Fenian skirmishes at Ridgeway and Fort Erie

Background. The Fenian Brotherhood, an Irish republican organization based in the United States, conducted incursions on Canadian targets in 1866. In late May, a ragtag army assembled on the American shore of the Niagara River. Led by Brigadier General John O'Neill, these irregular forces secured boats and transferred approximately 800 men across the river, landing above Fort Erie before dawn on June 1, 1866.

Engagement. Following the occupation of Fort Erie on the night of June 1, militia units in the Niagara Peninsula were mobilized. The Battle of Ridgeway occurred on June 2, 1866, near the village of Ridgeway, Canada West. This skirmish involved Canadian troops and the Fenian irregulars. The Fenians rested briefly at Ridgeway before returning to Fort Erie, where they were eventually surrounded and forced to surrender.

Aftermath. The 1866 raids involved significant mobilization, with 37,170 volunteers turning out against an authorized militia strength of 40,000. Casualty figures for the 1866 raids, calculated in 1868, included 31 or 32 dead and 103 wounded or affected by disease. These events, including the inept efforts of the Canadian Militia, helped galvanize support for Confederation in 1867.

Tactical Context. Canadian forces faced significant disadvantages during the engagement. Fewer than half of the Canadians had practised firing live rounds before the battle, and there had been no military conflict in Canada since 1837–38. The Fenians, however, were experienced Civil War veterans well-supplied with ammunition, having dumped thousands of rounds into Black Creek to lighten their load before the battle.