Record Data
"Fenian Brotherhood," The American Cyclopedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1866 (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1873), 287.
Transcription
The following text is presented here in complete form, as it originally appeared in print. Spelling and typographical errors have been preserved as in the original.
BUFFALO, June 14, 1866.
To the Officers and Soldiers of the Irish Army in Buffalo:
Brothers: Orders having been received from President Roberts requesting you to return to your homes, it becomes my duty to promulgate said order in this department. Having been but a day or two among you and witnessing with pride your manly bearing and soldierly conduct in refrainin from all acts of lawlessness on the citizens of this city, it grieves me to part with you so soon. I had hoped to lead you against the common enemy of human freedom, and would have done so had not the extreme vigilance of the Government of the United States frustrated our lans. It was the United States, and not England, that impeded our onward march to freedom. Return to your homes for the present, with the conviction that this impediment will soon be removed by the representatives of the nation. Be firm in your determination to renew the contest when duty calls you forth. The cause is too sacred to falter for a moment. Let your present disappointment only prompt you to renewed energy in the future. Be patient, bide your time, organize your strength, and as liberty is your watchword, it will finally be your reward. In leaving this city, where you have bountifully shared the hospitality of its citizens I beg of you to maintain the same decorum that has characterized your actions while here. In issuing this order I cannot refrain from returning my thanks to General Barry, for his marked courtesy in the performance of his duty as an officer and a gentleman.
M. W. BURNS, Brig-Gen. Com. Irish Army at Buffalo.
