Episode 12: The Strange Case of the Fenian Invasion of Canada

Irish-born Civil War veterans returned to Cleveland with a new-found confidence. They had just helped to win a war. Some Irish veterans began to think about advancing another just cause -- freedom for their native country. Returning veterans joined the Fenian Brotherhood -- which aimed to stir up American support for overthrowing British rule in Ireland. Plans coalesced around a proposed (and ill-advised) invasion -- of Canada! Cleveland was in the thick of Fenian activity, serving as a rendezvous point for Fenians headed toward Canada from points west and south. But unsurprisingly, the US government did not want war with Britain in Canada, and squelched the short-lived Fenian movement.