Fenians and the
Making of Canada
This article first appeared in The Moncton Times Transcript December 9, 2006.
Reviewed by Daphne Dykeman Published 2006-12-09 | Page A8
Moncton Times Transcript
Turning Back the Fenians: New Brunswick's Last Colonial Campaign
by Robert L. Dallison
Goose Lane Editions, $14.95 paper, 132 pages
By any of today's standards, the Fenian movement was an
impossible dream. A group of Irish exiles in America trying to
overthrow British rule in Ireland by attacking the North American
colonies? Even if they could outwit the sophisticated British spy
system, did they really think they could stand against the
combined power of the British army and navy? Ridiculous.
In fact, the proposed invasion ended with a whimper in April of
1866 when the American government, anxious to maintain
neutrality, seized a ship containing most of the Fenians' arms.
They detained the ship indefinitely, making a large-scale attack
impossible.
To a citizen of St. Stephen, St. Andrews, Campobello Island, or
even Saint John, however, the Fenian threat was nothing short of
terrifying. Border or harbour towns in a sparsely defended colony
were particularly vulnerable to unpredictable raids. When the
inhabitants of these centres realized that Irish revolutionists
were planning to invade them, they took the warning seriously.
As soon as the rumours began in December of 1865, the response
was dramatic and diverse. On the one hand, people panicked as
reports of Fenian rallies and bits of Fenian propaganda leaked
across the border. Some even abandoned their homes for the
relative safety of inland towns. On the other hand, defiance and
regional pride grew stronger in the face of danger, and citizens
responded overwhelmingly to the lieutenant-governor's call for
militia volunteers.
Dallison faithfully recreates this mood of combined fear and
courage. His serious research into this subject allows him to
quote extensively from local newspapers which represent the
public sentiment of the day. He also makes use of diaries of the
day, which offer some gems. For example, a merchant noted in his
journal that, when Major Simond came into his store looking for
an extra 50 volunteers for immediate service, three customers
dropped everything and joined up on the spot. Dallison also
includes a glimpse into the story of New Brunswick's own Paul
Revere, "Old" Joe Young. Young raised the alarm on
horseback when he spotted a boatload of Fenians landing near St.
Stephen for a brief border raid.
Although these real-life touches are fascinating, the book does
become weighed down by information from time to time, such as in
the chapter which recounts the organizing of the militia.
Dallison gives all the regiments' names and numbers and
identifies all their commanders, piling statistic upon statistic.
With few exceptions, the most obvious being the masterful
lieutenant-governor Arthur Gordon, characters are not fleshed out
enough to make them distinct or memorable in the reader's mind.
In spite of the helpful mini-biographies at the end of the book,
it is impossible to keep all the actors in this drama straight.
A war averted is the best possible outcome, of course, but it
makes for very little drama in a history book. Nevertheless,
Dallison instills his narrative with significance when he insists
that this is one of the most important eras in all of Canadian
history. He makes a convincing argument that Confederation would
not have happened without the Fenian crisis. The government of
New Brunswick at the time was opposed to Confederation, but the
panic of 1866 naturally led to concerns about public safety. In a
summer election held against this backdrop of insecurity, the
citizens of New Brunswick chose the comparative safety of a
united Canada and elected Samuel Leonard Tilley and his
pro-Confederation party.
As Dallison says in his concluding sentence, "Canada is the
real legacy of the Fenian crisis of 1866."