"Protecting The Northern Border " Topic

Reading this interesting article…
"The Union Frontier Cavalry was organized by the authority of the War Department, and it's first unit was organized on January 4th 1865 to patrol New England's northern border.

The Frontier Cavalry organized under the special authority of the Union War Department in December 1864. It was a volunteer regiment and was placed under Union General John A Dix's Department of the East. It was organized as a response to the raid by Confederates on October 19th 1864 in St Albans, VT. At the beginning it was made up of returned veterans, militia and in Vermont by cadets from Norwich Military Academy…"
From
link

And then, this about the Raid…
"Young and two others checked into a local hotel on October 10, saying that they had come from St. John's in Canada East for a "sporting vacation." Every day, two or three more young men arrived. By October 19, there were 21 cavalrymen assembled. Just before 3 p.m. the group simultaneously staged a robbery of the three banks in the town. They announced that they were Confederate soldiers and stole a total of $208,000. USD As the banks were being robbed, eight or nine of the Confederates held the townspeople prisoner on the village green as their horses were stolen. One townsperson was killed and another wounded. Young ordered his men to burn the town down, but the four-ounce bottles of Greek fire they had brought failed to work, and only one shed was destroyed.

The raiders fled with the money into Canada, where they were arrested by authorities. A Canadian court decided that the soldiers were under military orders and that the officially neutral Canada could not extradite them to the United States. The Canadian court's ruling that the soldiers were legitimate military belligerents and not criminals, as argued by American authorities, has been interpreted as a tacit British recognition of the Confederate States of America. The raiders were freed, but the $88,000 USD the raiders had on their person was returned to Vermont.
The 1954 film The Raid was loosely based on this incident,
From Wiki.

Wonder to ask…

a) Anybody had wargame that raid?

b) Were there others raids at the Northern Border or this was the only attemp of the Confederation?

c) Raids from another country frontier to your own country, not involve a declaration of war?

d) Anybody had seen the film of 1954?. If the answer is yes, it was a good film?

e) Are there evidence of what had happen to the usd.120.000= missing?

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Amicalement
Armand

Very interesting, cheers.

(c) Very common in wars throughout history…

National Liberation Army of Viet Nam would raid 'South Vietnam' from bases in Laos.

Irish Republican Army units based in the 26 county 'Free State'/RoI would attack English army bases in the Occupied Six Counties of the north of Ireland.

Islamist/Salafist Al Qaeda 'Free Syrian Army' units are attacking the Syrians from across the border in Turkiye.

The list is endless.

B) Several raids were uncovered and aborted.

E) Most likely passed on to the CSA commissioners posted in Canada.

Anybody had seen the film of 1954?. If the answer is yes, it was a good film?

Its not a bad film if you apply 1954 standards.

The Confederates all wear a stylised Toy Soldier uniform and civilians look like 1950's Hollywood cowboys and Townfolks.

I seem to recall the Confederates torching a town using some kind of amazingly effective fire bombs but over all I have no idea of how real the plot line was.

IMDb Says:

"A group of confederate prisoners escape to Canada and plan to rob the banks and set fire to the small town of Saint Albans in Vermont. To get the lie of the land, their leader spends a few days in the town and finds he is getting drawn into its life and especially into that of an attractive widow and her son."

It did have some famous names in it:

Van Heflin

Anne Bancroft

Richard Boone

Lee Marvin

Peter Graves (The original 'Mission Impossible' TV Series)

There were a few other raids by Confederates from Canada into the U.S. These Rebels had escaped from prisoner of war camps in the North into Canada, several of them former members of Morgan's Kentucky cavalry, captured during his raid across the Ohio River. Their most spectacular raid was an attempt to burn down New York City, which did succeed in starting fires in several hotels and P. T. Barnahm's museum. They used a "Greek fire" concoction, which they also used in their Vermont raid.

I've seen the movie. It stars Van Heflin as the Rebel commander. (He's best known as the father of the kid in the movie Shane.) And Richard Boone as a wounded Union officer (missing an arm) home on leave as his opponent. (There was a Union lieutenant or captain from Custer's cavalry home on leave who led the real opposition, tho he was much younger than Boone was in the movie.) Like many Hollywood movies (and most books) of that era, it favors the Confederate viewpoint.

Many thanks for your guidance boys!!
I never hear about the New York Confederate attempt.

Amicalement
Armand

There's a very good book about it: "The Man Who Tried to Burn New York" by Nat Brandt.

You might also find this interesting.

link

Many thanks for the info guys!

Amicalement
Armand