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
The Fenian losses were heavy in comparison with the Canadian casualties
at Fort Erie. Four of their number were killed, five more mortally
wounded, and a large number sustained wounds from rifle balls and
bayonet thrusts at the hands of the Canadians.
Although the engagement only lasted for less than an hour, it was hot
and spirited throughout, and the valiant phalanx of 70 men who held
their own under such trying circumstances, in the face of fully 800
veteran soldiers, fully deserve the greatest honor and credit that can
be given by the Canadian people, and are well worthy of having their
heroic deeds handed down to posterity on the pages of our country's
history.
The following is a list of the casualties on the Canadian side during
the engagement at Fort Erie:
Welland Canal Field Battery.--Killed--None. Wounded--Capt. Richard S.
King, in ankle (leg amputated); Gunner John Bradley, above knee (leg
amputated); Gunner Fergus Scholfield, below knee (leg amputated); Gunner
John Herbison, wounded severely in leg; Gunner R. Thomas, wounded in
thigh severely.
Dunnville Naval Brigade.--Nelson Bush, bayonet wound in chest.
CAPTURED.
Welland Canal Field Battery.--Lieut. A. K. Scholfield. Lieut. Chas.
Nimmo. Sergt.-Major Wm. Boyle, Farrier-Sergeant Isaac Drew, Gunners
Robert Offspring, Gideon Griswold, Wm. Brown, John Waters. Patrick
Roach. Samuel Cook, Thomas Boyle, Stephen Beattie, Vilroy McKee. Joseph
Reavly, Jonathan W. Hagar, Isaac Pew, William Black. Robert Armstrong,
Jacob Gardner, Edward Armstrong. J. H. Boyle. James Coleman, Chas.
Campbell, Isaac Dickerson. S. Radcliffe. Morris Weaver.
Dunnville Naval Brigade.--Second Lieut. Angus Macdonald. Samuel
McCormack, James Robertson, Abram Thewlis, Geo. B. McGee, Thomas
Arderly. Wm. Burgess, Harry Neff, Wm. Nugent, and Joseph Gamble.
The following Canadians were also prisoners in the hands of the Fenians,
having been captured at Ridgeway and brought back to Fort Erie by Gen.
O'Neil, who subsequently abandoned them when he made his flight back
across the river:
Thirteenth Battalion--Jas. S. Greenhill and Joseph Simpson.
Queen's Own Rifles--R, W. Hines (No. 8 Company), Wm. Ellis (No. 9
Company). D. Junor (No. 9 Company), and Colin Forsythe (No. 10. Highland
Company).
FENIAN LOSSES.
The casualties of the Fenians were heavy in both engagements, but the
exact number is unobtainable, as no record was kept, and many of their
wounded were removed to the United States and lost track of. At Ridgeway
it is known that at least ten Fenians were killed, and quite a number
severely wounded, some of whom afterwards died in Buffalo from their
injuries. During the Fort Erie fight nine Fenians lost their lives and
fourteen were wounded, most of them seriously.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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