St. Albans raid
Encyclopedia
The St. Albans Raid was the northernmost land action of the American Civil War
, taking place in St. Albans
, Vermont
on October 19, 1864.
led Confederate States Army
forces. Young had become a prisoner of war
after the Battle of Salineville
in Ohio
ended Morgan's Raid
the year before; he later escaped to Canada
(then the Province of Canada
, part of the British Empire
) and returned to the South
, where he proposed raids on the Union from the Canadian border to build the Confederate treasury
and force the Union Army
to protect the northern border and divert troops from the South. Young was commissioned
as a lieutenant
and returned to Canada, where he recruited other escaped rebels to participate in a raid
on St. Albans, Vermont, a quiet town 15 miles (25 km) from the Canadian border.
on October 10, saying that they had come from St. John's in Canada East
for a "sporting vacation." Every day, two or three more young men arrived. By October 19, there were 21 cavalry
men assembled. Just before 3 p.m. the group simultaneously staged a robbery
of the three banks in the town. They announced that they were Confederate soldiers and stole a total of $208,000. As the banks were being robbed, eight or nine of the Confederates held the townspeople prisoner on the village green
as their horses were stolen. One townsperson was killed and another wounded. Young ordered his men to burn the town down, but the four-ounce bottles of Greek fire
they had brought failed to work, and only one shed
was destroyed.
The raiders fled with the money into Canada, where they were arrested by authorities. A Canadian court
decided that the soldiers were under military orders and that the officially neutral
Canada could not extradite
them to the United States
. The Canadian court's ruling that the soldiers were legitimate military belligerent
s and not criminals
, as argued by American authorities, has been interpreted as a tacit British recognition
of the Confederate States of America
. The raiders were freed, but the $88,000 the raiders had on their person was returned to Vermont.
There was a film made in 1954 loosely based on this incident, The Raid
.
Only one of the banks still stands: the Franklin County Bank, which became the Franklin Lamoille Bank and is now a Toronto-Dominion Bank
branch. Other sites surviving are Taylor Park and the American House.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, taking place in St. Albans
St. Albans (town), Vermont
St. Albans is a town in Franklin County, Vermont. The population was 6,392 at the 2010 census. The town completely surrounds the city of St. Albans, which was separated from the town and incorporated in 1902. References to "St. Albans" prior to this date generally refer to the town center, which...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
on October 19, 1864.
Background
In this unusual incident, Bennett H. YoungBennett H. Young
Bennett H. Young was a Confederate officer who led forces in the St Albans raid , a military action during the American Civil War. As a lieutenant of the Confederate States Army, he entered Vermont from Canada and occupied the town of St...
led Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
forces. Young had become a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
after the Battle of Salineville
Battle of Salineville
The Battle of Salineville occurred July 26, 1863, near Salineville, Ohio during Morgan's Raid in the American Civil War. It was one of the northernmost military actions involving the Confederate States Army. The decisive Union victory shattered John Hunt Morgan's remaining Confederate cavalry and...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
ended Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid was a highly publicized incursion by Confederate cavalry into the Northern states of Indiana and Ohio during the American Civil War. The raid took place from June 11–July 26, 1863, and is named for the commander of the Confederates, Brig. Gen...
the year before; he later escaped to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(then the Province of Canada
Province of Canada
The Province of Canada, United Province of Canada, or the United Canadas was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham in the Report on the Affairs of British North America following the Rebellions of...
, part of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
) and returned to the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, where he proposed raids on the Union from the Canadian border to build the Confederate treasury
Economy of the Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America had an agrarian-based economy that relied heavily on slave-worked plantations for the production of cotton for export to Europe and the northern US states. If ranked as an independent nation, it would have been the fourth richest country of the world in 1860...
and force the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
to protect the northern border and divert troops from the South. Young was commissioned
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and returned to Canada, where he recruited other escaped rebels to participate in a raid
Raid (military)
Raid, also known as depredation, is a military tactic or operational warfare mission which has a specific purpose and is not normally intended to capture and hold terrain, but instead finish with the raiding force quickly retreating to a previous defended position prior to the enemy forces being...
on St. Albans, Vermont, a quiet town 15 miles (25 km) from the Canadian border.
Raid
Young and two others checked into a local hotelHotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
on October 10, saying that they had come from St. John's in Canada East
Canada East
Canada East was the eastern portion of the United Province of Canada. It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canadian Province of Quebec, and was primarily a French-speaking region....
for a "sporting vacation." Every day, two or three more young men arrived. By October 19, there were 21 cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
men assembled. Just before 3 p.m. the group simultaneously staged a robbery
Bank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
of the three banks in the town. They announced that they were Confederate soldiers and stole a total of $208,000. As the banks were being robbed, eight or nine of the Confederates held the townspeople prisoner on the village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
as their horses were stolen. One townsperson was killed and another wounded. Young ordered his men to burn the town down, but the four-ounce bottles of Greek fire
Greek fire
Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines typically used it in naval battles to great effect as it could continue burning while floating on water....
they had brought failed to work, and only one shed
Shed
A shed is typically a simple, single-storey structure in a back garden or on an allotment that is used for storage, hobbies, or as a workshop....
was destroyed.
The raiders fled with the money into Canada, where they were arrested by authorities. A Canadian court
Court system of Canada
The court system of Canada is made up of many courts differing in levels of legal superiority and separated by jurisdiction. Some of the courts are federal in nature while others are provincial or territorial....
decided that the soldiers were under military orders and that the officially neutral
Neutral country
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
Canada could not extradite
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
them to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Canadian court's ruling that the soldiers were legitimate military belligerent
Belligerent
A belligerent is an individual, group, country or other entity which acts in a hostile manner, such as engaging in combat. Belligerent comes from Latin, literally meaning "to wage war"...
s and not criminals
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
, as argued by American authorities, has been interpreted as a tacit British recognition
Diplomatic recognition
Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences, whereby a state acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state...
of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. The raiders were freed, but the $88,000 the raiders had on their person was returned to Vermont.
There was a film made in 1954 loosely based on this incident, The Raid
The Raid
The Raid is a Technicolor 1954 American film set during the American Civil War. It stars Van Heflin, Anne Bancroft, Richard Boone and Lee Marvin. In 1864 a group of Confederate prisoners held in a Union prison stockade at Plattsburg, New York, not many miles from the Canadian border, escape. They...
.
Only one of the banks still stands: the Franklin County Bank, which became the Franklin Lamoille Bank and is now a Toronto-Dominion Bank
Toronto-Dominion Bank
The Toronto-Dominion Bank , is the second-largest bank in Canada by market capitalization and based on assets. It is also the sixth largest bank in North America. Commonly known as TD and operating as TD Bank Group, the bank was created in 1955 through the merger of the Bank of Toronto and the...
branch. Other sites surviving are Taylor Park and the American House.
See also
- Canada and the American Civil WarCanada and the American Civil WarAt the time of the American Civil War, Canada did not yet exist as a federated nation. Instead, the territory consisted of the United Province of Canada and the separate colonies of Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, as well as a crown territory administered by...
- Military history of VermontMilitary history of VermontThe military history of Vermont covers the military history of the American state of Vermont, as part of French colonial America; as part of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York during the British colonial period and during the French and Indian Wars; as the independent New Connecticut and...
Further reading
- Kazar, John D. "The Canadian View of the Confederate Raid on Saint Albans," Vermont History 1964 (1): 255-273,
- Stouffer, Allen P. "Canadian-American Relations in the Shadow of the Civil War," Dalhousie Review 1977 57(2): 332-346
- Wilson, Dennis K. Justice under Pressure: The Saint Albans Raid and Its Aftermath (1992). 224 pp.
- Rush, Daniel S. and Pewitt, E. Gale "The St. Albans Raiders" (2008) Riedel, Leonard W. ed. McNaughton and Gunn, Saline Michigan.
External links
- The St. Albans raid
- St. Albans Raid: Spies, Raiders and Partisans
- Newspaper article providing an eyewitness account of the St. Albans Raid
- Raise The Flag & Sound The Cannon, a historical novel based on the St. Albans Raid by Donald Davison
- Love & Larceny (formerly Chickasaw, The Elixir of Love), a Canadian musical comedy about the St. Albans Raid, based on the book Raise the Flag & Sound The Cannon. Stage play by Roger de la Mare, lyrics by Graham Hardman, music by Donald Patriquin.