In the turbulent decade which produced the Canadian Confederation of 1867, a group of seasoned veterans of the American Civil War turned their attention to the conquest of Canada. They were Irish-American revolutionaries — unique because they fought under their own flag. They were know as the Fenians and they believed that the first step on the road to the liberation of Ireland was to invade Canada. The Last Invasion of Canada vividly recaptures the drama of the decade. It recounts the fledgling nation’s rag-tag, but patriotic, defence against an enemy committed to a glorious cause, but with only scattered resources. It is a story of courage, espionage and petty crime, and of mismatched motivations and goals.

Hereward Senior is a professor of history at McGill University and the author of several studies of transatlantic subjects, including the United Empire Loyalists, Orangeism, and Fenianism. His most recent book is The Last Invasion of Canada: The Fenian Raids, 1866-187.

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"A most welcome addition to the existing books in the Canadian War Museum Historical Publication Series".

The Canadian Historical Review