Offers a detailed account of the political and military history of the Irish American Fenian Brotherhood in the nineteenth century. In what is now largely considered a footnote in history, Americans invaded Canada along the Niagara Frontier in 1866. The group behind the invasion—the Fenian Brotherhood—was formed in 1858 by Irish nationalists in New York City in order to fight for Irish independence from Britain. At the end of the American Civil War, Fenian leaders attempted to use Irish Americans, many of them combat veterans, to seize Canada and make it the “New Ireland” as a means to force the British from “old” Ireland. New York State was both the epicenter of Fenian leadership and a key support base and staging area for the military operations. Although relatively short-lived and with some of its military operations being somewhere between farce and tragedy, the Fenian Brotherhood had a very important impact on nineteenth-century New York and America, but remains largely forgotten. In Rebels on the Niagara Lawrence E. Cline examines not only the Fenian operations and their impact on Canada, but also the role the United States and New York played in both the initial support for the Fenian movement and its subsequent collapse in America. “A brilliant new account of the forgotten 1866 invasion of Canada by Fenian Irish American Civil War veterans. The Battle of Ridgeway, fought during the Fenian Raids in the Niagara region, was the first Irish victory over the forces of the British Empire since the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745. Lawrence Cline gives us a new look inside the mad and daring Fenian invasion plan to take Canada and hold it hostage in the name of freedom from British rule in Ireland.” — Peter Vronsky, author of Ridgeway: The American Fenian Invasion and the 1866 Battle That Made Canada “This book examines in fascinating detail a neglected event in US and Niagara Frontier history. Lawrence Cline’s study of the Fenian invasion of Canada will be of interest to students of unconventional war, the Irish independence movement, and US-Canadian relations, as well as to the general educated reader. It is a valuable contribution to the literature.” — Thomas R. Mockaitis, author of Conventional and Unconventional War: A History of Conflict in the Modern World

Report accompanied by historical documents, calendars, etc.

This special bundle collects six titles by military history specialist Gavin K. Watt. This series has a unique focus: The American War of Independence viewed from the perspective of British operations in the north. The Burning of the Valleys concerns a decisive campaign against the northern frontier of New York in the fifth year of the war. A Dirty, Trifling Piece of Business is about operations in the sixth year, including in the south. In Poisoned by Lies and Hypocrisy, Watt explores the first two campaigns of the American Revolution through their impact on Canada and describes how a motley group of militia, American loyalists, and British regulars managed to defend Quebec and repel the invaders. Rebellion in the Mohawk Valley concerns the campaign that led to the destruction of British-held Fort Ticonderoga. Fire and Desolation details how misrule and fraying alliances led to a ferocious campaign in 1777 that changed the course of the American Revolution. These titles are essential reading for military history, early Canadian history, and War of Independence history buffs. Includes: The Burning of the Valleys A Dirty, Trifling Piece of Business I Am Heartily Ashamed Poisoned by Lies and Hypocrisy Rebellion in the Mohawk Valley New in 2017! Fire and Desolation

The Soldier Founders of Ontario.