New Brunswick’s Indian Island lies uninhabited off the southeast corner of Deer Island, little noticed among the many beautiful islands in Passamaquoddy Bay. Today there is nothing to indicate that this small island was once an important trading depot on the border shared by New Brunswick and Maine and the scene of an international incident.
In 1866, Indian Island boasted a permanent resident population, a school, bonded warehouses and a customs house proudly flying the Union Jack, a flag that symbolized Great Britain and its worldwide empire. On Saturday, April 14, 1866, James Dixon, the customs officer on Indian Island, retired to bed after an exhausting and trying day caring for his ailing wife. Shortly after midnight, a violent knocking at the door and the ripping of shutters from their windows rudely awakened the Dixon family. Rushing to the door, Dixon was confronted by a body of armed men. Brandishing revolvers and threatening death to him and his family, they demanded Dixon hand over the British flag that flew over the customs house. Although he was reluctant to comply, the pleading of his frightened wife, who was concerned for the safety of their family, prompted Dixon to surrender his beloved Union Jack. Once back in Maine, the raiders jubilantly claimed a major victory. They triumphantly sent the flag to New York, where it was flaunted as a trophy of war. The American press made much of the fact that the British flag had been “captured” under the supposedly watchful eye of the Royal Navy, proclaiming that the incident “will cause the British lion to shake his sides and lash his tail. Let him! The spirit of liberty is abroad.”
Earliest known photograph of Indian Island dated prior to 1900. Campobello Island is in the background, left centre is Cherry Island, and Marble Island is to the right. The white house in the centre is the Moses residence. PANB P8-298
The armed band that terrorized the Dixon family were members of the Fenian Brotherhood, a revolutionary movement organized in Ireland with the goal of establishing an independent Irish Republic by armed force. It found support among the many Irish immigrants in the United States. To assist their Irish brothers in freeing Ireland, the Fenians conceived of a plan to invade British North America, with the goal of holding it hostage. With its large Irish population and undefended borders, New Brunswick appeared to be an ideal target, and a group of Fenians plotted to seize Campobello Island.
When the Fenians gathered along the Maine border in the spring of 1866, the people of New Brunswick felt vulnerable and feared for their safety. Mysterious and inexplicable Fenian activities, incursions, alarms and alerts increased the tension. Thanks to the leadership displayed by an energetic lieutenant-governor, effective defensive measures were eventually taken by the New Brunswick militia. Support from Great Britain followed, with British soldiers and a squadron of warships dispatched to the Bay of Fundy. By May 1866, the Fenians in Maine, recognizing that New Brunswick was no longer an easy target, dispersed and turned their focus on central Canada.
Although the Fenian crisis is now largely forgotten, it has left an enduring legacy, both militarily and politically. As the crisis unfolded, a number of concurrent themes emerged. First, in 1860, the New Brunswick militia was disorganized and in no state to contribute to the defence of the province. The initial task facing the commander-in-chief was to develop an effective local militia. By the end of the Fenian affair, local military forces had turned out in large numbers and helped to turn back this threat. Second, with the outbreak of the American Civil War, the relationship between the province of New Brunswick and its neighbours in the United States had rapidly deteriorated. With the arrival of the Fenians along the frontier, the reaction of the people of Maine would be decisive in shaping the outcome of the crisis. Third, with a large proportion of New Brunswick’s population being Irish or of Irish descent, provincial authorities were concerned over their response to the Fenian cause. Would it reignite the bitter sectarian conflict between Catholic and Protestant that had plagued the province in the 1840s? Finally, a backdrop to the Fenian crisis was the ongoing struggle for the confederation of the provinces of British North America. The Fenian attacks came at a time when the confederation debate in New Brunswick had intensified to red-hot levels, and it tipped the balance in favour of Confederation.
British North America, the region under Fenian threat, 1865-1866. Mike Bechthold
