TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
Some punctuation has been changed to be consistent.
— “St ” changed to “St.”
— “Lt-Col.” changed to “Lt.-Col.”; “Lt. Col.” changed to “Lt.-Col.”
— “Lieut-Col.” changed to “Lieut.-Col.”
— “Col ” changed to “Col.”
— “13th.” changed to “13th”; “22nd.” to “22nd” (Battalions)
— Period removed from dates (for example 1st. of June)
The description of time has been made consistent. Use of a comma(for example 4,30 p. m. or 4, a. m.) has been changed to usea period or a space (4.30 p. m. or 4 a. m.). Some upper case A. M.and P. M. have been changed to lower case.
The Chapter headings were misnumbered in the original book. Thereis no ‘Chapter V’ and no ‘Chapter VII’; no pages are missing.
The cover image was created by the transcriberand is placed in the public domain.
Some other changes to the text are noted at the end of the book.
AT LIMESTONE RIDGE,
Published in the Narrative of
ALEXANDER SOMERVILLE,
AT Hamilton, Canada West.
NARRATIVE
OF THE
FENIAN INVASION,
OF
CANADA,
BY
ALEXANDER SOMERVILLE
WITH A
MAP OF THE FIELD OF COMBAT,
AT
LIMESTONE RIDGE,
HAMILTON, C. W.,
Published for the Author, by JOSEPH LYGHT, Bookseller & Stationer.
Printed by A. LAWSON & Co., White’s Block, King Street.
1866
PREFACE
The term Fenian is derived from the Irish word Feine, the genitive case ofFian (plural Fiana), the designation of a band, or rather several bands of warriors,whose duty was to defend the coasts of Ireland from foreign invasion.
The Fians, Fiana, or Fenians flourished in the third century of our era, andemployed their time alternately in war, the chase, and the cultivation of poetry.As their protecting power extended to part of Scotland, hence the traditionsof them in that country, on which Macpherson’s celebrated poems of ‘Ossian’are founded. Their chief was Fin or Fionn (the Fingal of Macpherson),and their most celebrated bards were Ossian, or Oisin, and Fergus (sons of Fin