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John O'Neill

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: John O'Neill
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(born March 8, 1834, County Monaghan, Ire. — died Jan. 7, 1878, Omaha, Neb., U.S.) Irish-born military leader of the American branch of the Fenians, a secret Irish nationalist society. He arrived in the U.S. in 1848 and settled in Tennessee, where he joined the Fenians. A supporter of its scheme to invade Canada to win Irish freedom from Britain, in 1866 he led a group of 600 men across the Niagara River and captured Fort Erie before fleeing back to the U.S. In 1870 he led a raid along the Vermont border that was repulsed; he led another raid on Manitoba in 1871. See also John O'Mahony.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more