The Fenians were a secret society of Irish patriots who had emigrated from Ireland to the United States. Some North American members of this movement were intent on taking Canada by force and exchanging it with Britain for Irish independence. From 1866 to 1871 the Fenians launched a series of small, armed incursions of Canada, each of which was put down by government forces — at the cost of dozens killed and wounded on both sides.
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Noncommissioned officers of the 10th Royal Regiment of Toronto Volunteers
No 5 Company, Queen Own Rifles of Canada Regiment
Officers of the Saint John Volunteer Battalion, Fenian Raid, 1866
No. 1 Co., 3rd Battalion of the Victoria Rifles, on return from Fenian Raid, Montréal, Québec, 1870.
The Fenian Raids - 1866 to 1871
Re: The Fenian Raids - 1866 to 1871
Canadian Volunteers guarding the Line near Richard’s Farm
Border Volunteers stand over a Fenian slain during the Battle of Eccles Hill, 1870.