Book: Ridgeway

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After the fight at Fort Erie, many of the Fenians, understanding that
they were not to be reinforced and that the enemy was about coming
down on them in force and hemming them in on all sides, made the best
of their way across the river. The great bulk of the command, however,
stood by O'Neill; until about midnight, when a large scow attached to
a steam tug approached the Canadian shore and took the whole of the
remaining forces on board. Laden thus, they steamed out into the
middle of the river, when a 12-pound shot fired across their bows,
from the tug Harrison, belonging to the U.S. Steamer Michigan,
brought them to--doubtless to the extreme delight of Acting
Sailing-Master Morris who seemed anxious enough to fire the gun and
make the capture; although they would at the moment have stuck to a
child hearing the authority of the United States. It is significant,
however, that the over-officiousness of Mr. Morris has not tended much
to his advantage as he no longer belongs to the United States Navy; he
having been quite as unfortunate as a certain District Attorney, who,
also, endeavored to impress the Government as to his undoubted
unfriendliness to the cause of Irish freedom. The lesson may be
profitable to Government officials at some future period; and prevent
them from exceeding the simple and unprejudiced bounds of their duty.
Be this as it may, about two o'clock on the morning of the third of
June the scow was brought along side the Michigan and the officers
taken on board that vessel and handed over to the urbane and
gentlemanly Capt. Bryson, its commander, as prisoners under the
authority of the United States; while the men were detained in the
same character aboard the scow.

We are unable to trace to any particular source, the cruelty inflicted
upon these latter noble fellows, in keeping them for days in that open
vessel huddled together, and with the rain for a portion of that
period, descending upon them in torrents. The disgrace of such a
proceeding has been so often denounced, that we dismiss this part of
the subject without further comment. Ultimately, they were all
liberated on their own recognizance, to appear about the middle of the
month at Canaudaigua, to answer for a breach of the Neutrality Laws;
and there the matter ended.

Now, however, the arms and ammunition belonging to the Brotherhood had
been seized at every point except Buffalo. In addition, the volunteers
who poured to the frontier from every side found themselves helpless,
being without weapons or a commissariat: although the brave General
Spear, with but a handful of men, made a descent subsequently upon the
enemy at St. Albans, and put them to a most ignominious flight.
According to General Meade, of the United States Army, between thirty
and forty thousand of these brave fellows were furnished with
transportation back to their homes at the expense of the Government;
while the arms that were seized were subsequently returned to the
authorities of the Organization on certain conditions that have been
for so far complied with.

Thus ended the first invasion of Canada under the gallant O'Neill,
who, on his return from the campaign, was made a General and
Commander-in-chief of the Army of the Irish Republic, and who, in
addition, was subsequently elevated, to the position of President of
the Fenian Organization throughout the world. What his next move may
be, we are unable to say; but this we know, it will be in the right
direction and likely to succeed. He had no doubt been spared on the
numerous battle-fields on which he fought so bravely, for some wise
purpose: and this purpose, we feel, is in connection with the freedom
of Ireland. For the present, then, we bid him and his noble comrades
adieu; hoping the next time we shall have occasion to refer to them,
the power of England may be broken on this continent, and the green
flag of old Ireland floating over the Castle of Dublin. Our hopes of
success were never brighter than they appear to be at this, the moment
of our writing. We have an immense army in preparation for the field,
and a noble and self-sacrificing Senate and band of Organizers that
may well command his confidence and that of every Irish Nationalist in
the world. For the benefit of our readers, we here give the names of
the members of both these bodies, so that they shall be known and
cherished throughout the globe. We might single out from amongst them,
that of the able and patriotic P.J. Meehan, Esq., editor of the _Irish
American_, and bold it up to the admiration of our countrymen
everywhere: but where all have acted so nobly we shall include all as
worthy of praise alike; although we could point out D. O'Sullivan,
Esq., Secretary of Civil Affairs, A.L. Morrison, Esq., of Chicago, and
a host of others, as eminently entitled to our love and admiration;
while, were we permitted to do so, we could illumine our pages with
the names of thousands of our fair countrywomen and their beautiful
American sisters who have laid their hands to the good work with all
the passion and nobility of their pure and generous natures: but we
must for the present content ourselves with the following list and its
recent modifications, at the Seventh National Congress of the Fenian
Brotherhood, which assembled at Philadelphia on Tuesday, November
24th. 1868:

_NAMES OF SENATORS OF THE FENIAN BROTHERHOOD_.

JAMES GIBBONS, ESQ., Vice President, F.B. 333 Chestnut St., Philadelphia.
THOMAS LAVAN, ESQ., 13 Superior Street, Cleveland, Ohio.
T.J. QUINN, ESQ., Albany, N.Y.
MILES D. SWEENEY, ESQ., San Francisco. Cal.
JOHN CARLETON, ESQ., Bordentown, N.J.
F.B. GALLAGHER, ESQ., Buffalo, N.Y.
P.W. DUNNE, ESQ., Peoria. Ill.
EDWARD L. CAREY, ESQ., New York City.
PATRICK J. MEEHAN, ESQ., Hudson City, N.J.
PETER CUNNINGHAM, ESQ., Utica, N.Y.
MICHAEL FINNEGAN, ESQ., Houghton, Mich.
J.C. O'BRIEN, ESQ., Rochester, N.Y.
WM. FLEMING, ESQ., 16 Congress Street Troy, N.Y.
HON. J.W. FITZGERALD, Ellen Street, Cincinnati, Ohio.
PATRICK SWEENEY, ESQ., Newburgh Street, Lawrence, Mass.

_NAMES OF ORGANIZERS OF THE FENIAN BROTHERHOOD_[1]

JOHN F. FINNERTY, ESQ.
JAMES BRENNAN, ESQ.
COLONEL P.F. WALSH.
MAJOR WM. McWILLIAMS.
H.M. WILLIAMS, ESQ.
HENRY LE CARON, ESQ.
MAJOR TIMOTHY O'LEARY.
JOSEPH SMOLENSKI, ESQ.
E.C. LEWIS, ESQ.
COLONEL WM. CLINGEN.
FRED. O'DONNELL, ESQ.
H.M. SULLIVAN, ESQ.

(FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DISPATCHES)

PHILADELPHIA. NOVEMBER 29, 1868.

"The Seventh National Congress of the Fenian Brotherhood adjourned
_sine die_ at six o'clock this morning, the delegates having sat from
three o'clock P.M., on Saturday, determined to finish their business
in one session. General JOHN O'NEILL was unanimously re-elected
President, and resolutions were adopted, approving his administration
of the affairs of the Brotherhood.

"The following named Senators, nine in number, were elected to fill
vacancies:--

"J.C. O'Brien, Rochester, N.Y.; J.W. Fitzgerald, Cincinnati, Ohio;
Major J. McKinley, Nashville, Tenn.; R. McCloud, Norwich, Conn.; J.E.
Downey, Providence, R.I.; P. Bannon, Louisville, Ky.; W.J. Hynes,
Washington, D.C.; P.J. Meehan, New York; Colonel John O'Neill,
Dubuque, Iowa.

"The following named Senators hold over under the Constitutional rule,
having been elected for two years at the Cleveland Congress:--

"James Gibbons, of Philadelphia; Miles D. Sweeney, of San Francisco;
T.J. Quinn, of Albany, N.Y.; E.L. Carey, of New York; P.W. Dunne, of
Peoria, Ill.; Frank B. Gallagher, of Buffalo, N.Y.

"What may be termed the central authority of the Brotherhood, within
the Senate, stands thus, Dec., 1868:

"PRESIDENT--GENERAL JOHN O'NEILL.
_Executive Committee_--VICE PRESIDENT GIBBONS, P.J. MEEHAN and E.L. CAREY.
_Acting Sec. of War_--P.J. MEEHAN.
_Assistant Treasurer_--JOHN P. BROPHY.
_Sec. of Civil Affairs_--DAN. O'SULLIVAN, of Auburn.
_Assistant Secretaries_--FRANK RUNEHAN and RUDOLPH FITZPATRICK.
_Treasurer_--PATRICK KEENAN."

As we have referred to the recent Congress at Philadelphia, the
following article from the Philadelphia _Age_ November 27, 1868, will
be interesting to our readers as indicative of the present standing
and prospects of the Brotherhood on this continent:

"One of the great events of Thanksgiving Day, outside of the
festivities of the home circle and the attendance on public worship,
was the grand demonstration by the Irishmen of Philadelphia in honor
of the assembling of the Fenian Congress in this city. This body,
which consists of delegates from all parts of the world, has been
holding secret sessions at the Assembly Buildings during the week, and
important results have been anticipated by the friends of Ireland all
over the world.

"The parade was quite a success, and reflected great credit on the
managers. Mr. John Brennan was Chief Marshal, assisted by Frank
McDonald, Marshal First Division; Michael Moane, Second Division;
James Carr, Third Division; John McAtee, Fourth Division; Michael D.
Kelly, Fifth Cavalcade, with the following Aids--John A. Keenan, R.J.
Keenan, Andrew Wynne, Thomas N. Stack, Capt. F. Quinlan.

"The line commenced moving about half-past three o'clock, in the
following order, the military having the right of the line:

"Gen. John O'Neill, President of the Fenian Brotherhood, and the
following Staff--Gen. J. Smolenski, Chief-of-Staff; Col. John W. Byron,
Asst. Adjt.-General; Col. J.J. Donnelly, of Engineers; Major T. O'Leary,
of Ordnance; Major Henry LeCaron, Com. Subsistence; Dr. Donnelly,
Surgeon; Capt. Wm. J. Hynes, Assistant Inspector; Lieut.-Col. Sullivan,
Aide-de-Camp; Lieut.-Col. Atkinson, Aide-de-Camp; Lieut.-Col. John W.
Dunne, Aid-de-Camp; Capt. J. Smolenski, Aide-de-Camp; Capt. J. Driscoll,
Aide-de-Camp.

"There were three regiments of the Irish Republican Army in line; they
numbered fully two thousand men, and were clad in their new uniform.
The three regiments parading were the Eighth, Ninth and Twenty-fourth.
The brigade was commanded by Col. William Clingen, Major Daniel A.
Moore, Asst. Adj't-Gen.

"The Eighth Regiment was commanded by Col. P.S. Tinah, the Ninth by
Col. J. O'Reilly, and the Twenty-fourth by Col. Michael Kirwan. The
military was followed by numerous civic societies. There were nineteen
Circles of the Fenian Brotherhood and three hundred delegates to the
Fenian Congress, besides the Charles Carroll Beneficial Society and
the Buchanan Beneficial Society. The civic portion of the parade
numbered about five thousand men. The participants wore dark suits and
badges, and pieces of green ribbon tied in the button-holes of their
coats.

"In the line of the procession was a handsome chariot drawn by six
gray horses. It was painted green and gold; the platform was covered
with beautiful oilcloth, and on it was placed a large brass bell,
supported on a green framework. This bell was kept tolling over the
whole route of the procession. In the rear of the chariot was a raised
platform, on which sat a beautiful daughter of Erin, dressed as a
Goddess of Liberty, holding a beautiful silk banner. She was seated
underneath an arch of gold stars, set on a field of white satin, and
the top of the arch was covered with holly and evergreen. The rear of
the arch and the back of the chariot were covered by a beautiful
anchor of hope, made entirely of flowers. The horses were decked with
red, white and blue plumes and large silk pennants. The whole
arrangement made a very fine display, and elicited much applause along
the route.

"A banner was carried in the line of the civic societies, containing
the following, in gold letters on a field of green satin:

"Delegates--remember the words of our martyred O'Brien, to unite in
God's name, for Ireland and liberty. God save Ireland.

"An outline cross in gold covered the front of the banner.

"Along the route advertised, the sidewalks were lined by expectant
watchers, in some instances three or four abreast. They waited
patiently for nearly three long hours before the head of the line
appeared. Green flags, with yellow harps and the words 'Erin go
Bragh,' were plentifully distributed throughout the crowd. The
universal color was green; green ribbons in button-holes, green
neckties, green badges, green flags, green coats, green sashes and
green uniforms. The bands played 'Wearing of the Green,' continually.
'Green grow the Rushes, O,' 'The Green above the Red,' and
'Garry-owen' were the only substitutes.

"There was a great deal of enthusiasm manifested all along the route,
and the procession did not cease marching until the shades of evening
had approached."

But to resume, once more, the thread of our story:--In due time the
establishment of The Harp was disposed of to advantage, and the sum
realized from it placed in the hands of O'Brien by his sister who had
made her way to Buffalo according to his directions. When matters
quieted down in the vicinity of Ridgeway, Martha paid a visit to her
friend Kate, and was soon followed by Henry with a view to keeping his
word in relation to their marriage which took place on the same
evening and under the same roof with that of Kate and Nicholas. The
joint affair was a grand one; many guests having been invited to the
wedding; among whom were some officers of the I.R.A., and all that
survived of Barry's comrades. Tom, was in his glory; and as all the
military men present had been at Ridgeway, the _pros_ and _cons_ of
that important battle were discussed in a manner the most lively and
entertaining. Then and there, it was voted, that although the invasion
of the Provinces had not at the moment, resulted in any immediate
benefits to the Irish, it had given a prestige to the arms of Ireland
in an individual and national sense, not realized by that country for
ages. Not since the palmy days of our early chivalry, had British soil
been invaded by a hostile Irish army, until O'Neill broke the ice at
Ridgeway; and at no period in the history of the nation had a mere
handful of men performed greater miracles of valor or been handled
with more consummate judgment and daring.

In the course of a few days, Mr. and Mrs. Evans returned to their home
near Ridgeway; and prevailed upon Mrs., now the widow Wilson, to
dispose of the house and property identified with so many unhappy
associations, and near which the young wife could not now be induced
to venture. In the roomy and commodious dwelling of the Evans' she
found a home; and in the course of time began to wear a more cheerful
aspect, and forget, in a measure, the dreadful ordeal through which
she had passed. Nevertheless, no real sunshine visited her brow, as
the shadow that had fallen on it was too deep and sorrowful for even
the peace and quiet now promised her in the decline of her years.

Six months after their marriage, the Barrys were apprised of their
success regarding the Chancery-suit; but so enormous were the expenses
attending it, that, after all, the benefits accruing from it were
something similar to those experienced by Gulliver after his having
encountered and overcome all the difficulties that could have possibly
beset humanity. Still they were richer through its having been decided
in their favor; and were enabled on the strength of it to purchase a
handsome dwelling near their friends of the Rock, where they still
reside in comfortable if not affluent circumstances. Tom and his
sister, old bachelor and old maid, are once again in business, but
this time not in the restaurant line; and had we not given assumed
names throughout our whole story in so far as he and Barry are
concerned, his establishment might be recognized at any period by
those acquainted with Buffalo and its vicinity, or such as have passed
along a certain well-known thoroughfare to Black Rock. His faith never
falters in relation to the independence of Ireland; and he still keeps
up his connection with the Brotherhood on both sides of the line;
often receiving from Canada lengthy and mysterious epistles written by
Burk, over which he pores, from time to time, with sundry nods, winks
and significant smiles.

Henry and Martha are now occasionally to be seen at the Rock; the
former wearing a green necktie, and the latter as happy as the day is
long. In the arms of both Kate and Martha are now two sweet
prattlers--one christened, John O'Neill Barry, and the other, Martha
Ridgeway Evans. Perhaps in after years they in turn may plight their
vows on the banks of the Niagara, as Kate and Nicholas had done by
those of the Shannon. Kate now and then visits her friends at their
residence on the Canadian side of the lakes; but Nicholas is of the
impression, that he is quite as well off in judiciously remaining at
home to look after the affairs of their establishment. Sometimes,
however, he gazes across the river and wonders how soon again he shall
have an opportunity of measuring swords with the ancient enemy of his
race; while Tom has made up his mind to handle a rifle himself, the
next time that O'Neill sounds "to horse!"

And so ends our story of Ridgeway, with all the difficulties, loves,
hopes and fears connected with it. Throughout the whole of our
narrative we have been faithful to circumstances where the interests
of the truth required that we should be just and impartial. In this
connection we have been guided solely by personal knowledge and the
evidence of respectable eye-witnesses; and by official documents of
the campaign, the veracity of which are beyond any question whatever.
Here, then, we bid our readers good-bye for the present; trusting that
we may soon again renew our acquaintance, and that we have not done
injustice to any party; for, notwithstanding the slight tinge of
romance with which our facts are interwoven, we have, after all,
presented nothing for their perusal at variance with truth, or, we
hope, prejudicial to society.

_THE END_.


[1] Although we are under the impression that others of these
gentlemen than those designated belong to the I.R.A. yet we are unable
to give their military rank, from the fact of our not being able, at
the time of our writing, to obtain proper intelligence on the subject.




AUTHENTIC REPORT OF THE
_Invasion of Canada, and the Battle of Ridgeway_,

By the Army of the Irish Republic, under General O'NEILL, June, 1866.

About midnight, on the 31st May, the men commenced moving from Buffalo
to Lower Black Rock, about three miles down the river, and at 3:30 A.M.,
on the 1st of June, all of the men, with the arms and ammunition, were
on board four canal boats, and towed across the Niagara River, to a
point on the Canadian side called Waterloo, and at 4 o'clock A.M.,
the Irish flag was planted on British soil, by Colonel Starr, who had
command of the first two boats.

On landing, O'Neill immediately ordered the telegraph wires leading
from the town to be cut down; and sent a party to destroy the
railroad bridge leading to Port Colborne.

Colonel Starr, in command of the Kentucky and Indiana troops,
proceeded through the town of Fort Erie to the old Fort, some three
miles distant up the river, and occupied it for a short time, hoisting
the Irish flag.

O'Neill then waited on the Reeve of Fort Erie, and requested him to
see some of the citizens of the place, and have them furnish rations
for the men, at the same time assuring him that no depredations on
the citizens would be permitted, as he had come to drive out British
authority from the soil, and not for the purpose of pillaging the
citizens. The request for provisions was cheerfully complied with.

About 10 o'clock A.M., he moved into camp on Newbiggin's Farm,
situated on Frenchman's Creek, four miles down the river from Fort
Erie, where he remained till 10 o'clock P.M.

During the afternoon, Capt. Donohue, of the 18th, while out in command
of a foraging party, on the road leading to Chippewa, came up with the
enemy's scouts, who fled at his approach.

Later in the afternoon, Col. Hoy was sent with one hundred men in the
same road. He also came up with some scouts about six miles from camp.
Here he was ordered to halt.

By this time--8 o'clock P.M.--information was received that a large
force of the enemy, said to be five thousand strong, with artillery,
were advancing in two columns; one from the direction of Chippewa, and
the other from Port Colborne; also, that troops from Port Colborne
were to make an attack from the lake side.

Here truth compels me to make an admission that I would fain have kept
from the public. Some of the men who crossed over with us the night
before, managed to leave the command during the day, and recross to
Buffalo, while others remained in houses around Fort Erie. This I
record to their lasting disgrace.

On account of this shameful desertion, and the fact that arms had been
sent out for eight hundred men, O'Neill had to destroy three hundred
stand, to prevent them falling into the bands of the enemy. At this
time he could not depend on more than five hundred men, about
one-tenth of the reputed number of the enemy, which he knew were
surrounding him. Rather a critical position, but he had been sent to
accomplish a certain object, and he was determined to accomplish it.

At 10 o'clock P.M., he broke camp, and marched towards Chippewa, and
at midnight changed direction, and moved on the Limestone Ridge road,
leading toward Ridgeway; halting a few hours on the way to rest the
men;--this for the purpose of meeting the column advancing from Port
Colborne. His object was to get between the two columns, and, if
possible, defeat one of them before the other could come to its
assistance.

At about 7 o'clock A.M., 2d of June, when within three miles of
Ridgeway, Col. Owen Starr in command of the advanced guard, came up
with the advance of the enemy, mounted, and drove them some distance,
till he got within sight of their skirmish line, which extended on
both sides of the road about half a mile. By this time, O'Neill could
hear the whistle of the railroad cars which brought the enemy from
Port Colborne. He immediately advanced his skirmishers, and formed
line of battle behind temporary breastworks made of rails, on a road
leading to Fort Erie, and running parallel with the enemy's line. The
skirmishing was kept up over half an hour, when, perceiving the enemy
flanking him on both aides, and not being able to draw out their
centre, which was partially protected by thick timber, befell back a
few hundred yards, and formed a new line. The enemy seeing he had only
a few men--about four hundred--and supposing that he had commenced a
retreat, advanced rapidly in pursuit. When they got close enough, he
gave them a volley, and then charged them, driving them nearly three
miles, through the town of Ridgeway. In their hasty retreat they threw
away knapsacks, guns, and everything that was likely to retard their
speed, and left some ten or twelve killed and twenty-five or thirty
wounded, with twelve prisoners, in his hands. Amongst the killed was
Lieut. McEachern, and amongst the wounded Lieut. Ruth, both of the
"Queen's Own." The pursuit was given up about a mile beyond Ridgeway.

Although he had met and defeated the enemy, yet his position was still
a very critical one. The reputed strength of the enemy engaged in the
fight was fourteen hundred, composed of the "Queen's Own," the 13th
Hamilton Battalion, and other troops. A regiment which had left Fort
Colburne was said to be on the road to reinforce them. He also knew
that the column from Chippewa would hear of the fight, and in all
probability move up in his rear.

Thus situated, and not knowing what was going on elsewhere, he decided
that his best policy was to return to Fort Erie, and ascertain if
crossings had been made at other points, and if so, he was willing to
sacrifice himself and his noble little command, for the sake of
leaving the way open, as he felt satisfied that a large proportion of
the enemy's forces had been concentrated against him.

He collected a few of his own wounded, and put them in wagons, and for
want of transportation had to leave six others in charge of the
citizens, who promised to look after them and bury the dead of both
sides. He then divided his command, and sent one half, under Col.
Starr, down the railroad, to destroy it and burn the bridges, and with
the other half took the pike road leading to Fort Erie. Col. Starr got
to the old Fort about the same time that he himself did to the village
of Fort Erie, 4 o'clock P.M. He (Starr) left the men there under the
command of Lieut. Col. Spaulding, and joined O'Neill in a skirmish
with a company of the Welland Battery, which had arrived there from
Port Colborne in the morning, and which picked up a few of the men who
had straggled from the command the day before. They had these men
prisoners on board the steamer "Robb." The skirmish lasted about
fifteen minutes, the enemy firing from the houses. Three or four were
killed, and some eight or ten wounded, on each side.

It was here that Lieut. Col. Bailey was wounded, while gallantly
leading the advance on this side of the town. Here forty-five of the
enemy were taken prisoners, among them Capt. King, who was wounded,
(leg since amputated,) Lieut. McDonald, Royal Navy, and Commander of
the steamer "Robb," and Lieut. Nemo, Royal Artillery. O'Neill then
collected his men, and posted Lieut. Col. Grace, with one hundred men,
on the outskirts of the town, guarding the road leading to Chippewa,
while with the remainder of the command he proceeded to the old Fort.

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