The Fenian "invasion" of 1870 was really a complete disaster. By the second day the Fenian "army, not much more than a drunken rabble, faced the Canadians on one side of the border and U.S. troops on the other ready to arrest them for violating the Neutrality Act. The Fenian Brotherhood itself seemed to have no reason for being other than a pathological hatred of all things English. Much like the Americans who invaded Canada in 1812, they felt they would be greeted as liberators from the British "tyrants". Not that England hadn't committed many heinous acts in Ireland in the past but they were not viewed as foreign overlords in Canada except in Quebec.
The Battle of Eccles Hill May 25 1870 against American Fenian invaders.
- Thread starter drm3m
- Start date
Ballard, Spencers and Henry's....
....(in combat) I'd love any over an old Civil-War Enfield musket !....
Ballard, Spencers and Henry's....
This weekend, I shot a Cowboy Action match in which the participants had 1 Spencer and 2x Henry Rifles. Boy do those guns shoot slow in comparision to a good Winchester 73.
For those that have visited Eccles Hill,
Is there anything that you could point out for people to have a look at while visiting the battle site?
Accessibility for one and are there any things to see that are not always published.
What is the best way there?
Does anyone have any recent pictures?
Closer to home here, I was able to purchase an 1865 Spencer Carbine that was supposedly issued to the Milton Ontario Militia (Lorne Rifles - 20th Halton Battalion?) during the Fenian Invasions.
Is there anything that you could point out for people to have a look at while visiting the battle site?
Accessibility for one and are there any things to see that are not always published.
What is the best way there?
Does anyone have any recent pictures?
Closer to home here, I was able to purchase an 1865 Spencer Carbine that was supposedly issued to the Milton Ontario Militia (Lorne Rifles - 20th Halton Battalion?) during the Fenian Invasions.
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No comparison
, I agree..........but (and IIRC) the 1873 was the ultimate development of the Henry toggle-link 
, and one that definitely wasn't available in-time for the Fenian Raids !....
cigar man,
Congratulations on finding the Spencer with the Canadian history.
In the photo below you will see a Red Sash (Home Guard) standing on the captured Fenian cannon holding a Ballard rifle.
The fellow to the left seems to be holding a Spencer carbine.
Model 1860 Spencer carbine U.S. CW.
CW period serial number.
U.S inspector's acceptance stamps.
David
Congratulations on finding the Spencer with the Canadian history.
In the photo below you will see a Red Sash (Home Guard) standing on the captured Fenian cannon holding a Ballard rifle.
The fellow to the left seems to be holding a Spencer carbine.
Model 1860 Spencer carbine U.S. CW.
CW period serial number.
U.S inspector's acceptance stamps.
David
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maple_leaf_eh
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
In a word, no. There really isn't much to see. The trees have all grown back in the intervening 142 yrs. The land is owned by farmers who need to make a living. There MIGHT be some archeological interest, but remember leaves add a few inches of humus every decade, so you are fighting Mother Nature. I suspect there was very little lost on the battlefield either because it was quite a short battle.
There is a galvanized wire fence. There is a large cairn. There is a very odd cannon on a very conventional park-style concrete base. The field is mowed. And practically nothing else.
If I was to go for a walk in the woods, I would concentrate on the immediate reverse side of any exposed crests. I also pay a visit (with proper forewarning) to the landowners asking their permission to trudge through their woods. I would equip myself with a GPS receiver trying to monitor for the highest levels too. The site is too small for a 1/50,000 scale Govt of Canada topographic map to be much help. On the other hand, le gouvernment de Quebec publishes 1/20,000 (#?) scale maps which have better detail on natural features.
Wow, thanks for the reply.
Thats exactly what I wanted to hear.
I plan on going there in late September.
Sounds like the Battle of Ridgeway, not really a whole lot to see.
It is just great to be able to stand their though.
You can make a day or two of it if you want to follow there footsteps by car.
I have done it many times.
Each time you see something new that catches your eye.
There is a lot of Canadian History here.
Maybe we should start a thread pointing them all out across Canada.
War of 1812 - Battle of Stoney Creek - Lundys Lane - Battle of Ridgeway just to name a few around me.
I would love to see more on the Red River from Manitoba and so on, right across the country.
GunNutz has members that I bet have been to one place or another.
Anyone wishing to adventure could do so.
I know alot of areas here in my neck of the woods.
I will post more tonight.
Thank you.
I found a clearer photo of the captured Fenian cannon.
Photo of the Red Sashes with the captured Fenian cannon 1870.
Front row left to right-Asa Westover, Andrew Ten Eyck ,Arthur Gilmour, Charles Galer, and James G. Pell.
Back row- James Westover, Allen Hogaboon.
The cannon today---photo compliments of Ross Jones, who knows a lot about the Battle of Eccles Hill, and Fenian Raid stuff in general including the arms that were used....it is a passion for him.
A re-cap of the Battle of Eccles Hill May 25 1970.
On June 20, 1868, Asa Westover and Andrew Ten Eyck of Dunham, Quebec, organized a small band of local men into the Missisquoi Home Guard called. They were known as the “Red Sashes” because of the distinctive red band they wore across their chests. Although they used their own arms and ammunition initially, Westover and James Pell visited several factories in Massachusetts to determine a more suitable weapon for the home guard. They selected the breech-loading Ballard Sporting Rifle, which was known for its accuracy. The rumours of another invasion kept the home guard alert and, along with regular drill and sharp-shooting practices, they also selected strategic positions in which to place their men around Eccles Hill should the Fenians return.
“General” John O’Neill, a Union Army cavalry officer, a veteran of the Fenian battle of Ridgeway in 1866, and president of the Irish Republican Brotherhood senate, selected May 24 (the Queen's Birthday) for the second invasion. Perhaps he chose that date for the sense of drama it would make.
On May 23, every train bound north from New York, Boston, and the New England States, carried contingents of Fenian soldiers on their way to the appointed rendezvous at the border. The “General” established his headquarters in Franklin, Vermont, and the Fenian camp at Hubbard’s Farm, close to the town. O’Neill fully expected thousands of supporters, but once again, delays in transportation and communications meant that the forces failed to appear. Only about 800 reported for duty.
Unknown to O’Neill, however, the element of surprise was not in his favour. His chief lieutenant, Henri Caron, was really Thomas Billis Beach, a British spy who reported regularly to Canadian contacts on the developing plans. In addition, Asa Westover had established a network of scouts in Vermont to give him timely warning about Fenian activity at the border. Amusingly, as the day of the incursion at Eccles Hill approached, people from the surrounding countryside arrived in wagons to view the battle.
A presidential proclamation against “Fenianism” forbade a violation of the Neutrality Act but O’Neill was committed to his cause regardless of government restrictions and warnings. He delayed his invasion for one day in the belief that reinforcements could arrive in the night but by May 25, he knew he would be in a precarious position if he did not move his men away from advancing American troops and initiate his plans. About 11 o'clock on May 25, O’Neill gave immediate orders to his men to advance across the border. When the troops were assembled he addressed them saying:
“Soldiers! This is the advance guard of the Irish-American army for the liberation of Ireland from the yoke of the oppressor. For your own country you enter that of the enemy. The eyes of your countrymen are upon you. Forward! March!"
The Montreal militia which had been parading for the Victoria Day celebrations was prepared to move toward the border. A picket of the Richelieu Light Infantry was stationed at Des Rivières (Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge) and at Stanbridge East. The 52nd Waterloo Battalion, located at Dunham, and the 60th Missisquoi Battalion, “accustomed to false alarms,” made their way slowly to Eccles Hill. Only about forty men of the 60th Battalion had reported for duty under the command of Lt-Colonel Brown Chamberlin. Thus, when the Fenians crossed the border after the lunch hour on May 25, the Missisquoi Home Guard were the only force to hold the border from the Fenian advance. The Red Sashes were entrenched at their hidden vantage points and the Fenians never suspected that Eccles Hill was already lost to them.
O’Neill took an advance guard of 200 men across the border in “columns of four with fixed bayonets” and kept the rest of his men at Alva Rykert’s farm on the Vermont side. As soon as the last man crossed the line, the Red Sashes unleashed a “withering hail of bullets from their concealed positions” on the hill. Fenian flag bearer John Rowe of Burlington Vermont, and Fenian M. O’Brien of Moriah, New York, were killed; Lieutenant John Hallinan, Captain E. Croman and Privates James Keenan and Frank Carrigan were mortally wounded. Captain Croman was a Civil War veteran who had received a first-class certificate from the Montreal Military School for militia officers. He died of his wounds a few days after the battle. Frank Carrigan of Connecticut was only 19 years old.
The Fenians quickly scattered despite O’Neill’s endeavours to rally his men by shouting “Men of Ireland, I am ashamed of you.” The Canadian charge was too much for the Irish-Americans, who sprinted across the border, leaving much of their equipment behind. O’Neill himself went to Rykert’s attic to watch the events unfold and was soon taken prisoner by U.S. marshals for breaking the Neutrality Act. Although the remaining Fenians and other reinforcements were ready to take action, there seemed to be no direction once O’Neill was taken into custody.
When the Victoria Rifles and other volunteers arrived to bolster the Red Sashes, there was little for the Fenians to do but surrender. An intermittent exchange of gunfire continued until the evening hours but the raid was essentially over. The 60th Missisquoi Battalion took possession of the Fenian field gun and the jacket of Fenian John Rowe was taken from his body to present to Prince Arthur.
The incursions of the Fenians provided enough of an external threat to keep the Red Sashes on high alert for most of the summer of 1870. The few days of disruption to the normally peaceful countryside resulted in years of re-telling the stories of the Fenian raids. As time progressed and memories gave way to exaggeration, the raids were referred to as the Fenian battles or wars. By 1871, the Fenians were a spent force and the fragments of what once had been an enthusiastic organization gave up the idea of invading Canada even though they never relinquished their fidelity to Ireland.
David
Photo of the Red Sashes with the captured Fenian cannon 1870.
Front row left to right-Asa Westover, Andrew Ten Eyck ,Arthur Gilmour, Charles Galer, and James G. Pell.
Back row- James Westover, Allen Hogaboon.
The cannon today---photo compliments of Ross Jones, who knows a lot about the Battle of Eccles Hill, and Fenian Raid stuff in general including the arms that were used....it is a passion for him.
A re-cap of the Battle of Eccles Hill May 25 1970.
On June 20, 1868, Asa Westover and Andrew Ten Eyck of Dunham, Quebec, organized a small band of local men into the Missisquoi Home Guard called. They were known as the “Red Sashes” because of the distinctive red band they wore across their chests. Although they used their own arms and ammunition initially, Westover and James Pell visited several factories in Massachusetts to determine a more suitable weapon for the home guard. They selected the breech-loading Ballard Sporting Rifle, which was known for its accuracy. The rumours of another invasion kept the home guard alert and, along with regular drill and sharp-shooting practices, they also selected strategic positions in which to place their men around Eccles Hill should the Fenians return.
“General” John O’Neill, a Union Army cavalry officer, a veteran of the Fenian battle of Ridgeway in 1866, and president of the Irish Republican Brotherhood senate, selected May 24 (the Queen's Birthday) for the second invasion. Perhaps he chose that date for the sense of drama it would make.
On May 23, every train bound north from New York, Boston, and the New England States, carried contingents of Fenian soldiers on their way to the appointed rendezvous at the border. The “General” established his headquarters in Franklin, Vermont, and the Fenian camp at Hubbard’s Farm, close to the town. O’Neill fully expected thousands of supporters, but once again, delays in transportation and communications meant that the forces failed to appear. Only about 800 reported for duty.
Unknown to O’Neill, however, the element of surprise was not in his favour. His chief lieutenant, Henri Caron, was really Thomas Billis Beach, a British spy who reported regularly to Canadian contacts on the developing plans. In addition, Asa Westover had established a network of scouts in Vermont to give him timely warning about Fenian activity at the border. Amusingly, as the day of the incursion at Eccles Hill approached, people from the surrounding countryside arrived in wagons to view the battle.
A presidential proclamation against “Fenianism” forbade a violation of the Neutrality Act but O’Neill was committed to his cause regardless of government restrictions and warnings. He delayed his invasion for one day in the belief that reinforcements could arrive in the night but by May 25, he knew he would be in a precarious position if he did not move his men away from advancing American troops and initiate his plans. About 11 o'clock on May 25, O’Neill gave immediate orders to his men to advance across the border. When the troops were assembled he addressed them saying:
“Soldiers! This is the advance guard of the Irish-American army for the liberation of Ireland from the yoke of the oppressor. For your own country you enter that of the enemy. The eyes of your countrymen are upon you. Forward! March!"
The Montreal militia which had been parading for the Victoria Day celebrations was prepared to move toward the border. A picket of the Richelieu Light Infantry was stationed at Des Rivières (Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge) and at Stanbridge East. The 52nd Waterloo Battalion, located at Dunham, and the 60th Missisquoi Battalion, “accustomed to false alarms,” made their way slowly to Eccles Hill. Only about forty men of the 60th Battalion had reported for duty under the command of Lt-Colonel Brown Chamberlin. Thus, when the Fenians crossed the border after the lunch hour on May 25, the Missisquoi Home Guard were the only force to hold the border from the Fenian advance. The Red Sashes were entrenched at their hidden vantage points and the Fenians never suspected that Eccles Hill was already lost to them.
O’Neill took an advance guard of 200 men across the border in “columns of four with fixed bayonets” and kept the rest of his men at Alva Rykert’s farm on the Vermont side. As soon as the last man crossed the line, the Red Sashes unleashed a “withering hail of bullets from their concealed positions” on the hill. Fenian flag bearer John Rowe of Burlington Vermont, and Fenian M. O’Brien of Moriah, New York, were killed; Lieutenant John Hallinan, Captain E. Croman and Privates James Keenan and Frank Carrigan were mortally wounded. Captain Croman was a Civil War veteran who had received a first-class certificate from the Montreal Military School for militia officers. He died of his wounds a few days after the battle. Frank Carrigan of Connecticut was only 19 years old.
The Fenians quickly scattered despite O’Neill’s endeavours to rally his men by shouting “Men of Ireland, I am ashamed of you.” The Canadian charge was too much for the Irish-Americans, who sprinted across the border, leaving much of their equipment behind. O’Neill himself went to Rykert’s attic to watch the events unfold and was soon taken prisoner by U.S. marshals for breaking the Neutrality Act. Although the remaining Fenians and other reinforcements were ready to take action, there seemed to be no direction once O’Neill was taken into custody.
When the Victoria Rifles and other volunteers arrived to bolster the Red Sashes, there was little for the Fenians to do but surrender. An intermittent exchange of gunfire continued until the evening hours but the raid was essentially over. The 60th Missisquoi Battalion took possession of the Fenian field gun and the jacket of Fenian John Rowe was taken from his body to present to Prince Arthur.
The incursions of the Fenians provided enough of an external threat to keep the Red Sashes on high alert for most of the summer of 1870. The few days of disruption to the normally peaceful countryside resulted in years of re-telling the stories of the Fenian raids. As time progressed and memories gave way to exaggeration, the raids were referred to as the Fenian battles or wars. By 1871, the Fenians were a spent force and the fragments of what once had been an enthusiastic organization gave up the idea of invading Canada even though they never relinquished their fidelity to Ireland.
David
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I think that this is the Fenian jacket that JP referred to earlier in this thread.
Green jacket worn by a Fenian soldier during the second (1870) invasion of Canada.
This is believed to be the only surviving uniform of any of the Fenian invasions and is on loan to the Museum from Parks Canada, which are responsible for the Canadian national parks. The uniform would also have had a hat called a ‘green Kepi’ with it, again based on the US Army’s. We do not know who owned the uniform, but it was taken from a prisoner with the rifle during the second invasion of Canada in 1870 by Prince Arthur of Connaught, Queen Victoria’s third son, and presented to a regimental museum in England before being purchased by Parks Canada in the 1980s.
Brass buttons inscribed IRA, the first use of the term ‘Irish Republican Army’.
(Parks Canada)
Rifleman of the 3rd Battalion, Victoria Rifles of Canada (Montreal) in Marching Order, c.1870. Time-frame is the second period of Fenian Raids.
(Grant Rombough's photos.)
I don't own this book ....yet.
David
Green jacket worn by a Fenian soldier during the second (1870) invasion of Canada.
This is believed to be the only surviving uniform of any of the Fenian invasions and is on loan to the Museum from Parks Canada, which are responsible for the Canadian national parks. The uniform would also have had a hat called a ‘green Kepi’ with it, again based on the US Army’s. We do not know who owned the uniform, but it was taken from a prisoner with the rifle during the second invasion of Canada in 1870 by Prince Arthur of Connaught, Queen Victoria’s third son, and presented to a regimental museum in England before being purchased by Parks Canada in the 1980s.
Brass buttons inscribed IRA, the first use of the term ‘Irish Republican Army’.
(Parks Canada)
Rifleman of the 3rd Battalion, Victoria Rifles of Canada (Montreal) in Marching Order, c.1870. Time-frame is the second period of Fenian Raids.
(Grant Rombough's photos.)
I don't own this book ....yet.
David
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Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket purchased in Canada.
Probably more a U.S. Civil War gun than a Fenian Raid 1866 period piece.
Who knows as in 1866 they were were using CW rifle muskets.
This gun is .58 cal not .577. (24 bore vs 25 bore.)
An unusual marking which sometimes indicates a C.S. contol number.
But that is another story.
The bayonet for the Enfield Rifle Musket....showing two different coloured frogs.
The British cartridge for the Enfield Percussion Rifle Muskets on the left--the U.S cartridge for the Springfields on the right.
The Enfield bullet is shown at the bottom---the .58 cal minie ball bullets are the others.
A mix of Spencer cartridges.
The .44 cal. Ballard rifle cartridge. (No too easy to find---these are not mine.)
These .44 rim-fire long cartridges fired by the Red Sashes in their accurate Ballard rifles did the damage to the Fenian raiders on May 25 1870.
The Ballard rifle 44 Extra Long Rimfire was loaded with a 218 grain bullet, over 46 grains of Black Powder.
6th and 7th from the left I think.
Asa Westover's Ballard rifle S/N 20524 on display in the Brome County Historical Museum. The version purchased by Westover has certain features that set it apart from other Ballard target rifles of that period in that it has an unusual 30 inch long, full octagon barrel and what appear to be special order sights.
I believe that these are the makings that would be seen on his rifle.
David
Probably more a U.S. Civil War gun than a Fenian Raid 1866 period piece.
Who knows as in 1866 they were were using CW rifle muskets.
This gun is .58 cal not .577. (24 bore vs 25 bore.)
An unusual marking which sometimes indicates a C.S. contol number.
But that is another story.
The bayonet for the Enfield Rifle Musket....showing two different coloured frogs.
The British cartridge for the Enfield Percussion Rifle Muskets on the left--the U.S cartridge for the Springfields on the right.
The Enfield bullet is shown at the bottom---the .58 cal minie ball bullets are the others.
A mix of Spencer cartridges.
The .44 cal. Ballard rifle cartridge. (No too easy to find---these are not mine.)
These .44 rim-fire long cartridges fired by the Red Sashes in their accurate Ballard rifles did the damage to the Fenian raiders on May 25 1870.
The Ballard rifle 44 Extra Long Rimfire was loaded with a 218 grain bullet, over 46 grains of Black Powder.
6th and 7th from the left I think.
Asa Westover's Ballard rifle S/N 20524 on display in the Brome County Historical Museum. The version purchased by Westover has certain features that set it apart from other Ballard target rifles of that period in that it has an unusual 30 inch long, full octagon barrel and what appear to be special order sights.
I believe that these are the makings that would be seen on his rifle.
David
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powderman,
Thanks for posting the photo of the North West Mounted Policeman with the Ballard sporting rifle.
Someone asked what Eccles Hill looks like today.
I just received the photo below from people located in the area that found the location of the Red Sashes photo.
Same rock that the men were photographed on from a different angle.
Trees have grown since then.
The photo was taken in 2009. A member of their family was also related to James Pell and they are very familiar with the terrain where the Battle of Eccles Hill took place back on May 25 1870.
The Fenian Raid Monument in 2009.
David
Thanks for posting the photo of the North West Mounted Policeman with the Ballard sporting rifle.
Someone asked what Eccles Hill looks like today.
I just received the photo below from people located in the area that found the location of the Red Sashes photo.
Same rock that the men were photographed on from a different angle.
Trees have grown since then.
The photo was taken in 2009. A member of their family was also related to James Pell and they are very familiar with the terrain where the Battle of Eccles Hill took place back on May 25 1870.
The Fenian Raid Monument in 2009.
David
Great thread enjoyed all the Fenian info and all the old/new photos. Back to the issue of the existence of a Fenian medal, there is a book which lists all the names of those who applied for a medal, as a member of a militia unit. I have a copy of the book but have it lent out at the moment. I intend to get it soon and would look up any name if you know the militia unit or ask someone you know (antique medal dealer) if they have a copy
CANADA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL ROLL 1866-70 Hardcover – 1998
by John R. Ed. Thyen (Author)
CANADA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL ROLL 1866-70 Hardcover – 1998
by John R. Ed. Thyen (Author)
