Troublous Times in Canada

by John Alexander Macdonald

One of the most dangerous and critical periods in the history of Canada was that which closely followed the termination of the Civil War between the Northern and Southern States of America in the year 1865. It is a strange fact that Canadian authors and historians do not seem to have fully realized the gravity of the situation that then existed, as the event has been passed over by them with the barest possible mention. Thus the people of the present generation know very little of the Fenian troubles of 1866 and 1870, and the great mass of the young Canadian boys and girls who are being educated in our Public Schools and Colleges are in total ignorance of the grave danger which cast dark shadows over this fair and prosperous Dominion in those stormy days. It was a period of great peril to this rising young Nation of the North, which might possibly have ended in the severance of Canada from British dominion. But happily this was prevented by the prompt measures that were taken to defend our soil, and the quick response that was made by the resolute Canadian Volunteers when the bugles sounded the call to assemble for active service on our frontiers.

Genres: History

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1910

About the author

Sir John Alexander Macdonald was the first Prime Minister of Canada (1867–1873, 1878–1891) and the dominant figure of Canadian Confederation.

When Macdonald was a boy his family immigrated to Kingston in the Province of Upper Canada (today in eastern Ontario). As a lawyer he was involved in several high-profile cases and quickly became prominent in Kingston, which elected him in 1844 to the legislature of the Province of Canada. By 1857, he had become Premier.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd little book about an odd little time in Canadian history.

The Fenian raids were part of the ongoing attempt by Irish republicans to liberate their homeland from the British empire. In 1866, realizing that they couldn't win in open warfare against the British, they decided to try to invade Canada, thinking that they could either ransom a conquered Canada back to Britain in exchange for a free Ireland, or they would just keep it and rename it New Ireland. Their plan might have worked, too, except that it was a horribly poorly thought out plan, carried out by incompetents who completely misunderstood the relationship between the Canadian colonists and Mother England. The fear caused by these raids was apparently one of the motivations behind Confederation, though, so I'm surprised I hadn't heard of it before now.

The book itself is oddly structured, too - MacDonald is clearly passionate on the subject of Canadian identity and loyalty to the crown, and doesn't hide that at all. He breaks up the narrative at times, though, with pages and pages of lists of the individual soldiers who fought in different engagements with the Fenians, with special mention of those who were wounded or died. I get that he wanted to show his respect to the fallen, but it created a really uneven reading experience.


PS: Not *that* John A MacDonald. A different one.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written in 1910 by John Alexander MacDonald. The author actually fought against the Fenians, so had first hand knowledge of the Fenian Raids of 1868 and 1870. He also used newspaper articles and military records and court records to "round out" his book.
Mr. MacDonald lists the Canadian men who fought, those who died and the wounded.
I enjoyed reading the names of the communities where the soldiers and volunteers were stationed and where skirmishes took place, as I have previously visited most of those places.
The Canadians were very patriotic and quick to volunteer to do their duty and leave their farms and jobs to join the soldiers to protect their country and fight the Fenians. The Fenian Raids cost the Canadians millions of money and the sacrifice of lives. The Canadians won these raids, driving the Irish Americans out of Canada and back across the Canada/United States border.
I read a free Kindle version of this book and gave it 3.5 stars. I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about Canadian history.

[Don Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an interesting period of Canadian History that we do not pay much attention to. With out the Fenian raids we might never have had the motivation to become an independent country in 1867. The fear of invasion forced Canadians and Canadian Militia to engage and helped build a patriotism that cemented the desire to be independent.

[Wendalynn Donnan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally finished. Well, it took almost as long as the time period between the two occurances.