Battle Of Ridgeway...

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Interesting early Canadian History...The Queens Own could have used a few CMP's and carriers......

Provincial plaque unveiling commemorates the Battle of Ridgeway
FORT ERIE, ON, June 3 /CNW/ - The Ontario Heritage Trust unveiled a
provincial plaque today commemorating the Battle of Ridgeway. The unveiling
took place during a celebration at Old Fort Erie marking the 140th anniversary
of the battle.
In 1866, Canada was invaded by the Fenians - the American wing of the
secretive Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood - as part of the Irish fight for
independence from British rule. To draw the British and Canadian forces into
Canada West, the Fenians planned several landings across the Great Lakes with
a feint across the Niagara River from Buffalo. At the same time, they would
strike north from Upper New York State and Vermont to capture Montreal and
Quebec.
When it proved impossible to mount the invasion across the lakes, the
Fenians focused their main effort in the west on the attack at Niagara.
British forces and the Canadian militia moved into the peninsula to defend the
Welland Canal. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Booker, Canadian
militiamen from the Queen's Own Rifles, the 13th Battalion and the York and
Caledonia rifle companies traveled by train to Ridgeway with the plan to meet
the British column at the rendezvous. Before they could join forces, the
Canadians unexpectedly encountered the Fenians and the Battle of Ridgeway
ensued.
Contradictory orders and confusion on the battlefield coincided with a
Fenian counterattack, causing the Canadians to withdraw.
Though the Fenians were successful at Ridgeway, their broader plan to
invade Canada as a whole was not. Nevertheless, the Fenians were a persistent
threat during the first decade of Confederation, providing a common cause and
sense of unity throughout late 19th-century Canada. As a result of the Battle
of Ridgeway, the vulnerability of Canada's defence network was exposed,
spurring improvements and helping to galvanize the Confederation movement.
"The Battle of Ridgeway was a significant event in the early development
of our country," said The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, Chairman of the
Ontario Heritage Trust. "Though we were not victorious on the battlefield, it
helped us grow into the strong nation that we are today."
"Heritage enriches our communities, contributes to our economic
prosperity and enhances our quality of life for Ontarians," said Ontario
Minister of Culture Caroline Di Cocco. "It is important that we commemorate
our past. With the help of this provincial plaque, this event will now be
remembered by future generations."
This unveiling is part of the Trust's Provincial Plaque Program that
commemorates significant people, places and events in Ontario's history. Since
1953, nearly 1,200 of these distinctive blue and gold plaques have been
unveiled.
"Those who fell in the Battle of Ridgeway did so for a far greater cause
than they knew," said Jim Bradley, Minster of Tourism. "They contributed
greatly to the formation of a proud, new nation - Canada. I am pleased that
tourists will be able to learn more about Ontario's heritage through this
attraction."