"The Battle of Ridgeway" Topic
9 Posts
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18 Jun 2016 5:23 p.m. PST by Editor in Chief Bill
- Removed from Pulp Gaming board
- Removed from 19th Century Media board
- Removed from Wargaming in Canada board
- Changed title from "Fantasy Traazorite Velozar Knight Previewed " to "The Battle of Ridgeway"
- Removed from Fantasy Discussion board
- Crossposted to 19th Century Discussion board
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Tango01 | 09 Jun 2016 9:49 p.m. PST |
"It was on this day in 1866 that republicans and monarchists clashed at the town of Ridgeway, Canada. On the whole, it was not a good day for the monarchists but it was not so bad as it seemed either. This engagement took place during what is known as the Fenian Raids, a series of attacks on Canada by Irish and Irish-American forces, most of them veterans of the Union army in the recently ended Civil War in America calling themselves the "Irish Republican Army" (they were the first to use the term). The Fenians, of course, had been around for some time, trying to unite Irish nationalists for a war of liberation from the British Empire, never with much success. When the American Civil War ended, many Irish republicans saw a golden opportunity. The USA was awash in militant republican sentiment because of the war, was very cross with Britain over the perception of British sympathy for the Confederates and the use of British-built ships by the Confederate Navy to raid Union shipping. There were also large numbers of Irish and Irish-American soldiers who had fought in the war, mostly on the Union side, and who were experienced, veteran soldiers with little to do after the war was over. The Fenians would give them something to do. The Fenians hatched a plot to invade Canada from the United States. With anti-British sentiment at such a peak in America, they doubted U.S. authorities would try very hard to stop them on the southern side of the border. Their plan was to invade Canada and conquer some portion of it which they would then, essentially, hold for ransom as a way to force the British to grant independence to Ireland. One could hardly imagine a more hair-brained and far-fetched idea if you tried, yet, to give the Irish republicans their due credit, they did manage to make an effort at it and were rather persistent as a number of these Fenian raids were launched over a number of years though none were ever successful. The Fenian Brotherhood in New York City organized the campaign, recruiting volunteers for their Irish Republican Army and enlisting experienced officers to lead these men. The man they found who would lead the IRA into the Battle of Ridgeway was Brigadier General John O'Neill, a Union cavalry officer and Civil War veteran. Unfortunately for the Fenians, in America just as in Ireland, they were terrible at keeping secrets and the British were very good and finding out what they were up to. British troops in Canada were put on the alert and the Canadian militia was called out to defend the country. On June 1, General O'Neill and his force of a little over a thousand Irish troops cross the Niagara River into southern Canada. Not everyone was optimistic about their chances for success though and a great many deserted before ever seeing action so that the force O'Neill ultimately led into battle had been reduced to between 6-700 men. Some additional Fenian men and supplies were stopped from crossing the river by U.S. naval forces and efforts to encourage the locals of Ridgeway to join their cause were unsuccessful (today Ridgeway is an unincorporated village of the 'Town of Fort Erie' in Ontario). After approaching the town of Ridgeway, O'Neill's men clashed with a group of 850 Canadian militiamen led by Lt. Colonel Alfred Booker of the 13th Battalion of Hamilton. More British troops were moving in to confront the invaders but, at Ridgeway, it would be Booker and his 850 men that O'Neill and his 6-700 would have to contend with. The Canadian troops were solid fellows but were militiamen and inexperienced. That would prove a critical shortcoming…"
More here link Amicalement Armand |
Jamesonsafari | 10 Jun 2016 3:39 a.m. PST |
Not sure why this is under fantasy or pulp since it's an historical event? |
Hafen von Schlockenberg | 10 Jun 2016 7:43 a.m. PST |
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Bobgnar | 10 Jun 2016 10:02 a.m. PST |
In my teens I lived in Buffalo, NY and was very interested in the Fenians. I bought this print at a museum and it hung in my room. I learned about the raid from a book, Troublous Times in Canada. Good reference for any one wanting to game the episode. link |
Tango01 | 10 Jun 2016 10:58 a.m. PST |
Yes… it was the f… BUG… Amicalement Armand |
spontoon | 11 Jun 2016 5:39 p.m. PST |
Dang! You mean the Fenians didn't use cavalry mounted on tyrannosaurs? |
Codsticker | 11 Jun 2016 7:54 p.m. PST |
Oh all us Canadians would certainly be speaking Irish if they did! |
Tango01 | 12 Jun 2016 12:00 p.m. PST |
Spontoon… dude!… (smile) Amicalement ARmand |
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