Turning Back the Fenians

In the 1860s, New Brunswick experienced its own brand of international terrorism. The Fenian Brotherhood sought the ouster of the British from their beloved Ireland and found support among Irish-American immigrants. Eager to help the cause, the American Fenian sympathizers planned to invade British North America and hold it hostage. New Brunswick, with its large Irish population and undefended frontier, seemed the perfect target.
In the spring of 1866, a thousand Fenians massed along the southwest border of New Brunswick. But when Lieutenant-Governor Arthur Hamilton Gordon revitalized the New Brunswick militia, calling in British soldiers and a squadron of warships, the force proved too much for the enemy, who retreated and turned their efforts against the more vulnerable central Canada. The threat of this Fenian attack fanned the flames of an already red-hot political debate, and a year later, in 1867, New Brunswick joined Confederation.

Born in Montreal in 1935, Robert Leonard Dallison attended both the Royal Roads Military College and the Royal Military College of Canada and, following graduation in 1958, was commissioned into the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. He received a BA (history) from RMC and a BA (history and international studies) from the University of British Columbia. He served for thirty-five years with the Canadian Army, obtaining the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and ending his career as chief of staff of the Combat Arms School at CFB Gagetown. After retiring, he maintained his life-long interest in history and heritage, including serving as the President of Fredericton Heritage Trust and as the New Brunswick representative on the Board of Governors for Heritage Canada. From 1992 to 2002, he was director of Kings Landing Historical Settlement. Retired again, he is currently living with his wife Sharon in Fredericton.