In the 1850's, in an attempt by the Irish to gain independence from Britain, the Fenian Movement was established by Irish-Americans (with the support of a number of people in Ireland). The forces of the Movement were later strengthened by thousands of Irish-Americans soldiers who joined the Movement after the American Civil War had ended in the 1860's. In turn, to defend the Dominion from the Fenians, across Canada military units had been organized since the 1850's to fight off potential invaders and contain potential uprisings.

Two substantive raids were initiated by the Fenians against Canada. The first took place in 1866 and the second in 1870. One of  the intentions of the Fenians was to generate a war between Great Britain and the United States. The Fenians failed in their efforts and the movement collapsed shortly after 1870.

In 1899,  Canadian General Service Medal (1866 - 1870) was created to honor men who had served in the forces that had fought in the Fenian Raids and what was known as the First Riel Rebellion.

For further information about the Fenian Raids, you may wish to visit, Fenian Raids .  Robert McGee's book, The Fenian Raids on the Huntingdon Frontier 1866 and 1870 provides information about the local raids..  Photographs and a description of the medal can be found at Veterans Affairs Canada. 

This transcription of the Fenian Medal Registers related to persons in South West Quebec has been very kindly provided by Gina Smith . Gina's notes that the medals were first issued in 1899, but some were sent as late as 1902.  The transcription provides the name, year and regiment, and mailing address of where the Canadian Government sent the medal. The Reference Number provided refers to the Medal Register volume and page number where information was extracted. While Gina hopes that she was able to locate the medals issued for every person who had served in the local militias, she does warn it possible some individuals may have been missed.

If you are interested in researching the medals further, the registers are available on microfilm from the National Archives of Canada. The following table provides a list of microfilm numbers and the registers each includes.

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