CHAPTER VI.
Words of warning in 1862, and 1863, from Colonel Lysons, Quarter-master General of Her Majesty’s Forces in Canada. Olden signals of War. The alarm on June 1st, 1866. The quick response. Give us arms, lead on. Conflicting telegrams on 1st of June. The cry is still they come. Sons of Canada, come home to fight for mothers and mother land. Americans at Oil Springs enrol for defence of Canada. Home Guards organized. The cry is still they come. Volunteers for the field. How are they equipped? The Queen’s Own. Tenth Royals. York and Caledonia Rifles. Hamilton Field Battery. Welland Field Battery. Hamilton Thirteenth. All defective in equipments. “Authorities” in a lethargy. Enemy “thundering at the door.” Courage of the people. Little else ready.
“It will be too late to speak of organizing and equipping your Militia when the enemy is thundering at your doors” [Valedictory letter of Lieut.-Colonel Lysons, C. B. Royal Artillery, to the people of Canada, 1862, on his leaving the Province after an effort rendered fruitless through Canadian parliamentary factions to organize and equip a Provincial Defensive force.]
“What the Province is doing is worse than nothing, as yet. Her Majesty’s Government have furnished arms for an effective Provincial Militia, and what do we see? The arms after six months are still lying in boxes kicking about at railway depots, rusting and going to destruction. No armories provided.” [Extract of a letter from Lieut.-Colonel Lysons, C. B. Royal Artillery, after returning to Canada as Acting Quarter-master General of H. M. Forces, June 1863, addressed to Alexander Somerville, then Editor of the Canadian Illustrated News, writer of Canada a battle ground, published May, 1862].
An enemy within the frontier line! Canada trodden by the foot of hostile forces vowing to be avenged on the peaceful, industrious people of British America, for the grievances of Ireland, accumulating through the long historic ranges of seven centuries. The land we live in invaded. Whatever may be the incentives to war growing out of the traditions of seven hundred years, there is no questionable sentiment, within the living community which hears the tread of the armed stranger within its borders. That is the aggression of to-day.
What is the note of alarm? What is the signal? Who are the messengers to carry along the lake and river shores a thousand miles east and west, and north into the far interior, to citizens, artizans, husbandmen, and lumbermen, the intelligence, “Stand to your arms, an enemy is within the frontier; he has broken in on upper Niagara; he threatens to come in on lake and river shore, and all along the faintly defined line of Lower Canada!” Who is to carry this message, and diffuse it, proclaim it, be eloquent to enforce it?
Electricity, secret, instant, is the messenger. But the matter of the message itself is electric, even when carried by men on foot. It thrills through body and soul, limb and life, of all the people; youngest, oldest; citizens of all professions, rural husbandmen, forest lumberers, lake and river raftsmen, sailors; sons and daughters of every national parentage, dwelling in these Provinces. No prompting of eloquence, no invocation of patriotism is needed. The enemy armed and hostile, supposed to be in league with some among ourselves; how many none can tell; some among ourselves but not very many. That possibility of an enemy in our own city, or street, or house, inspires to prompt action. In all ages of mankind, among all races, in all lands, the alarm of—“the enemy within your borders!” was diffused by the agency of light and fire and sound; and messengers swift of foot. Read Jeremiah, chapter VI. verse I. “O ye children of Benjamin, blow the trumpet in Takoa and set up a sign of fire in Beth-haccerem!” Read the extract from an act of the Scottish parliament of the year 1455, C. 48, and find, that Scotland fought the invaders in the day of their evil visitation, not waiting for Scottish posterity to be avenged on English posterity, and other inoffensive posterities, in another land, living in fellowship under a system of happiest liberty, four thousand miles away, seven, or five, or three, or one hundred years after the evil occurrences. It was directed that one bale fire of faggots on crag, or hill, or mountain summit, should be warning of the approach of the “English in any manner.” That two bale-fires of faggots should be the alarm that, “the English are coming indeed.” That four bale-fires should be decisive intelligence that, “the English are within the borders in great force.”