Royal Scots of Canada Highlanders - Electric Scotland

The Fenian Raids of 1866
The year 1866 will always be a memorable one for
Canada, and especially lor the national militia, that being
the year of the first Fenian Raids. Before the raids
actually took place, there was much anxiety felt in Mont
real, for apart altogether from the temptation Montreal
offered to raiders in the way of boot}', and the readycommunication
existing between the city and the chief
centres of population in the United States, it was known
that a branch of the Fenian Brotherhood existed in
Montreal, and it was believed to be a very active body.
During the winter, stories to the effect, that the Fenians
intended to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by capturing the
chief cities of Canada, were given wide circulation. Some
days before that date, the police in making a search on
old Bouaventure street (now St. James West), near the
corner of little St. Antoine street, in connection with an
arrest for an infringement of the revenue laws, discovered
a number of Fenian uniforms and ,some military equipment,
and it was feared that the city might be in as
much risk from the local Fenians as from those in the
United States. The discovery was duly reported to the
federal officials, and the following day the military authorities
took steps to guard against trouble. Detachments
of militia were called out for service in Montreal,
Toronto, Cornwall, Kingston and elsewhere. In Montreal
the militia armories were strongly guarded, and
guards posted at both ends of the Victoria bridge, at
the gas hou.se, and various other points. The 5th
Battalion, Royal Light Infantry, had their share of these
duties. The night before St. Patrick's Day, Number
Two Company, under Captain Campbell, acted as inlying
picquet, being stationed eVl uigfht at the Court
House. There were a few alarms, some pistol firing
occurred, but nothing more. In the month ol April,
there was great activity among the Fenians in the
United States. Along the New York and Vermont
frontiers, con.siderable bodies of Fenians gathered and
drilled, the men being accommodated in the huts erected
for the shelter of United States troops, while being mobilized
during the war with the Confederate States. As
a matter of precaution, a considerable force of Canadian
volimteers was kept constantly ready.
warning a company of
With very little
the Victoria Rifles and one of the
5th Royals were ordered to Cornwall, where on account
of the close proximity of the town and the canal to the
United States frontier, a considerable force was stationed
for some time. Captain Bacon, commanded the company
of the "Vies," and, although not the senior captain,
Captain Campbell, with his company was ordered to represent
the Royals. The Montreal volunteers foimd a
number of very line country companies in Cornwall, and
with them were formed into a provisional battalion
under command of I/ieut .-Colonel Higginson. Captain
Bacon's company formed the right flank company, and
Captain Campbell's the left flank one. The duties were
onerous. The volunteers drilled very hard, and performed
a great deal of guard duty, a full company mounting
guard every night on the jail, where several Fenian prisoners
were confined.
The cotmtry companies of the battalion were composed
of very fine men, their physique being far ahead of
the Montreal companies, but in respect to drill and
smartness, the city men carried off the palm. The men
were billeted out in the town, and officers and men received
the most cordial and hospitable treatment imaginable.
Upon the return of the Montreal companies
to the city, Ca[)tain Campbell's company was warmly
complimented upon its efliciancy by Lieut, -Colonel
Pakenham, who commanded the military school.
The other officers of Captain Campbell's company
were Lieut. J. W. Kirkwood and Ensign Martin Mathieson.
The senior non-commissioned officer was Color-
Sergeant
Dickson.
During the spring and early summer, there continued
to be threatening movements among the Fenians along
the frontier and at such points of Fenian activity as
New York and Chicago. June the 1st Canada was
startled from end to end by the news that O'Neill's force
had crossed from Buffalo and actually invaded the
Niagara peninsula. This movement at once emboldened
the Fenians along the western section of the frontier
and caused anxiety in Canada lest the Fenians who had
been for so long massing at St. Albans, and Burlington,
Vt., and Rouses Point and Malone, N.Y., should
try to make good their long-standing threats to endeavor
to capture Montreal. As a matter of fact considerable
forces of Fenians from Vermont and the New
England States did subsequently make a couple of raids
across the Vermont frontier near Pigeon Hill and advanced
some distance, each time in straggling order, in
the direction of Frelighsburg, or Slab City as it was
then called, withdrawing across the lines in each case.
The second party of raiders had the ill-luck to come in
contact with an advancing force, consisting of regulars,