The Canadian story of the American Civil War, told in two parts. Through the eyes of the Canadians who helped start the war, to those who fought it, to the leaders influenced by it, we unravel one of the most pivotal events in the continent's history. From the pubs of Saint John to the docks of Halifax, from Southern Ontario battlefields to the battlements of Quebec City, find out which Canadians were on the right and wrong sides of history. This is the story of two nations facing each other down over a tenuous border for a century, and the war that changed everything.

Part Two: Clearly, there is an enormous amount missing from Part 1—a whole episode-worth! Expect Part 2 to dive into the figures who represented the darker side of Canada's Civil War story: Confederate sympathizers, spies, and soldiers.

The first-known photograph of Niagara Falls: The daguerreotype that Hugh Lee Pattinson took of the falls is actually also the oldest-surviving photograph of what is now Canada! The invention of photography crossed the Atlantic in the spring of 1839, and it was popularized in Canada before the USA. The first known photo taken in N.A. was a calotype of a sample of flora in Halifax. Once news of the technology made it into the local newspaper, a reader tried it for himself. Less than a year later, in April 1840, Pattinson took a handful of daguerreotypes of Niagara Falls—the photo we highlighted is labeled by archives as the first of the batch. The silhouette of a man in the image is probably Pattinson himself, since it took a while to expose. The photos were found relatively recently, too. By late 1840, full-fledged portrait studios began opening in Montreal and Quebec City.

‘Chatham’ Anderson: Thousands of Black Americans immigrated to Canada prior to the Civil War. It’s a rich history we would like to return to in the future, specifically in regards to the Maritimes. Osborne Perry Anderson did so at the age of 20. So it may seem a little strange for us to call him a ‘Canadian.’ But the fact is that he spent the vast majority of his remaining 21 years in Canada, much of it in Chatham. He’s often referred to as both American and Canadian. He did eventually go back to the U.S. when Black supporters in Philadelphia took up a collection for him, but he died weeks later of tuberculosis. At times, he’s been somewhat forgotten, he doesn’t even have a gravesite. Here's his own description of the raid on Harpers Ferry: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_voic...

The Great Eastern: Some of the images we show of the ship aren’t from the QC voyage. Those that are happen to be the lowest quality images of the bunch. We wanted to show-off the ship, so we pulled engravings and photos from other travels. Some depict the ship leaving Liverpool, some are from its earlier voyage to New York, and others come from the ship’s time as a cable-laying vessel—when the first Transatlantic cables were laid from the UK to Newfoundland.

The American Revolution: A topic we'd like to come back to. The Revolution began due to the Quebec Act, which angered Americans for giving rights to the Canadien. Americans burned Montreal first and then laid siege on Quebec City from the Plains of Abraham, barely 20 years after the British did the same thing. They attacked during a blizzard on New Years Eve, which didn't go so well. Research: We combed over countless books, maps, and newspapers to put this episode together, including Robin W. Winks': ‘The Civil War Years.’

The Assassination of D’Arcy McGee: Less than a year after Confederation, one of the country's founding fathers was shot dead on Sparks Street, in Ottawa, and to this day the question remains: who killed D'Arcy McGee? Watch the episode from Season 2 here: https://youtu.be/ueTqBHfngPY?feature=shared

#canadianhistory #canadausa #civilwar

00:00 Intro

02:10 Chatham

03:52 John Brown

05:14 Harpers Ferry

07:52 Civil War Begins

08:53 Sarah Emma Edmonds

12:07 US vs CAN

14:28 Manifest Destiny

16:31 Great Eastern

18:03 Prepare for Invasion

19:14 Preview Part 2

19:44 Bonus Story

Episode Transcript

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This is the earliest known photograph of Niagara Falls. It was taken from the Canadian side around 1840 — back before all the wax museums and casinos, when this world wonder was untouched by the sightseeing throngs we know today.

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For nearly 200 years, Canadians and Americans have been gazing out at each other across this spectacular natural border.
Today, they do so as friends.But not long after that photo was taken, dread loomed across these raging waters. Through the mist, beyond the horizon, Canadians saw trouble coming…

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The United States were about to be torn apart. Blood would flow and cities would burn as Americans turned against Americans — while the freedom of millions hung in the balance, and tens of thousands of Canadians would be a part of it all.

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The U.S. Civil War was the biggest war this continent has ever seen. And it wasn't just an American affair. Its reach would extend across this border.

Tens of thousands of Canadians would rush south to take up arms, while Canadian cities would be filled with secret agents and intrigue. And as the ashes cooled, a new nation would be forged.

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This is the Canadian story of the American Civil War.

This is Canadiana.

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Welcome to Chatham.

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It's a relatively quiet city

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in the middle of southern Ontario.

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Not exactly the first

place that leaps to mind

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when you think of the bloodiest

war in American history.

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But two centuries ago,

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this was one of the most passionately

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anti-slavery towns on earth.

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Chatham, Ontario would help

ignite the American Civil War.

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In the middle of the 1800's,

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millions of people were still enslaved

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in the Southern United States.

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Tens of thousands of them

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were risking their lives to escape

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along the Underground Railroad.

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Many of them heading north

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to the Canadian colonies,

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where slavery had been banned.

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Chatham was one of the

most important stops

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at the end of that dangerous journey.

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A full third of the people

who lived here were black.

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Many of them, new arrivals

who'd fled the US,

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including Maryanne Shadd,

and Osborne Perry Anderson.

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Shadd was a publisher,

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the first black woman in

North American history

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to run her own newspaper.

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"The Provincial Freeman"

was a beacon of hope,

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fighting racism on both

sides of the border,

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and championing the end of slavery.

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Anderson worked for the paper

too, selling subscriptions,

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and printing copies on his printing press

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using paper and ink to fight

for the freedom of millions.

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"The provincial Freeman" helped Chatham

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earn its reputation as a stronghold

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of anti-slavery activity.

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It's been said that nowhere on earth

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was more hated by slave holders

than the Canadian colonies.

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And that reputation would soon attract

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a wildly passionate American abolitionist,

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the legendary John Brown.

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Brown was a crusader for freedom,

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a fanatically religious man who believed

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he was a holy warrior appointed

by God to end slavery.

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His supporters included major figures

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like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas.

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He'd already served as a station master,

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running a safe house on

the Underground Railroad,

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and waged a bloody gorilla campaign

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against slave holders in Kansas.

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Now, he was ready to take the next step.

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(rousing music)

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John Brown wanted to spark a

second American revolution,

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a civil war that would end

slavery once and for all.

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And to do it, he came here to Chatham,

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to the First Baptist Church.

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Brown invited local residents to a series

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of secret meetings.

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He preached his dream of

an armed insurrection,

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and asked the delegates to approve

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a new and improved US Constitution

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for the free reborn country

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he hoped to build out of the ashes.

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Osborne Perry Anderson

attended those meetings,

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serving as secretary.

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He signed the new Constitution,

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and then he headed south

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to join John Brown's war.

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Their plan was so daring and audacious,

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it bordered on madness.

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On an autumn night in 1859,

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Brown's tiny army of about 17 men,

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launched a raid on the

town of Harper's Ferry,

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where the American government

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kept a massive stockpile of weapons.

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They seized the arsenal,

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and began taking hostages,

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confident that a wave of

enslaved people and allies

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would rise up and join them,

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and the revolution would begin.

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Chatham, Anderson, as they called him,

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was given a particularly

high profile hostage target,

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George Washington's great grand nephew.

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The Canadian and a few other

Raiders stormed his mansion,

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freed the people he enslaved,

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and armed those willing

to join their fight.

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In the process, they

confiscated three of the man's

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most prized possessions

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passed down to him from the president,

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George Washington's famous sword,

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and a pair of pistols

that had once belonged

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to the revolutionary hero, Lafayette.

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The eminent slave holder was forced

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to hand them all over

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to the black revolutionary from Chatham.

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Symbolism wasn't lost on anyone.

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News of the raid soon spread,

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along with rumours that

Anderson was the group's leader.

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It wasn't long before

1500 militiamen arrived,

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along with federal troops,

led by Robert E. Lee,

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who would soon become the Confederacy's

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most famous civil war general.

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The revolutionaries were outnumbered,

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besieged for days on end,

and eventually overrun.

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Nearly all the Raiders who

hadn't already been killed,

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were captured, and sentenced to death,

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including John Brown.

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Anderson who was one

of the few who escaped,

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using his contacts on

the Underground Railroad

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to slip out of the country,

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and make a harrowing journey

back here to Chatham.

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Then, he set to work

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spreading the story of

Harper's Ferry far and wide,

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the only black Raider who

survived to tell the tale.

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And while John Brown was hanged

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just weeks after his failed revolution,

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he used that time to tell the story too.

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He wrote hundreds of letters,

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gave interviews to the press,

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and rallied support for

the fight against slavery,

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a true martyr to the cause.

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The raid on Harper's Ferry

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divided the United States

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even further than it already was.

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Pro-slavery southerners saw it as a sign,

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it was time to form their own country,

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while abolitionists

saw it as a heroic act,

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an urgent reminder that

slavery needed to end now.

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It was less than a year later,

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that Abraham Lincoln was elected

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as president of the United States.

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And in the weeks and months that followed,

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the southern states, all

seceded from the union,

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declaring themselves to be a new country,

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the Confederate states of America.

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And with that, the Civil War began.

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The Battle of Bull Run,

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the first major battle of the war.

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Two massive armies tore into each other

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outside Washington, DC.

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But it wasn't just

Americans fighting that day.

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There were Canadians

on the battlefield too,

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including a woman from the Maritimes

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who joined the Union Army in disguise.

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(ominous music)

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Sarah Emma Edmonds grew up

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on a farm in New Brunswick.

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When she was just 17 years old,

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her father tried to marry her off

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to a man she'd never met,

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who was nearly twice her age.

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That's how she ended up here in St. Johns,

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running away from home to

live life on her own terms.

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And it's why she first decided

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to disguise herself as a man.

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(ominous music)

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Edmonds borrowed some

clothes from a friend,

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cut her hair, darkened her skin a bit,

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and even had surgery to

remove a mole from her face.

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She adopted a new identity,

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becoming a travelling Bible salesman,

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named Franklin Thompson.

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By the time the Civil War broke out,

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she was living in the United States.

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And while she would always

consider herself a Canadian,

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she hid that fact, so she

could join the Union Army,

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and fight for what she

called a just cause.

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When she enlisted, they

didn't notice she was a woman.

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They only cared that she could see, hear,

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had a trigger finger to fire with,

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and at least two teeth,

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so she could rip open

cartridges of gunpowder.

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And so Edmonds became one of more

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than 500 women who fought

in the war disguised as men.

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She was assigned the job of field nurse,

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still typically a man's job back then,

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and sent off to join the fight.

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She soon found herself at Bull Run,

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in the thick of the

war's first big battle.

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She rushed through the

smoke and roar of artillery,

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musket balls hissing all around her,

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as she rescued wounded men

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and gave comfort to the dying.

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In a nearby church, used

as a field hospital,

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Edmond's rushed to

stitch men back together,

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and bandaged their wounds,

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held some down while

their limbs were sawn off.

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The battle was lost.

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The union retreated,

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but Edmonds stayed behind,

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tending to her patients

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as long as she could before she fled.

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She barely escaped.

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During the war, Edmonds would

fight on the front lines,

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ride dangerous missions as a messenger,

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and she wasn't alone.

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There were other Canadians

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fighting for the North

all through the war.

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Like Edward P Doherty,

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who grew up near Drummondville,

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and signed up just days

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after the first call

for troops was sent out.

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He was captured at Bull

Run by the Confederates,

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but made a daring escape.

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Calixq LaVallee was a

musician from Quebec,

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who fought at the Battle of Antietam,

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the bloodiest of the entire war.

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He would go on to write

the music for, "Oh Canada."

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And Chatham Anderson fought too.

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Once the Union Army began

accepting black soldiers,

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he worked as a recruiter,

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convincing black Canadians to enlist,

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and then joined up himself,

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eager to fight in the war

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he had helped start.

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There wasn't a major battlefield

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in the entire Civil War

where Canadians didn't fight.

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Tens of thousands of them

joined the Union Army,

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willing to risk their

lives in the struggle

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against the Confederacy and slavery.

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(tense music)

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But by doing it, Edmonds, Anderson,

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and all the others, were breaking the law.

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Because while you might assume

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the Canadian colonies would support

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the North during the war,

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that's not what happened at all.

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Today, Canada and the United States

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are the best of friends.

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They share the longest

border on the planet.

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00:12:25,380 --> 00:12:29,310

Nearly 9,000 kilometres

across land and sea,

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that both nations are proud to point out,

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that this is the longest

undefended border too.

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But two centuries ago,

things were very different.

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There were times when

Canada and the United States

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00:12:41,130 --> 00:12:43,350

were mortal enemies.

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Here, in St. John,

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you'll find a giant physical reminder

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00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:49,980

of just how bad things could get.

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This Martello Tower is just one,

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of a whole series built across

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the eastern half of our country.

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00:12:56,760 --> 00:13:01,760

Like here, in Halifax and

Kingston, and Quebec City.

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00:13:02,250 --> 00:13:04,290

They were built at different times

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over the course of many decades,

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00:13:06,450 --> 00:13:09,240

but with one big fear in mind,

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the fear of an American invasion,

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00:13:11,850 --> 00:13:15,513

a fear became true more than once.

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00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:20,760

It went all the way back

to the American Revolution.

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00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:22,410

When the rebellious colonies

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00:13:22,410 --> 00:13:25,893

of the United States

overthrew British rule,

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00:13:26,940 --> 00:13:29,910

they also attacked the

loyal British colonies

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00:13:29,910 --> 00:13:33,033

to the North, the Canadian ones.

293

00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:38,643

They besieged Quebec City,

and occupied Montreal.

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00:13:39,540 --> 00:13:42,930

The relationship didn't

get off to a good start,

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00:13:42,930 --> 00:13:44,493

and it didn't end there.

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00:13:45,570 --> 00:13:48,240

The Americans launched

an even bigger invasion

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00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:50,356

during the war of 1812.

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00:13:50,356 --> 00:13:52,320

Then there were the border skirmishes

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of the Patriot War,

300

00:13:53,430 --> 00:13:56,370

with Americans supporting Canadian rebels.

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00:13:56,370 --> 00:13:57,780

And the Oregon crisis,

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00:13:57,780 --> 00:14:01,630

when the US tried to annex

the entire Pacific Northwest,

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00:14:01,630 --> 00:14:03,183

and got a lot of it.

304

00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:07,290

Heck, in the months

before John Brown's raid,

305

00:14:07,290 --> 00:14:11,100

war had nearly broken out

over a barnyard animal.

306

00:14:11,100 --> 00:14:13,950

When an American killed a Canadian pig

307

00:14:13,950 --> 00:14:16,230

on an island off the coast of BC,

308

00:14:16,230 --> 00:14:18,450

it sparked a tense stand-off

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00:14:18,450 --> 00:14:20,970

involving thousands of troops,

310

00:14:20,970 --> 00:14:23,850

with both sides claiming

the island for themselves,

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00:14:23,850 --> 00:14:28,227

in what became known as "The Pig War."

312

00:14:29,730 --> 00:14:31,920

Many Americans thought those tensions

313

00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:33,510

would inevitably end

314

00:14:33,510 --> 00:14:37,350

with the Canadian colonies

joining the United States.

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00:14:37,350 --> 00:14:40,650

Americans like this man, William Seward,

316

00:14:40,650 --> 00:14:43,740

one of the most powerful

politicians in the US,

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00:14:43,740 --> 00:14:46,233

Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State.

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00:14:47,190 --> 00:14:49,650

Seward talked openly about his dream

319

00:14:49,650 --> 00:14:51,060

of the United States,

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00:14:51,060 --> 00:14:53,610

that covered the entire continent,

321

00:14:53,610 --> 00:14:58,500

manifest destiny, and even

some influential Canadians

322

00:14:58,500 --> 00:15:00,600

agreed signing a manifesto,

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00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:02,403

asking to be taken over.

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00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:05,370

As the Civil War loomed,

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00:15:05,370 --> 00:15:07,890

Seward had tried to find an excuse

326

00:15:07,890 --> 00:15:10,410

to start a war with the Canadian colonies,

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00:15:10,410 --> 00:15:12,990

hoping to unite Northerners

and Southerners,

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00:15:12,990 --> 00:15:15,030

against a common enemy.

329

00:15:15,030 --> 00:15:18,780

While American newspapers

called for an invasion.

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00:15:18,780 --> 00:15:21,510

They figured if the South

left the United States,

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00:15:21,510 --> 00:15:24,213

the Canadian colonies would

make a nice replacement.

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00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:27,090

And when the Civil War started,

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00:15:27,090 --> 00:15:29,103

those tensions only grew higher.

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00:15:30,690 --> 00:15:32,760

The British were officially neutral,

335

00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:34,770

refusing to take sides,

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00:15:34,770 --> 00:15:37,710

which meant the Canadian

colonies were neutral too.

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00:15:37,710 --> 00:15:38,940

The Canadian authorities

338

00:15:38,940 --> 00:15:41,670

did everything they could

to stay out of the war,

339

00:15:41,670 --> 00:15:44,493

but the union didn't always

respect that decision.

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00:15:46,380 --> 00:15:50,040

Some northern recruiters

snuck across the border,

341

00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,590

to kidnap Canadians, and forced them

342

00:15:52,590 --> 00:15:53,823

into the Union Army.

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00:15:55,230 --> 00:15:58,500

There are stories of sex

workers drugging drinks

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00:15:58,500 --> 00:16:02,460

to knock men out before

dragging them back south,

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00:16:02,460 --> 00:16:04,170

where those Canadians would suddenly

346

00:16:04,170 --> 00:16:06,393

find themselves fighting for the north.

347

00:16:07,950 --> 00:16:10,020

And when the union boarded a British ship

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00:16:10,020 --> 00:16:11,880

to arrest Confederate diplomats

349

00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:13,890

on their way to meetings in England,

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00:16:13,890 --> 00:16:15,390

it nearly sparked the war

351

00:16:15,390 --> 00:16:17,103

William Seward had been after.

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00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:20,490

Something had to be done.

353

00:16:20,490 --> 00:16:23,400

The Canadian colonies

needed reinforcements

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00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,310

to protect the border

and settle things down.

355

00:16:26,310 --> 00:16:28,230

They would come from Britain,

356

00:16:28,230 --> 00:16:30,993

and they would arrive

in spectacular style.

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00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:35,730

The Great Eastern was the

biggest ship in the world,

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00:16:35,730 --> 00:16:37,380

bigger even than the biblical

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00:16:37,380 --> 00:16:39,330

dimensions of Noah's Ark.

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00:16:39,330 --> 00:16:41,220

And so famous that it's appeared

361

00:16:41,220 --> 00:16:44,523

in a Jules Verne novel,

and a song by Sting.

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00:16:45,630 --> 00:16:47,340

As it steamed out of Liverpool,

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00:16:47,340 --> 00:16:49,410

it was carrying twice as many people,

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00:16:49,410 --> 00:16:52,650

as any ship had ever carried before.

365

00:16:52,650 --> 00:16:55,710

More than 2000 soldiers were on board,

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00:16:55,710 --> 00:16:58,290

plus families and crew all bound

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00:16:58,290 --> 00:17:00,510

for Canada in a hurry,

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00:17:00,510 --> 00:17:03,390

the captain pushed the ship

as fast as it would go,

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00:17:03,390 --> 00:17:04,980

refusing to slow down

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00:17:04,980 --> 00:17:08,490

even in thick fog,

barely dodging icebergs.

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00:17:08,490 --> 00:17:11,280

Nearly ploughing right

into another big ship,

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00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:13,380

when it reached the coast of Newfoundland.

373

00:17:15,302 --> 00:17:18,450

(ship horn sounding)

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00:17:18,450 --> 00:17:20,490

Thankfully, the Great Eastern made it

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00:17:20,490 --> 00:17:22,500

across the ocean in one piece,

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00:17:22,500 --> 00:17:26,520

smashing the record for

the quickest crossing ever.

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00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:28,860

It was packed so full of soldiers,

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00:17:28,860 --> 00:17:31,170

that when it docked here at Quebec City,

379

00:17:31,170 --> 00:17:34,113

it took two days to ferry them all ashore.

380

00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:37,203

It was a huge public event.

381

00:17:38,550 --> 00:17:41,312

The mayor himself welcomed the crew.

382

00:17:41,312 --> 00:17:42,480

(ceremonious music)

383

00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:44,699

The captain gave interviews to the press,

384

00:17:44,699 --> 00:17:46,260

(ceremonious music continues)

385

00:17:46,260 --> 00:17:49,252

and sight seers came from

as far away as Toronto.

386

00:17:49,252 --> 00:17:51,390

(ceremonious music continues)

387

00:17:51,390 --> 00:17:54,390

And all that spectacle had a purpose,

388

00:17:54,390 --> 00:17:58,152

to drive home one big

message to the Americans.

389

00:17:58,152 --> 00:18:01,985

(ceremonious music continues)

390

00:18:03,870 --> 00:18:06,240

All across the Canadian colonies,

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00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:08,913

preparations for war were underway.

392

00:18:10,410 --> 00:18:15,390

Militias were expanded,

fortresses were upgraded,

393

00:18:15,390 --> 00:18:17,583

schools were turned into barracks.

394

00:18:18,499 --> 00:18:22,236

In Toronto, students formed rifle cores,

395

00:18:22,236 --> 00:18:24,300

and in Montreal, shops closed early

396

00:18:24,300 --> 00:18:26,130

so employees could drill,

397

00:18:26,130 --> 00:18:30,480

and railway facilities were

turned into weapons factories.

398

00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:32,640

Thousands of additional soldiers

399

00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:34,320

poured in from Britain,

400

00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:36,930

along with 50,000 guns,

401

00:18:36,930 --> 00:18:40,140

and millions of rounds of ammunition.

402

00:18:40,140 --> 00:18:43,770

Even some of the old Martello

towers were reinforced,

403

00:18:43,770 --> 00:18:45,420

given new artillery,

404

00:18:45,420 --> 00:18:49,367

ready to face down yet

another American invasion.

405

00:18:49,367 --> 00:18:52,980

(intense rousing music)

406

00:18:52,980 --> 00:18:56,160

And so, when a meteor

streaked across the sky

407

00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:58,260

above Niagara Falls that winter,

408

00:18:58,260 --> 00:18:59,460

people didn't see it

409

00:18:59,460 --> 00:19:02,730

as a shining beacon of

friendship between nations.

410

00:19:02,730 --> 00:19:04,200

They saw it as an omen

411

00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,890

of an impending Canadian American war.

412

00:19:07,890 --> 00:19:10,500

Thanks to some trouble making pirates,

413

00:19:10,500 --> 00:19:12,930

that war would very nearly happen.

414

00:19:12,930 --> 00:19:17,930

(intense rousing music)

415

00:19:38,420 --> 00:19:40,860

(soft piano music)

416

00:19:40,860 --> 00:19:43,050

In part two, we'll meet the Canadians

417

00:19:43,050 --> 00:19:45,630

who supported the Confederacy,

418

00:19:45,630 --> 00:19:47,190

from pirate spies,

419

00:19:47,190 --> 00:19:49,110

and slave holding families,

420

00:19:49,110 --> 00:19:51,210

to some of the most celebrated leaders

421

00:19:51,210 --> 00:19:53,790

in the history of our country.

422

00:19:53,790 --> 00:19:55,473

But first, another story.

423

00:19:57,180 --> 00:20:00,030

Just a year after the

end of the Civil War,

424

00:20:00,030 --> 00:20:02,010

an American army really did

425

00:20:02,010 --> 00:20:04,170

invade the Canadian colonies.

426

00:20:04,170 --> 00:20:06,240

They began slipping across the border,

427

00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:09,300

under the cover of

darkness one June night,

428

00:20:09,300 --> 00:20:13,410

crossing the Niagara

River with a bizarre plan.

429

00:20:13,410 --> 00:20:15,780

It's a truly strange story,

430

00:20:15,780 --> 00:20:17,430

and I'll tell you the rest in a second.

431

00:20:17,430 --> 00:20:20,040

But first, I want to thank

you so much for watching.

432

00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:22,530

These episodes are a ton of work.

433

00:20:22,530 --> 00:20:25,770

And this two-part story

is our most ambitious yet,

434

00:20:25,770 --> 00:20:27,480

which is why it's taken a little longer

435

00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:29,100

than usual to release it,

436

00:20:29,100 --> 00:20:31,050

and why we need your support.

437

00:20:31,050 --> 00:20:33,270

We have lots more episodes to share,

438

00:20:33,270 --> 00:20:36,630

but the editing and

animation is a full-time job.

439

00:20:36,630 --> 00:20:38,310

So we need your help.

440

00:20:38,310 --> 00:20:40,320

You can support us on Patreon.

441

00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:42,090

Every little bit makes a difference.

442

00:20:42,090 --> 00:20:43,590

You'll find the link below.

443

00:20:43,590 --> 00:20:45,360

You can also spread the word,

444

00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:47,340

or like, comment, and subscribe,

445

00:20:47,340 --> 00:20:48,930

and hit the bell to get an alert

446

00:20:48,930 --> 00:20:51,120

when part two comes out.

447

00:20:51,120 --> 00:20:53,823

Now, back to that invading army.

448

00:20:55,140 --> 00:20:57,990

It was in June of 1866,

449

00:20:57,990 --> 00:21:00,060

that more than a thousand soldiers

450

00:21:00,060 --> 00:21:01,860

crossed the river on the border

451

00:21:01,860 --> 00:21:04,440

between Buffalo, and Fort Erie.

452

00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:09,440

They were Fenians, Irish

Americans with an optimistic plan

453

00:21:09,810 --> 00:21:12,000

to conquer the Canadian colonies,

454

00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:13,410

or at least part of them,

455

00:21:13,410 --> 00:21:15,960

and then trade them back to the British

456

00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:19,020

in return for Irish independence.

457

00:21:19,020 --> 00:21:20,967

Most of them had fought in the Civil War,

458

00:21:20,967 --> 00:21:24,150

and were even still

wearing their old uniforms.

459

00:21:24,150 --> 00:21:26,925

They were well-trained, and well armed.

460

00:21:26,925 --> 00:21:28,830

The next day, they ambushed

461

00:21:28,830 --> 00:21:31,560

an army of Canadian volunteers.

462

00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:34,980

The battle of Ridgeway was a bloody mess.

463

00:21:34,980 --> 00:21:36,720

The Canadians retreated,

464

00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:38,580

and the Fenians won the day.

465

00:21:38,580 --> 00:21:40,260

But the resistance was strong enough

466

00:21:40,260 --> 00:21:41,850

to convince the invaders,

467

00:21:41,850 --> 00:21:45,090

they weren't exactly gonna

be welcomed as liberators.

468

00:21:45,090 --> 00:21:46,596

Still, that invasion was far

469

00:21:46,596 --> 00:21:50,550

from the only Fenian

attack on Canadian soil.

470

00:21:50,550 --> 00:21:51,510

And years later,

471

00:21:51,510 --> 00:21:52,710

when one of the most powerful

472

00:21:52,710 --> 00:21:55,710

politicians in Canada was assassinated,

473

00:21:55,710 --> 00:21:58,830

it was the Fenians who are

suspected of the crime.

474

00:21:58,830 --> 00:22:01,710

We've got a whole episode

about that murder mystery.

475

00:22:01,710 --> 00:22:04,320

You'll find it linked in

the description below.

476

00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:06,900

The Fenians raids eventually fizzled,

477

00:22:06,900 --> 00:22:10,500

but they did drive home

a very urgent point.

478

00:22:10,500 --> 00:22:11,910

If the Canadian colonies

479

00:22:11,910 --> 00:22:13,440

didn't want to get swallowed up

480

00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:15,090

by the United States,

481

00:22:15,090 --> 00:22:17,550

they'd better start working together.

482

00:22:17,550 --> 00:22:20,220

That's another story we'll

be sharing in part two.

483

00:22:20,220 --> 00:22:22,500

So hit that bell, and stay tuned.

484

00:22:22,500 --> 00:22:24,150

Thanks again for watching.

485

00:22:24,150 --> 00:22:25,230

I'm Adam Bunch,

486

00:22:25,230 --> 00:22:27,777

and we'll see you next

time, on "Canadiana."

Videos

How the American Civil War Made Canada

Episode Transcript

CANADIANA web series