on the 
shore of the river at Newbiggings, devised a new plan of his own by 
which the western force was to advance alone, direct to Fort Erie 
while he with the men of the Welland Battery were to sail in the ‘“ Robb” 
by lake to Fort Erie and there to co-operate on the rear of the Fenians. 
Capt. Akers arrived at Port Colborne at 1.30 a.m. (June 2nd). 
The proposed change was then wired to Col. Peacock at Chippewa 
and without waiting for a reply Capt. Akers sailed with Col. Dennis 
in the “Robb” at 4 a.m. thus abandoning the volunteer force which 
he had been sent to accompany and direct. Before sailing Capt. Akers 
instructed Col. Booker that if he did not hear from Col. Peacock approv- 
ing of the change, he was at 5a.m. to leave Port Colborne by Buffalo 
and Lake Huron train to Ridgeway Station, and from there march in- 
land to Stevensville. 
Col. Peacock did not approve of this change, and at 4.15 a.m. 
finding, in order to give the volunteers a meal, he would be delayed an 
hour in leaving, wired Col. Booker to delay his start to a similar extent. 
Before this message reached Port Colborne, Col. Booker with his forces 
had started, and it being sent after them on a hand car was only delivered 
to him at 7.30 at the beginning of the action with the Fenians. Capt. 
Akers afterwards admitted that he had told Col. Booker to leave an 
hour earlier than was necessary, as he did not think that the volunteers 
