FENIAN -WOTIIEBHOOD. 



187 



the 20th, about four hut; ::ins, partly 



I and carrying colors, pa-sol through 



\iinl, Olii. < :ist. A liillulii P of 



us also left ("meinnati for the <-:M ; and 

 inents of the body wore reported from 

 many points of ami southwest. On 



tli tin- Fenians assembled in secret con- 

 vention at, KuHalo, and an immediate descent 

 on Canada was talked of. Ten cases of arms, 

 ining about one thousand stands, were 

 mi the same day at St. Albans by the 

 Tinted States authorities. On the 31st two 

 hundred Fenians left Boston for Ogdensburp, 

 ::nd several companies started from New York 

 and Boston for the we>t. 

 Canada was thoroughly aroused at the pros- 

 of on invasion. The whole- volunteer 

 force of Western Canada was ordered to he 

 mobilized and placed under command of Sir 

 John Michel. Companies of regulars and vol- 

 unteers were moved to the threatened points 

 from Toronto, Hamilton, London, and St. 

 Catharine. 



The invasion took place on the 1st of June. 

 A force variously estimated at from twelve hun- 

 dred to fifteen hundred men crossed the Niag- 

 ara River at Buffalo in canal boats, and took 

 possession of Fort Erie, an old work then un- 

 occupied. The Fenians were under command 

 of Colonel O'Neil, a graduate of West Point, 

 an officer who had won some reputation during 

 the recent American war The invaders gen- 

 erally conducted themselves with decorum, 

 though they levied on the people for rations 

 and horses. On the 2d the Fenians and Cana- 

 dian volunteers, who had marched rapidly to 

 meet them, came into collision, and a sharp 

 skirmish ensued, in which nine volunteers were 

 reported killed and a much larger number 

 wounded. A number of Fenians were taken 

 prisoners. On the same day General Grant 

 arrived in Buffalo, and took steps to prevent 

 any more Fenians from crossing the river. He 

 issued an order to General Meade, directing 

 that General Barry be assigned to the com- 

 mand of the frontier, and intimating that, in 

 the event of further and more serious difficulty, 

 it might be advisable for State troops to be 

 called out. On the night of the 2d the inva- 

 sion culminated. The Fenians being without 

 supplies, artillery, and reinforcements, left their 

 encampments and attempted to withdraw to 

 the American shore. The United States gun- 

 boat Michigan intercepted and arrested about 

 seven hundred of the number. 



General Barry, then in command on the 

 frontier, accepted the following parole from 

 over fifteen hundred of the men, belonging to 

 the commands of Colonel Starr, of Louisville ; 

 Captain Kirk, of Chicago; Colonel McDonough, 

 of Philadelphia ; Captain Donohue, of Cincin- 

 nati; Captain Haggerty, of Indianapolis, and 

 others, and provided transportation for them to 

 their homes : 



We, the undersigned, belonging to the Fenian 

 Brotherhood, being now assembled in Buffalo, with 



intentions which have been decided br the United 

 - M in violation of the neutrality 

 laws of the United State*; but being now desiroiu 

 t i turn to our homes, do severally agree and prum- 

 ise to abandon our expedition against Canada, desist 

 fn.in any violation of the neutrality laws of tho 

 I 'nitcd States, and return immediately to our. re- 

 spective homes. 



The destinations of tho men were as follows: 



< 'Icveland 28 



Detroit 1 



Jackson, Mich 1 



Chicago , 623 



Milwaukee 29 



Oil City, Pa 87 



Nashville 6 



Danville, 111 82 



St. Louis 63 



Cincinnati 259 



Louisville 122 



Indianapolis 28 



Peoria, 111 62 



Terre Haute 12 



Fort Wayne 81 



La Porte, Ind 15 



Pittsburg 146 



Meadville 22 



Other points 60 



Total. 



.1566 



The officers were relieved on giving $500 

 bail each to appear at Canandaigua when re- 

 quired to answer for an infraction of the 

 neutrality laws. 



Fenians continued to pour into Buffalo to 

 the number of two thousand men, it was said, 

 but were ordered back by their commanding 

 officers. President Roberts issued an order, 

 advising the abandonment of tho enterprise for 

 the present. 



Brigadier-General Burns, of the Fenian 

 forces, published the following proclamation : 



BUFFALO, June 14, 1S66. 



To the Officer* and Soldiers of the Irish Army in Buffalo : 

 BROTHEBS: Orders haying been received from 

 President Roberts requesting you to return to your 

 homes, it becomes my duty to promulgate said 

 order in this department. Having been put a day 

 or two among you and witnessing with pride your 

 manly bearing and soldierly conduct in refraining 

 from all acts of lawlessness on the citizens of this 

 city, it grieves me to part with you so soon. I had 

 hoped to lead you against the common enemy of 

 human freedom, and would have done so had not 

 the extreme vigilance of the Government of the 

 United States frustrated our plans. It was the 

 United States, and not England, that impeded our 

 onward march to freedom. Return to your homes 

 for the present, with the conviction that this imped- 

 iment will soon be removed by the representatives 

 of the nation. Be firm in your determination to re- 

 new the contest when duty calls you forth. The 

 cause is too sacred to falter for a moment. Let your 

 present disappointment only prompt you to renewed 

 energy in the future. Be patient, bide your time, 

 organize your strength, and as liberty is your 

 watchword, it will finally be your reward. In 

 leaving this city, where you have bountifully shared 

 the hospitality of its citizens, I beg of you to main- 

 tain the same decorum that has characterized yonr 

 actions while here. In issuing this order I cannot 

 refrain from returning my thanks to General Barry, 

 for his marked courtesy in the performance of hii 

 duty as an officer and a gentleman. 



M. W. BURNS, 

 Brig.-Gen. Com. Irish Army at Buffalo. 



