Narrative of the Fenian invasion of Canada — John Shaqi
Narrative of the Fenian invasion of CanadaSomerville, Alexander
History
Narrative of the Fenian invasion of Canada
Somerville, Alexander
Canada -- History -- Fenian Invasions, 1866-1870
As they approached Waterloo village, the shore road on which they
marched, crossed the railway track of the Erie and Niagara line, a
track not yet regularly working. A single telegraph wire was on the
posts skirting this line; but on the river side road by which they
had come, were the International telegraph wires. Near to Lower
Ferry, these are bound around a post and carried under water from
shore to shore. When the invaders had reached the Erie and Niagara
track, they passed a church on their right hand, standing within its
small cemetery among trees, on a descending section of the heights
before mentioned which here approach the river. At fifty yards
further south they passed the mouth of a ravine which separates the
church bluff from one on which, within an orchard and a grove of tall
poplars, stands prominently out the residence of Dr. Kempson, reeve
of the village. That house was the first point to which the Fenian
commander O’Neil conducted his force. He ascended a steep carriage
way at a right angle from the river road and railway track, about
two hundred yards, entered the enclosure, placed sentries around the
house, stable and barn, and along the garden and orchard, his main
body being halted outside the garden fence and in an enclosed pasture
field adjoining. At a short distance north from this residence on the
same bluff and within the same orchard, was another house which was
also surrounded by Fenian pickets.
It was now daylight. The range of rounded green knolls, extending
three quarters of a mile southerly and west from this section, on
which the second skirmish of next day was fought, and on which Royal
Artillery, Infantry regulars, and Volunteers were subsequently
encamped, reflected back the first beams of the sun; that sun of
the 1st of June, which brought the light of offended Heaven to bear
witness against an army of strangers whose presence there was a crime
against international law, against innocent Canada, which had done
them no offence, against civilization, against the liberty and safety
of a free people, which America should be ever foremost to vindicate;
against the declared authority of the bishops and priests of the
Roman Catholic Church, to which nearly all the Fenian brotherhood
professed to be attached. By the scheme of invasion of Sweeny and
Roberts attacks had been designed for this or the preceding morning,
at eight or more places along a frontier line of fifteen hundred
miles. By confusion in the councils of the Fenian brotherhood, by
want of confidence in one another, by failure of transport to men and
munitions of war; by a sense of justice or of discreet policy newly
manifested in the executive government of the United States, the hand
of Omnipotence was on that occasion discernible on the side of right,
and of comparative innocence, against crime and unqualified wrong.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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