Troublous Times in Canada: A History of the Fenian Raids of 1866 and 1870MacDonald, John A. (John Alexander)
History
Troublous Times in Canada: A History of the Fenian Raids of 1866 and 1870
MacDonald, John A. (John Alexander)
Canada -- History -- Fenian Invasions, 1866-1870; Fenians
Lieut.-Col. Dennis sent out couriers and mounted scouts to glean
information of the whereabouts of the enemy, who he finally located
at their camp near Fort Erie. During the afternoon the Thirteenth
Battalion, of Hamilton, under command of Lieut.-Col. A. Booker, arrived
at Port Colborne from Dunnville, accompanied by the York and Caledonia
Rifle Companies. These reinforcements made a total force of about 850
troops at Port Colborne, and as Lieut.-Col. Booker was the ranking
officer present, he took command of the column.
Meanwhile other troops were on the move towards the frontier. As before
mentioned. Gen. Napier had decided to also mobilize a force at St.
Catharines, and orders were given to Col. Geo. Peacocke, commanding
Her Majesty's 16th Regiment, to proceed thither with the forces at his
command, and assume charge of the operations for the defence of the
frontier. At 12.40 o'clock (noon) a force consisting of three companies
of Her Majesty's 47th Regiment, under command of Major Lauder, and the
Grey Battery of Royal Artillery, commanded by Lieut.-Col. Hoste, C.B.,
left Toronto via the Great Western Railway for St. Catharines. At
Hamilton this contingent was joined by Col. Peacocke with 200 men of the
16th Regiment, and the whole force proceeded to their destination. On
arrival at St. Catharines Col. Peacocke received telegrams advising
him that a strong body of Fenians were marching towards Chippawa, so he
resolved to move forward his force at once to that point and endeavor
to save the bridges across the Welland River (or Chippawa Creek) from
destruction.
[Picture (page 47) 0047.gif, a map
KEY TO MAP.
(a) Where Fenians landed, (b) Fenian Camp 1st June, (c) Fenian bivouac
night of 1st June, (d) Point at which Fenian pursuit was abandoned, (e)
Fenian Camp near the old Fort, night of 2nd June, from which point they
evacuated Canada, (f) Col. Peacocke's forces, night of June 1st. (g)
Col. Peacocke's Camp at noon, June 2nd. (h) Col. Peacocke's bivouac at
Bowen's Farm, night of 2nd June.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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