THE FENIAN MOVEMENT 201 



Toronto volunteers, "The Queen's Own," largely made up of students, 

 came upon the Fenians lying " encamped in the bush." They attacked, 

 but by the time two or three dozen of their number were killed or wounded 

 they became fully convinced that they were overwhelmingly outnum- 

 bered' so retreated. 1 Twenty-one of Erin's most devoted sons were 

 killed or wounded in the affray. During Saturday other Canadian 

 forces arrived and by nightfall Colonel O'Neill, 2 who was in command 

 of the Fenian army, had decided that the better part of valor was to 

 return to Buffalo. That night, without taking the trouble of calling 

 in his sentinels or warning the stragglers, he embarked in his canal 

 boats 3 for the American side. But no sooner had his tugs gotten the 

 canal boats well started than the United States steamer "Michigan," 

 which had been lying in the port at Buffalo all this time, appeared 

 on the scene, relieved the tugs of their precious load, and itself hauled the 

 canal boats, Irishmen and all, into Buffalo. Here the United States 

 district marshal put the entire army under arrest. 4 



Although this was the most effective measure, it was not the first 

 one taken by the United States authorities to prevent the Fenians from 

 breaking our neutrality laws. As early as May 21, they began to seize 

 and confiscate Fenian arms, seizing on that date, so the Providence 

 Daily Journal* reported, 87 cases of arms in Erie, Pa. Ammunition 

 and arms were seized at other places, especially after June 1. The 

 more notable seizures 6 were at New York City, 7 Buffalo, 8 Potsdam, 

 Ogdensburg, and St. Albans. On June 1, detachments of regular 

 troops were ordered to Buffalo. General Meade himself went to the 

 frontier. The revenue cutters were called in. 9 The United States 



» Providence Daily Journal, June n, 1866, p. 2; Diplomatic Correspondence, 1866, Vol. I, p. 126. 



* "A Confederate General," Harpers' Weekly, June 23, 1866; Providence Daily Journal, May 5, 1866. 

 J They crossed over in four canal boats drawn by two tugs. 



* Seven hundred were thus arrested (Diplomatic Correspondence, 1866, Vol. I, p. 126). Later a body of 

 Fenians crossed into Canada from St. Albans, and another band threatened Prescott, Can., aiming at the Ottawa, 

 but both were easily driven back by Canadian troops (.4 Short History 0! the Canadian People, p. 469). 



5 May 22, 1866; despatch from New York. 



« Correspondence Relating to the Fenian Invasion, p. 144; Geneva Arbitration, Vol. II, p. 257 (names also 

 Erie, Oswego, Pittsburg, Malone, and Troy). 



' "A small number of arms with a large mass of ammunition." — Diplomatic Correspondence, Vol. I, p. 126. 



* In all 20 boxes valued at $2,000 (Geneva Arbitration, Vol. II, pp. 257, 258; from New York Times), 

 » Diplomatic Correspondence, 1866, Vol. I, p. 126; Providence Daily Journal, June 2, 1866. 



