October 24, 2024 • 9 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, our next story comes from our regular contributor, Christopher Klein. Klein is the author of four books and is a frequent contributor to the History Channel. Here’s Christopher Klein with the story of when the American Irish invaded Canada.
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we continue with our American stories. Our next story
comes from our regular contributor, Christopher Klein Finds, the author
of four books and his frequent contributor to the History Channel.
He was clined with the story of when the American
Irish invaded Canada. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
On the night of May thirty first, eighteen sixty six,
residents of Buffalo, New York saw a most unusual site
as they looked outside their windows. Nearly eight hundred battle
hardened soldiers dressed in Union blues and Confederate grays marched
through the city streets while hauling wagons full of ammunition
and rifles. No, these former foes had not come to
(00:51):
Buffalo to reignite the Civil War. Instead, they were improbable
brothers in arms united against a common enemy, Great Britain.
This rag tag army of Irish American Civil War veterans
was undertaking one of the most fantastical missions in military history,
to hold Canada hostage and ransom it from the British
(01:13):
government for Ireland's independents. So why would any Americans want
to attack sweet, peaceable, friendly Canada. Well, it may be
hard to believe today, when the United States and Canada
shared the longest peaceable international boundary in the world, but
things between the United States and Canada weren't always so polite.
(01:37):
In fact, during the first century of the history of
the United States, the idea of invading Canada was about
as American as fireworks. On the fourth of July, just
a few months after the first shots were fired at
Lexington and conquered in the American Revolution, the Contada army
went due north to Quebec. There were numerous encounters on
both sides of the border during the War of eighteen twelve.
(02:00):
The other thing to keep in mind about this time
period is that the flag flying over Canada isn't the
maple leaf that we're all familiar with today, but it
was the British Union Jack, which was a hated symbol
from many of the Irish who were forced to flee
their country. Now, the luck of the Irish was something
you really didn't want to have for about seven centuries
or world history, because the Irish had the poor fortune
(02:21):
of being in the backyard of what will become the
world's most powerful empire. And things were particularly bad for
the Irish Catholics, who lived under a British rule in
the seventeen hundreds under what were called the Penal Laws.
Under those laws, Irish Catholics were not free to worship,
to run for public office, to send their children to
Catholic schools, or own a horse that was worth more
(02:44):
than five pounds. They were allowed to own one knife
as long as it was chained down so it could
not be used against the local police. And even in death,
their rights were restricted since Catholic priests were not allowed
to preside over gravesize ceremonies, and when the potato crop
failed in the eighteen forties and eighteen fifties, some Irish
believed that the British were trying to exterminate them. Altogether,
(03:08):
more than one million Irish died, and what would be
called the Great Hunger, nearly two million fled as shipwreck
of an island, and many of them arrived in the
United States. These newcomers were like any America had seen before.
For one thing, there were more refugees than they were immigrants.
They weren't necessarily hungering for American ideals as much as
(03:29):
they were literally starving for food. About a quarter of
them spoke the Irish language, did not speak English. Many
of them were illiterate, but what really set them apart
from most Americans at that time was that they were
practicing what was considered an alien religion, Catholicism, and the
more threatened they felt, the Irish turned inward like a
(03:51):
snake coiling itself for protection. They clung together in church parishes,
fraternal organizations like the Ancient of Hibernians, and beginning in
eighteen fifty eight, a new organization called the Fenian Brotherhood,
which was established to launch a revolution in Ireland. Many
members of the Fenian Brotherhood served in the Civil War
(04:13):
to gain knowledge about battlefield tactics and weaponry that they
could use for the real fight they wanted to have,
which was the one against the British to free Ireland.
After the Civil War, the Fenian Brotherhood established its own
Irish government in exile right in the heart of New
York City. It had its own constitution, its own Senate,
(04:33):
and its own president. It even sold war bonds in
denominations between ten dollars and five hundred dollars to raise
money to buy weapons and ammunition. By eighteen sixty six,
many Fenian leaders had desired that it made more sense
to strike the British right in America's backyard, in the
territory of Canada, rather than launching the revolution all the
(04:56):
way across the ocean in Ireland. It was an idea
that made sense and Stephenian member John O'Neill, who had
been born in Ireland and witnessed first hand the horrors
of the Great Hunger, he had heard tales from his
grandfather of ancestors You O'Neill and Owen Roe O'Neill, who
had gained fame by rising up against the British. When
O'Neill was summonsed at the battlefield in May of eighteen
(05:18):
sixty six, he said goodbye to his wife and newborn
son and went off to follow in the footsteps of
his forefathers. O'Neill was placed in charge of his eight
hundred men who came out of the woodwork in Buffalo
on May thirty first, eighteen sixty six. And what was
the fulfillment of his lifelong dream, The governing passion of
my life, apart from my duty to my God, O'Neill
(05:41):
had ridden, is to be at the head of an
Irish army battling against England for Ireland's rights. For this
I live, and for this, if necessary, I'm willing to die.
O'Neill knew that only one thing could prevent his forces
from crossing the Niagara River into Canada, and that was
the US Smate, which was docked into port of Buffalo.
(06:03):
Unbeknownst to the ship's captain, the Fenians had a sleeper
sell of seventeen men who served aboard the USS Michigan,
and they knew that ship was not going anywhere without
its pilot, whose name happened to be Patrick Murphy. Don't
let the name fool you, however, Patrick Murphy was a
loyal sailor who would follow all orders, and the Fenians
(06:25):
knew it. They knew the only way they could sabotage
the USS Michigan was to take Patrick Murphy out, and
I don't mean by killing him. They take him out
for a night on the town in Buffalo. So when
the orders were given to put the Michigan into the
Niagara River, Patrick Murphy is reportedly spotted arm in arm
(06:45):
with a woman stumbling down the streets of Buffalo, singing
the Wearing of the Green. With the path cleared, O'Neill
and the Fenians crossed the Niagara River in the early
morning hours of June first and plant the Irish flag
on British soil. More than twenty four hours passed before
O'Neill encountered any Canadian defense forces, and it occurs in
(07:08):
the early morning hours of June second, outside the village
of Ridgeway, about twenty miles south of Niagara Falls. There,
the Fenians battle a ragtag army that included farm boys
and even students from the University of Toronto who only
days before were taking their final exams. Although outnumbered three
to one, the Fenians had a much more seasoned fighting
force thanks to the Civil War experience of their soldiers,
(07:32):
and the Fenians end up being victorious at the Battle Ridgeway,
which claimed the lives of about twenty men on both sides.
John O'Neil would go down in history as the Hero
of Ridgeway and be celebrated by many Irish Americans. However,
after the battle, O'Neil realized that his supply lines had
been cut and he was going to have no choice
but to retreat back to the United States. O'Neill launched
(07:55):
further attacks in eighteen seventy and eighteen seventy one Act,
Defenians attack Canada five times in what are collectively known
as a Fenian rates. These attacks are seven all moments
in Canadian history and helped the establishment of the Canadian
government in eighteen sixty seven, spurred in part by Canadians
who are none too happy with the lack of defense
(08:17):
forces provided by the British government. As for what happened
to the Fenians, I will give you the spoiler alert,
the idea of holding Canada hostage and ransoming it for
Islands independence. Yeah, it didn't work.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
And a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by our own Greg Engler. And a special thanks to
Christopher Klein. He's a regular contributor to the History Channel,
author of four books and freaking contributor right here on
our American Stories. And his client put it, the Irish
had the poor fortune of being in the backyard of
(08:52):
the British Empire, and things weren't much better here. They
were refugees. They weren't coming here to see the American dream,
but just well, just to eat. But boy, the desire
to free Ireland with this plan that included bringing Confederate
and Union Irish together to invade Canada hold it hostage.
(09:14):
What a big, bald and frankly American idea. The story
of eight hundred Irish soldiers who tried to liberate Ireland
by capturing Canada. Here on our American Stories.
And we continue with our American stories. Our next story
comes from our regular contributor, Christopher Klein Finds, the author
of four books and his frequent contributor to the History Channel.
He was clined with the story of when the American
Irish invaded Canada. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
On the night of May thirty first, eighteen sixty six,
residents of Buffalo, New York saw a most unusual site
as they looked outside their windows. Nearly eight hundred battle
hardened soldiers dressed in Union blues and Confederate grays marched
through the city streets while hauling wagons full of ammunition
and rifles. No, these former foes had not come to
(00:51):
Buffalo to reignite the Civil War. Instead, they were improbable
brothers in arms united against a common enemy, Great Britain.
This rag tag army of Irish American Civil War veterans
was undertaking one of the most fantastical missions in military history,
to hold Canada hostage and ransom it from the British
(01:13):
government for Ireland's independents. So why would any Americans want
to attack sweet, peaceable, friendly Canada. Well, it may be
hard to believe today, when the United States and Canada
shared the longest peaceable international boundary in the world, but
things between the United States and Canada weren't always so polite.
(01:37):
In fact, during the first century of the history of
the United States, the idea of invading Canada was about
as American as fireworks. On the fourth of July, just
a few months after the first shots were fired at
Lexington and conquered in the American Revolution, the Contada army
went due north to Quebec. There were numerous encounters on
both sides of the border during the War of eighteen twelve.
(02:00):
The other thing to keep in mind about this time
period is that the flag flying over Canada isn't the
maple leaf that we're all familiar with today, but it
was the British Union Jack, which was a hated symbol
from many of the Irish who were forced to flee
their country. Now, the luck of the Irish was something
you really didn't want to have for about seven centuries
or world history, because the Irish had the poor fortune
(02:21):
of being in the backyard of what will become the
world's most powerful empire. And things were particularly bad for
the Irish Catholics, who lived under a British rule in
the seventeen hundreds under what were called the Penal Laws.
Under those laws, Irish Catholics were not free to worship,
to run for public office, to send their children to
Catholic schools, or own a horse that was worth more
(02:44):
than five pounds. They were allowed to own one knife
as long as it was chained down so it could
not be used against the local police. And even in death,
their rights were restricted since Catholic priests were not allowed
to preside over gravesize ceremonies, and when the potato crop
failed in the eighteen forties and eighteen fifties, some Irish
believed that the British were trying to exterminate them. Altogether,
(03:08):
more than one million Irish died, and what would be
called the Great Hunger, nearly two million fled as shipwreck
of an island, and many of them arrived in the
United States. These newcomers were like any America had seen before.
For one thing, there were more refugees than they were immigrants.
They weren't necessarily hungering for American ideals as much as
(03:29):
they were literally starving for food. About a quarter of
them spoke the Irish language, did not speak English. Many
of them were illiterate, but what really set them apart
from most Americans at that time was that they were
practicing what was considered an alien religion, Catholicism, and the
more threatened they felt, the Irish turned inward like a
(03:51):
snake coiling itself for protection. They clung together in church parishes,
fraternal organizations like the Ancient of Hibernians, and beginning in
eighteen fifty eight, a new organization called the Fenian Brotherhood,
which was established to launch a revolution in Ireland. Many
members of the Fenian Brotherhood served in the Civil War
(04:13):
to gain knowledge about battlefield tactics and weaponry that they
could use for the real fight they wanted to have,
which was the one against the British to free Ireland.
After the Civil War, the Fenian Brotherhood established its own
Irish government in exile right in the heart of New
York City. It had its own constitution, its own Senate,
(04:33):
and its own president. It even sold war bonds in
denominations between ten dollars and five hundred dollars to raise
money to buy weapons and ammunition. By eighteen sixty six,
many Fenian leaders had desired that it made more sense
to strike the British right in America's backyard, in the
territory of Canada, rather than launching the revolution all the
(04:56):
way across the ocean in Ireland. It was an idea
that made sense and Stephenian member John O'Neill, who had
been born in Ireland and witnessed first hand the horrors
of the Great Hunger, he had heard tales from his
grandfather of ancestors You O'Neill and Owen Roe O'Neill, who
had gained fame by rising up against the British. When
O'Neill was summonsed at the battlefield in May of eighteen
(05:18):
sixty six, he said goodbye to his wife and newborn
son and went off to follow in the footsteps of
his forefathers. O'Neill was placed in charge of his eight
hundred men who came out of the woodwork in Buffalo
on May thirty first, eighteen sixty six. And what was
the fulfillment of his lifelong dream, The governing passion of
my life, apart from my duty to my God, O'Neill
(05:41):
had ridden, is to be at the head of an
Irish army battling against England for Ireland's rights. For this
I live, and for this, if necessary, I'm willing to die.
O'Neill knew that only one thing could prevent his forces
from crossing the Niagara River into Canada, and that was
the US Smate, which was docked into port of Buffalo.
(06:03):
Unbeknownst to the ship's captain, the Fenians had a sleeper
sell of seventeen men who served aboard the USS Michigan,
and they knew that ship was not going anywhere without
its pilot, whose name happened to be Patrick Murphy. Don't
let the name fool you, however, Patrick Murphy was a
loyal sailor who would follow all orders, and the Fenians
(06:25):
knew it. They knew the only way they could sabotage
the USS Michigan was to take Patrick Murphy out, and
I don't mean by killing him. They take him out
for a night on the town in Buffalo. So when
the orders were given to put the Michigan into the
Niagara River, Patrick Murphy is reportedly spotted arm in arm
(06:45):
with a woman stumbling down the streets of Buffalo, singing
the Wearing of the Green. With the path cleared, O'Neill
and the Fenians crossed the Niagara River in the early
morning hours of June first and plant the Irish flag
on British soil. More than twenty four hours passed before
O'Neill encountered any Canadian defense forces, and it occurs in
(07:08):
the early morning hours of June second, outside the village
of Ridgeway, about twenty miles south of Niagara Falls. There,
the Fenians battle a ragtag army that included farm boys
and even students from the University of Toronto who only
days before were taking their final exams. Although outnumbered three
to one, the Fenians had a much more seasoned fighting
force thanks to the Civil War experience of their soldiers,
(07:32):
and the Fenians end up being victorious at the Battle Ridgeway,
which claimed the lives of about twenty men on both sides.
John O'Neil would go down in history as the Hero
of Ridgeway and be celebrated by many Irish Americans. However,
after the battle, O'Neil realized that his supply lines had
been cut and he was going to have no choice
but to retreat back to the United States. O'Neill launched
(07:55):
further attacks in eighteen seventy and eighteen seventy one Act,
Defenians attack Canada five times in what are collectively known
as a Fenian rates. These attacks are seven all moments
in Canadian history and helped the establishment of the Canadian
government in eighteen sixty seven, spurred in part by Canadians
who are none too happy with the lack of defense
(08:17):
forces provided by the British government. As for what happened
to the Fenians, I will give you the spoiler alert,
the idea of holding Canada hostage and ransoming it for
Islands independence. Yeah, it didn't work.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
And a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by our own Greg Engler. And a special thanks to
Christopher Klein. He's a regular contributor to the History Channel,
author of four books and freaking contributor right here on
our American Stories. And his client put it, the Irish
had the poor fortune of being in the backyard of
(08:52):
the British Empire, and things weren't much better here. They
were refugees. They weren't coming here to see the American dream,
but just well, just to eat. But boy, the desire
to free Ireland with this plan that included bringing Confederate
and Union Irish together to invade Canada hold it hostage.
(09:14):
What a big, bald and frankly American idea. The story
of eight hundred Irish soldiers who tried to liberate Ireland
by capturing Canada. Here on our American Stories.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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