Narrative of the Fenian invasion of CanadaSomerville, Alexander
History
Narrative of the Fenian invasion of Canada
Somerville, Alexander
Canada -- History -- Fenian Invasions, 1866-1870
The gentlemen indicated by this officer were not called, though their
names, on behalf of the slandered 13th, were furnished to the Court
of Inquiry. As was also the name of Captain McGrath, Manager of the
Welland Railway, whose important statement will be read presently. At
the end of August while these pages are preparing for the press, I am
in receipt of a letter; from which the following extract is made in
reference to the passages just quoted: “Had Lieut. Davis been called
before the court he would have given his evidence without any malice,
fear, or favour.”
“Must go to the lake shore.” Could not halt then. The lake shore,
from the point where this fugitive speech was made, Mrs. Ryerson’s
house or thereabout, was eight, or ten, or more miles away according
to the road he might take. By the road he took it was twelve miles
away.
Major Gilmore says (C. of In.) he could have at any time halted and
gathered around him a few hundreds of men, but deemed the effort of
no use. He saw officers at different points of the road “exciting
themselves frantically” to arrest the retreat. Such were his words,
but he was more cool and allowed things to happen as fate and
confusion without a commander would have it. Lieut. Arthur of the
Q. O. has been reported as grandly stemming the tide of retreat,
in its very front, at Ridgeway. He may have been one of those who
“frantically excited themselves.” A more practical question, is;
how did Lieut. Arthur get there so soon? Mr. Arthur a civilian gave
evidence to the Court of Inquiry somewhat exculpatory of Booker. But
it is not forgotten at Hamilton that this same Mr. Arthur returned
from the field of action, where he had been a non-combatant, on the
evening of 2nd of June, and at the railway depot was the first to
give intimation that Booker had broken down as commander and made a
fool of himself.
Men of the 13th called to mind on the line of retreat, that when
Booker was largely pompous at the Hamilton drill-shed on the previous
morning he said, “I know you will follow me.” They followed, but only
a few could get sight of him.
Captains Grant, Askin, Ferguson, Lieut. Gibson, and other officers of
the 13th got sight of him half a mile past Ridgeway. A considerable
force was then halted on the road. They expected that a stand would
be made, the ground being advantageous for resistance, and fighting.
Booker was heard calling for somebody to show the road to Port
Colborne. To a farmer looking on, he trotted up, then returning to
the imperfect column cried “Fours right, quick march!” And so the
return to Colborne was continued in that disorder which incompetency
had initiated, and aggravated. Sometimes he was seen riding, again
walking, and trotting on foot in the semblance of a man crazed in the
head. At Sherkston, five miles west of Ridgeway, they got a railway
train to Colborne. It took them at two trips.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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