Back

Caption: Fenian infantryman, 1870

Most Fenians seem to have worn civilian clothing, but some units did manage to provide themselves with uniforms. The green shell jacket this man wears is based on a surviving relic taken as a trophy during the skirmishes along the Quebec-Vermont border in 1870. Reports of O'Neil's 1866 Fenian army at Ridgeway mention that the Louisville company of the 17th Kentucky Regiment had blue army jackets with green facings, while a company of the 18th Ohio Regiment called the 'Fenian Cleveland Rangers' wore green caps and green shirts. Reconstruction by Ron Volstad. (Canadian Department of National Defence)