GENERAL
JOHN O'NEILL.
[Page 383]
GENERAL
JOHN O'NEILL.
Birth-Local
Inspiration at Clontibret -- Emigrates to U. S. At Business - Military
Leanings -- Goes to the Mormon War -- The Rebellion -- Services In -
Promotions -- Military Instructor -- Lieutenant of the 5th Indiana Cavalry --
His Dash -- Whips Morgan's Men at Buffington Bar -- Sick -- Fighting Again -
Resigns -- Romantic Marriage -- A Fenian -- The Representative -- Fan of the
Canadian Party -- The Invasion of Canada --He Commands the Expedition -- Battle
of Ridgeway -- Conflict at Fort Erie -- Not Supported -- Arrested by U. S.
Authorities while Re-crossing.
JOHN O'NEILL, was born in the townland of Drumgallon, parish of Clontibret, County Monaghan, on the 8th of March, 1834. His father died five weeks before the birth of his son, and his mother came to America in 1840, accompanied by a brother, leaving the children, two sons and a daughter, with their grand parents in Monaghan. Three years afterwards she sent for the two eldest children, the youngest, John, being allowed to remain at the earnest request of his relatives. He availed himself of the opportunities for such education as the school attached to Clontibret Church afforded ; and, in the historic lore of the locality, had his young blood stirred with tales of the great hero of his race, Hugh O'Neill, who at this place, in 1595, put Elizabeth's troops, under Sir John Norris, to rout, and killed in single combat Sedgrave, who was esteemed the most valiant and power-
FENIAN
HEROES AND MARTYRS
384
ful champion in the English pale. Doubtless these
scenes and tales were the inspiration which opened the path to Ridgeway.
In
the Spring of 1848 the boy O'Neill came to America and joined his mother in
Elizabeth, New Jersey. After attending school for a year lie entered a store as
clerk, in which position lie remained less than three years. This business did
not suit his ambitions nature. lie wanted to see the world-to choose his own
vocation. Quick, intelligent and reliable, lie started out when little more than
seventeen years of age to carve out his fortune. He traveled as agent for a New
York publishing house through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, and
subsequently in Virginia, as agent of a London House. In the Fall of 1S5 , he
started a Catholic bookstore in Richmond, but the enterprise failed for lack of
Catholic population and spirit in that city.
O'Neill's leanings had always been to a military life, and he had only been prevented from entering upon it by the opposition of his another and relatives. He had now mixed considerably with the world. Travel had but added to his soldier sympathies, and when the Mormon War was the chief topic of speculation, lie enlisted in the Second Dragoons at Baltimore, May, 1857. When the Rebellion broke out O'Neill was serving in the 1st Cavalry at Fort Crook, California, and accompanied that regiment to the Atlantic side, arriving in Washington on Christmas day, 1861. He served under McClellan throughout the Peninsula campaign, had command of General Stone-
GENERAL
JOHN O’NEILL
385
man's body guard at the battle of Williamsburgh; was
through the seven days in front of Richmond; and had his home shot under him at
Gaines' Mills, just before the Irish Brigade came up and saved the day. After
McClellan's retreat to Harrison's Landing, the 1st Cavalry was temporarily
broken up, and most of the commissioned and non-commissioned officers were sent
on recruiting service. O'Neill was detailed to Indianapolis, and while there did
valuable service as instructor of the cavalry officers of the "Home
Legion," as well as of companies and regiments then. being organized for
the field. O'Neill had been private, corporal, sergeant, and acting
sergeant-major in the regular cavalry, and now left that service to accept the
position of Second Lieutenant in the 5th Indiana Cavalry.
With
this regiment Lieutenant O'Neill served in Kentucky during the Spring and part
of the Summer of 1863, and was conspicuous in the pursuit of John Morgan through
Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. His services became so well acknowledged by the regiment,
that whenever a detail was made for a scouting party, the question "is
O'Neill going to lead it," became of common occurrence. A soldier who
served with him, writing from Bardstown, Ky., in August, '63, says: " We
know of seven rebels he has killed with his own hands. We know lie charged and
put to rout
200
rebels with
13 men. We know lie charged two regiments of Morgan's command with fifty men,
and took three of their guns. Let every officer in the service do that well,
and the privates will soon finish the
386
FENIAN HEROES AND MARTYRS.
balance."
His achievement with Morgan's regiments we give almost in the words of
Archbishop Purcell, of Cincinnati:
General
Judah left Pomeroy for Buffington on the night of the 19th July, 1863. He sent
first Lieutenant O'Neill with fifty men ahead to try and open communications
with the militia, said to be in close proximity. He arrived an hour and a half
after daylight, learned that the militia had been skirmishing during the
night, and that Judah's advance had been ambushed --the morning being very
foggy -- and the General's A. A. G., Captain Rise, and the Chief of Artillery,
Captain Henshaw, some thirty men, with one piece of artillery, captured and
carried to Morgan's headquarters, on the river road, some two miles ahead. The
Lieutenant at once resolved to recapture them, and kept steadily on. Several
parties tried to stop him, but a volley invariably drove them back. At length he
came on Morgan with two regiments and a body guard of one hundred men. He
halted his men suddenly at an angle of the road within a hundred and fifty
paces. He was prevented from giving them a volley by seeing some of his own men
in front. Giving the order "forward," he dashed in. Morgan broke and
ran. All of our men were re-captured and thirty of the enemy taken. O'Neill
pursued Morgan for two miles and captured three pieces of artillery.
"This," says Archbishop Purcell, "was the last of Morgan on the
field."
After the Morgan chase, Lieutenant O'Neill
experienced a very severe illness, and lay at the point of
death
for weeks in Rising Sun, Indiana. Joining his regiment on the 10th November, he was severely wounded on the 2d December while
gallantly and successfully repelling a charge at Walker's Ford, Clinch River,
Tennessee. Here the Colonel failing to rally the men, O'Neill took command.
"He rode out all the day, never seeking shelter, cheering the men. When
other officers had given up all as lost, he replied, ‘not by a long sight.’
He
met
with a hearty response from the men." He was wounded while successfully
making the last stand. Compelled to take rest, he received leave of absence, and
for time first time in seven years visited his mother
and relatives at their home
in New Jersey homes.
Returning to his regiment, and finding political influence stronger than
Soldierly merit, Lieutenant O'Neill resigned. At his own request he was appointed Captain in the 11th U.S.
Colored Infantry, and was detailed on the Military Examining board, sitting at
Nashville, Tennessee. He was promised the Colonelcy of a colored regiment of
cavalry; but the organization of these troops was dispensed with towards the
close of the war, and the Captain's wound becoming troublesome, he tendered his
resignation to the War Department, which was accepted November 1864. He got
married about this time, under romantic circumstances. A young lady –
Miss Mary Crow -- to whom he had been engaged in California, hearing of his
wounds, came from the shores of the Pacific with a family of her acquaintance,
to nurse and tend the hero to whom she had pledged her troth. His
devotion
was equal to her faith, and he at once gave her the right to comfort him as a
wife.
In
May, 1865, Captain O'Neill opened an office in Nashville, Tennessee, and was
remarkably successful. This he gave up to fulfil what he believed to be his duty
in following the policy adopted by the seceding wing of the Fenian Organization.
His connection with the invasion of Canada, makes him the representative
military man of the Canadian party -- and, indeed, regarding that invasion as the
result of the policy of that party, he may be regarded as the most comprehensive
representative man of the spirit of that party in its entirety. The record of
General O'Neill in this especial connection, is made from his official report,
kindly furnished at the request of the writer.
In obedience to orders, Colonel O'Neill left Nashville on the 27th May, 1866, and arrived at Buffalo, N. Y., on the 30th. Being the senior officer present, lie was designated to lead the projected expedition. On the night of the 31st, eight hundred men were reported -- detachments from the following regiments 13th Infantry, Colonel John O'Neill; 17th Infantry, Colonel Owen Starr; 18th Infanty, Lieutenant-Colonel Grace; 7th Infantry, Colonel John Hoy; and two companies from Indiana, under Captain Haggerty; but not more than six hundred were got together when the crossing took place. The movement commenced at midnight. At 3:30 A.M. on June 1st, the men and arms and ammunition were put on board four canal boats at a point called Little Black Rock. They were towed across the Niagara river, and landed at Water-
loo. At 4
o'clock in the morning the Irish flag was displayed on British soil by Colonel
Starr, who commanded
the two first boats. On landing, O'Neill ordered the telegraph
wires to be eat down, and seat a party to destroy the railroad bridge leading to
Port Colborne. Starr, with the Kentucky and Indiana contingents, proceeded
through the town of Erie to the old Fort, some three miles up the river, and
occupied it. O'Neill then demanded subsistence of the citizens of Erie,
assuring them that no depredations would be permitted, and his request was
cheerfully complied with. At 10 o'clock lie moved into camp at Newbiggin's farm,
on Frenchman's Creek, four miles from Fort Erie, down the river, and occupied it
until 10 A. M. Some of his men on a foraging excursion on the Chippewa road, had
conic up with the enemy's scouts, and towards night O'Neill received
intelligence that a large force (said to be 5,000) with artillery, were
advancing in two columns -- one from Chippewa, the other from Port Colborne --
also, that troops front the latter were to attack him from the Lake side. At
this time, owing to straggling and desertion, O'Neill's force was not more than
five hundred men. The odds were terrible, but the commander was schooled in
danger. At 10 P. M. lie broke camp, and marched towards Chippewa, and at
midnight changed direction, and moved on the Lime Stone Ridge road leading
towards Ridgeway. His object was to meet the column conning from Port Colborne
-- to get between the two columns, and -- defeat one before the other could
render aid.
390
GENERAL JOHN
O'NEILL.
At
about 7 o'clock on the morning of 2d June, within three miles of Ridgeway,
Colonel Starr, commanding the advance, came up with the advance of the enemy,
mounted. He drove them within sight of their skirmish line, which extended about
half a mile on both sides of the road. O'Neill immediately advanced his
skirmishers and formed a line of battle behind temporary breastworks made of
rails, on a road leading to Fort Erie, and parallel with the enemy. The
skirmishing was briskly kept up for half an hour. The enemy was attempting to
flank O'Neill on both sides ; and he failed to draw their centre, which was
partially protected by thick timber. In this exigency he fell back a few hundred
yards, and formed a new line. The British, seeing how few the invading troops
were, became adventurous. They supposed O'Neill had retreated, and advanced in pursuit. Now was
O'Neill's chance, and he did not fail to take it. The British come on rapidly
after the Irish, who "retreat" not quite so rapidly. They come nearer
and nearer -- now they are near, enough for O'Neill's purpose. He gives his
orders with decision; a volley stops the career of the British; it is their turn
to retreat -- but they retreat in earnest, with the Irish after them in earnest
too; driving them for three miles, and through the town of Ridgeway. In their
retreat, the British threw away knapsacks, guns, and everything likely to retard
their speed, and left some ten or twelve killed, nearly thirty wounded, with
twelve prisoners in the hands of the Irish. O'Neill gave up the pursuit one mile
beyond Ridgeway.
Although
victorious, O'Neill's position was very critical. The reported strength of the
enemy he had engaged was 1,400, embracing the "Queen's Own," the
Hamilton Battalion, and other troops. A regiment from Port Colborne was said
to be on the road to reinforce then. The column from Chippewa would also hear of
the fight, and move on his rear with all celerity. Thus situated, he decided to
return to Fort Erie and learn if reinforcements for the invading army had been
sent across at any other points. Seeing after the dead and wounded, he divided
his command, and sent Starr with one half down the Railroad to destroy it and
the bridges, and led the rest on the pike-road to Fort Erie. They united at the
old fort at 4 P.M. O'Neill next had a skirmish with the Welland Battery, which
had arrived there from Port Colborne in the morning, and had picked up some
stragglers and deserters. The enemy fired from the houses. Three or four men
were killed, and twice that number were wounded on both sides. Here the Irish
captured forty-five prisoners, among them Captain King, wounded -- who had his
leg amputated; Lieutenant McDonald, Royal Navy, and Lieutenant
Nemo, Royal Artillery. Taking precautions against surprisal, O'Neill put himself
in communication with his friends in Buffalo, stating his desperate position. He
was willing, if a movement was going on elsewhere, to hold out; and, if
necessary, to make the old Fort a slaughter-pen sooner than surrender. His men
were without food or supplies, and had marched forty miles, and had two
conflicts. When, therefore, he
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GENERAL JOHN O'NEILL
learned
that no crossing had been made in his aid, he promptly demanded transportation,
which was furnished about midnight of the 2d June. They
were all on board by 2 A. M., and when in. American waters, they were
arrested by the American authorities. So ended the invasion of Canada. The
commanding officer, under the trying circumstances by which lie was surrounded,
displayed undoubted capacity. If he had been supported, there is no doubt lie
would have added to his military distinction.
Having been
released on his own recognizance to answer the charge of violation of the
Neutrality Laws, General O'Neill returned to Tennessee. He subsequently took up
his abode in Washington, D. C., where he hopes to repair the inroads made upon
his property. He said to a friend recently that the services to the cause, thus
briefly described, have damaged his fortunes to the amount of at least thirty
thousand dollars.