Crimean War
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A few Canadians were in the British army
when the Crimean War broke out in 1854. One of them, Alexander Dunn, earned
the first Victoria Cross to be won by a Canadian. As a Lieutenant in the
11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own), he took part in the famous "Charge
of the Light Brigade" at Balaclava. He saved the life of a sergeant by
single-handedly killing three Russian lancers, and saved a private by killing
a Russian hussar. He was decorated for his actions and later achieved the
rank of colonel.
Eureka Stockade
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A group of 120 foreign miners who had settled in Victoria Territory, Australia, decided to revolt against the British and set up a parliamentary democracy for themselves. They fortified themselves in a primitive stockade and held out until they were overrun by a British force consisting of the 12th and 40th Regiments of Foot and the Victoria Police. The uprising is today one of the most celebrated events in Australian history.
There were several Canadians involved in the uprising who took up arms on the side of the rebels. Their exact numbers are not known, but they were led by "Captain" Henry (or Charles, according to the Australian government) Ross, of Toronto. It was Ross who designed the now famous Eureka flag, which is said to have been inspired by the flag of Quebec. Ross was killed during the battle, being shot about 10 minutes after capture by British forces.
American Civil War
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Canadians volunteered for foreign service on
a scale never before seen during the American Civil War. Approximately
50,000 Canadians joined the Union forces during the war, and approximately
10,000 joined the Confederates. Four became Union generals and an estimated 5,000 were killed in battle or by disease during the course of the war.
Twenty-four Canadians served with distinction
warranting the award of the Congressional Medal of Honor. They were:
Quartermaster Frank Bois, U.S.S. Cincinnati
Captain John Harties Brown, Co. D 12th Kentucky
Infantry
Private Denis Buckley, Co. G 136th New York
Infantry
Sergeant Ovila Cayer, Co. A 14th U.S. Volunteers
Private John Chapman, 1st Maine Heavy Artillery
Landsman Louis G Chaupt, U.S.S. Lackawanna
Private Robert F Dodd, Co. E, 27th Michigan
Infantry
Sergeant Edward E Dodds, Co. C, 21st New
York Cavalry
Coxswain Thomas Fitzpatrick, U.S.S. Hartford
Major John C Gilmore, 16th New York Inf.
Private Asel Hagerty, Co. A 61st New York
Infantry
Sergeant Thomas J Higgins, Co. D 99th Illinois
Infantry
Private George L Houghton, Co. D 104th Illinois
Infantry
Captain of the Top James McIntosh, U.S.S.
Richmond
Captain Martin T McMahon, aide-de-camp, U.S.
Volunteers
Corporal John P. McVeane, Co. D 49th New
York Infantry
Private James T Murphy, Co. L 1st Connecticut
Artillery
Sergeant Albert O'Connor, Co. A 7th Winsonsin
Infantry
Sergeant Alonzo H Pickle, Co. B 1st Minnesota
Infantry
Corporal Wesley J Powers, Co. F 147th Illinois
Infantry
First Sergeant Carlos H Rich, Co. K 4th Vermont
Infantry
Corporal Alexander Scott, Co. D 10th Vermont
Infantry
Private John Shivers, U.S. Marine Corps
Corporal Benjamin F Young, Co. I 1st Michigan
Sharpshooters
To find out more on each of these MOH recipients,
please refer to the U.S. Army's Medal
of Honor Citations
A number of Canadians also made up a large
part of the crew on board the raider C.S.S. Alabama, one of the
most notorious ships in the Confederate navy. The ship itself was sunk
by the Union brig U.S.S. Kearsarge off Cherbourg, France. Many of
the Canadian dead are buried in a cemetary just outside of Cherbourg.
Calixa Lavallée, who wrote our national anthem O! Canada, was a Union Army veteran and had been wounded by Confederate gunfire at the Battle of Antietam in 1862. He left the Army as a lieutenant before going on to write his famous ode to his homeland.
Defence of Rome
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In 1868, 500 men, mainly from Quebec, volunteered
for service in the armies of His Holiness the Pope. They would make up
a distinct unit, the Canadian Ponificial Zouaves, and were recruited by
the Roman Catholic hierarchy and a small civilian commitee in Canada. The
government had absolutely no affiliation with the unit whatsoever.
The men, mainly drawn from the professional
classes (some had held commissions in the militia), did not see much action.
Two were wounded in the action at Mentana and the regiment as a whole was
involved in the token defense of Rome against the forces of Victor Emmanuel
and Garibaldi. The Zouaves were disbanded and returned home in 1870.
American Indian Wars
A little known fact is that many Canadians
volunteered for service in the US Army during the Indian Wars period. In
fact, one of General George Armstrong Custer's finest officer's was a Canadian
by the name of William W. Cooke, born in Mount Pleasant, Ontario (near
Bradford). A veteran of the Civil War, Cooke was a good friend of Custer's,
and it is said that Custer visited him at his grandparents' home in Hamilton.
In fact, the two were so close that Custer had once made Cooke promise
to kill his wife, Libby Custer, in the event of capture by the Indians.
Cooke led Custer's sharpshooter detachment
at the Battle of the Washita in 1868, and later campaigned with him during
the wars against the Cheyenne and Sioux in 1876. At the Battle of the Little
Bighorn, it was Cooke who hastily penned the "Come quick" note to faraway
Benteen. However, the reinforcements never arrived, and Cooke, Custer,
and 210 men of the 7th US Cavalry were wiped out. Colonel Cooke was not
buried with his comrades-in-arms on the Little Bighorn battlefield. His
remains were repatriated to Canada, and he was buried in a cemetary in
Hamilton.
Cooke was not the only Canadian to fight and
die with Custer at the Little Bighorn. Also present were:
Sgt John Vickory, Co F. Born in Toronto, 1847.
Richard D Saunders, Co D. Born in Yarmouth,
1853.
Darwin L Symms, Co. I. Born in Motreal, 1852.
Edmond D Tessier, Co L. Born in Montreal,
1847.
Andrew Snow, Co L. Born in Surrell, 1853.
Mark Kellogg, war correspondent. Born in
Brighton, Ontario, 1833 of U.S. parents. Therefore considered a U.S. citizen.
Zulu War
At least two Canadians were killed serving in the British Army during the Zulu War of 1879. One, Captain George Vaughan Wardell of 1/24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment, was among the 800 British soldiers slain during the disastrous battle of Isandhlwana. A native of Toronto and aged 38, Wardell was born of a military family, his father having served in the 66th Regiment, 93rd Highlanders and the Royal Canadian Rifles. At Isandhlwana he commanded 'H' Company of the 24th, which formed part of the centre of the British line and occupied the fringe of the gap punched through by the Zulu right horn. Flanked, Wardell and his men fought on with the bayonet until they were overhwelmed and annihilated.
Two months later, another Canadian, Lt-Col. Frederick Augustus Weatherley, was killed during the battle of Inhlobana Mountain. The British Record Office's official history of the Zulu War does not elaborate on Weatherley's origins, but only notes that he was a settler of "Canadian extraction" who had served as a cavalry officer during the Crimean War and Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. His command, a troop of militia cavalry called the Border Horse, was part of the British force which attacked the abaQulusi camp atop Inhlobana Mountain on March 28. After becoming detached from the main body of troops in a heavy thunderstorm, Weatherley and his men had to be wheedled into joining the attack by their commanding officer, Sir Evelyn Wood. Once on the mountain, they were surprised and surrounded by Zulus, with most of the British force, including half of the Border Horse, being killed in the subsequent firefight. Weatherley was among the dead, and his command was not re-formed after the battle.
1st Sudan War/Nile Expedition
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In 1884, General Lord Wolseley took command
of a field force to relieve Major-General C.G. Gordon, who was besieged
my Mahdist forces at Khartoum. Wolseley, who had commanded the Red River
Expedition in 1870, suggested that a number of Canadian voyageurs should
be recruited to assist the British army in its passage down the Nile river.
Although the "voyageurs" of old had all but disappeared, the British did
succeed in securing a contingent of 386 lumberjacks and Caughnawaga indians.
They were placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Fred Denison and
despatched to Egypt.
The Canadians had volunteered for a period
of six months only, and when it became apparent that they would be needed
for longer, a second request for volunteers was issued among those already
in Egypt. This, however, yielded only 89 volunteers. These proceded down
the Nile under the command of Lt-Col Denison, the remainder returned to
Canada under Captain Aumond.
Being noncombatants, the voyageurs did not
experience combat, however, several were present at the engagement near
Kirbekan, and were subsequently awarded the "Kirbekan" clasp to their campaign
medal. 16 Canadians died of various causes on the expedition.
In the end, the expedition was a failure.
The Mahdist's army stormed Khartoum just days before Wolseley arrived on
the scene, effectively destroying Gordon's command. As the situation in
the Sudan grew increasingly grave, many Canadians demanded that a more
formal Canadian contingent be sent to the aid of the British, as New South
Wales had done. Most were opposed to the idea, however, and would have
agreed wholeheartedly with Prime Minister MacDonald's comments that "The
Suez is nothing to us, and we do not ask England to quarrel with France
or Germany for our sakes..."
Still, Lord Wolseley was impressed by the
quality of the Canadian voyageurs. Speaking after the campaign, he said:
"I desire to place on record, not
only my own opinion, but that of every officer connected with the direction
and management of the boat columns, that the services of these voyageurs
has been of the greatest possible value, and further, that their conduct
throughout has been excellent. They have earned for themselves a high reputation
among the troops of the Nile."
Spanish-American War
An undetermined number of Canadians travelled
south to volunteer for service in the U.S. armed forces during the Spanish
American War. At least one, Michael J Kehoe of Ottawa, was a member of
the famous 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, better known as the "Rough Riders",
under the command of future president Theodore Roosevelt.
Two Canadians were awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor for their actions during the Spanish-Ameican War. Amazingly,
both were awarded on the same day, for the same action on board the same
ship. They were:
Private Daniel Campbell, from Prince Edward
Island, serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. His citation reads "On board
the U.S.S. Marblehead during the cutting of the cable leading from
Cienfuegos, Cuba, 11 May 1898. Facing the heavy fire of the enemy, Campbell
set an example of extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout this action."
Landsman Henry P. Russell, from Quebec, serving
aboard the U.S.S. Marblehead. His citation reads "On board the U.S.S.
Marblehead during the operation of cutting the cable leading from Cienfuegos, Cuba, 11 May 1898. Facing the heavy fire of the enemy, Russell displayed extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout this action."
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