Book: Ridgeway

S >> Scian Dubh >> Ridgeway




About six o'clock A.M., he sent word to Capt. Hynes and his friends at
Buffalo that the enemy could surround him before morning with five
thousand men, fully provided with artillery, and that his little
command, which had by this time considerably decreased, could not hold
out long, but that if a movement was going on elsewhere, he was
perfectly willing to make the Old Fort a slaughter pen, which he knew
it would be the next day if he remained. FOR HE WOULD NEVER HAVE
SURRENDERED.

Many of the men had not a mouthful to eat since Friday morning, and
none of them had eaten anything since the night before, and all after
marching forty miles and fighting two battles, though the last could
only properly be called a skirmish. They were completely worn out with
hunger and fatigue.

On receiving information that no crossing had been effected elsewhere,
he sent word to have transportation furnished immediately; and about
ten o'clock P.M. Capt. Hynes came from Buffalo and informed him that
arrangements had been made to recross the river.

Previous to this time some of the officers and men, realizing the
danger of their position, availed themselves of small boats and
recrossed the river, but the greater portion remained until the
transportation arrived, which was about 12 o'clock on the night of
June 2, and about 2 o'clock A.M. on the morning of the 3d, all except
a few wounded men were safely on board a large scow attached to a tug
boat which hauled into American waters. Here they were hailed by the
tug Harrison, belonging to the U.S. steamer Michigan, having on board
one 12-pounder pivot gun, which fired across their bows and threatened
to sink them unless they hauled to and surrendered. With this request
they complied; not because they feared the 12-pounder, or the still
more powerful guns of the Michigan, which lay close by, but because
they respected the authority of the United States, in defence of which
many of them had fought and bled during the late war. They would have
as readily surrendered to an infant bearing the authority of the
Union, as to Acting Master Morris of the tug Harrison, who is himself
an Englishman. The number thus surrendered was three hundred and
seventeen men, including officers.

The officers were taken on board the Michigan, and were well treated
by Capt Bryson and the gentlemanly officers of his ship, while the men
were kept on the open scow, which was very filthy, without any
accommodation whatever, and barely large enough for them to turn round
in. Part of the time the rain poured down on them in torrents. I am
not certain who is to blame for this cruel treatment; but whoever the
guilty parties are they should be loathed and despised by all men. The
men were kept on board the scow for four days and then discharged on
their own recognizances to appear at Canandaigna on the 19th of June,
to answer to the charge of having violated the Neutrality Laws. The
officers were admitted to bail. The report generally circulated, and,
I might say, generally believed, that the pickets were left behind,
and that they were captured by the enemy, is entirely false. Every man
who remained with the command, excepting a few wounded, had the same
chance of escaping that O'Neill himself had.

To the extraordinary exertions of our friends of Buffalo, F.B.
Gallagher, Wm. Burk, Hugh Mooney, James Whelan, Capt. James Doyle,
John Conners, Edward Frawley, James J. Crawley, M.T. Lynch, James
Cronin, and Michael Donahue, the command were indebted for being able
to escape from the Canadian side. Col. H.R. Stagg and Capt. McConvey,
of Buffalo, were also very assiduous in doing everything in their
power. Col. Stagg had started from Buffalo with about two hundred and
fifty men, to reinforce O'Neill, but the number was too small to be of
any use, and he was ordered to return. Much praise is due to Drs.
Trowbridge and Blanchard, of Buffalo, and Surgeon Donnelly, of
Pittsburg, for their untiring attendance to the wounded.

All who were with the command acted their parts so nobly that I feel a
little delicacy in making special mention of any, and shall not do so
except in two instances: One is Michael Cochrane, Color Sergeant of
the Indianapolis Company, whose gallantry and daring were conspicuous
throughout the fight at Ridgeway. He was seriously wounded, and fell
into the hands of the enemy. The other is Major John C. Canty, who
lived at Fort Erie. He risked everything he possessed on earth, and
acted his part gallantly in the field.

In the fight at Ridgeway, and the skirmish at Fort Erie, as near as
can be ascertained, the Fenian loss was eight killed and fifteen
wounded. Among the killed was Lieut. E.R. Lonergan, a brave young
officer, of Buffalo. Of the enemy, thirty were killed and one hundred
wounded.

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