The Fenian Needham Conversion Rifle : A Tangible Piece of Irish, American, and Canadian History

Type of resource
Authors/collaborators
Title
The Fenian Needham Conversion Rifle : A Tangible Piece of Irish, American, and Canadian History
Abstract
Includes information on the armaments used by both the Irish American Fenians and the Missisquoi Red Sashes during the 1870 Battle of Eccles Hill near the Eastern Townships village of Frelighsburg. The Red Sashes were a home guard militia led by local farmers Asa Westover and Andrew Ten Eyck, formed in 1868 following an earlier armed invasion of Missisquoi County by Fenians in 1866. The authors point out the problems associated with the Needham rifles used by the Fenians, which had a propensity to jam when loading and unloading due to inherent design flaws. The Red Sashes were armed with the latest version of the breech loading Ballard rifle. The Battle of Eccles Hill, on May 25, 1870, lasted six hours, with the Canadians pushing back each advance by the Fenians. The Red Sashes were eventually reinforced by a troop of Montreal Cavalry, elements of the 3rd (“Victoria Rifles”) Battalion, and most of the 60th “Missisquoi” Battalion. The site of the Battle of Eccles Hill is now a National Historic Site.
Publication
Military Collector & Historian
Volume
Vol. 72
Issue
no. 1
Pages
71-82
Date
Spring 2020
Language
en
URL
Citation
Smith-Christmas, Kenneth L., and Ross Jones. “The Fenian Needham Conversion Rifle : A Tangible Piece of Irish, American, and Canadian History.” Military Collector & Historian Vol. 72, no. 1 (Spring 2020): 71–82. http://military-historians.org/journal/MCH_Vol72_1.pdf.
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