The St. Albans Raid was the northernmost land action of the American Civil War. It was a raid from the Province of Canada by 21 Confederate soldiers. They had recently failed in engagements with the Union Army and evaded subsequent capture in the United States. The mission was to rob banks to raise money, and to trick the Union Army into diverting troops to defend their northern border against further raids. It took place in St. Albans, Vermont, on October 19, 1864. They got the money, killed a local, and escaped back to Canada.

Background

In this wartime incident, Kentuckian

Bennett H. Young Bennett Henderson Young (May 25, 1843 – February 23, 1919) was a Confederate officer who led forces in the St Albans raid (October 19, 1864), a military action during the American Civil War. As a lieutenant of the Confederate States Army, he en ...

led the

Confederate army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

forces. Young had been captured after the

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 the northernmost military action involving an official command of the Confederate States Army. The Union victory sha ...

in Ohio ended Morgan's Raid the year before. He managed to escape to Canada, which was not then a unified nation. After meeting with Confederate agents there, he returned to the Confederacy, where he proposed raids on the Union from the Canada–US border to build the Confederate treasury and force the Union Army to divert troops from the South. Young was commissioned as a lieutenant and returned to Canada, where he recruited other escaped Confederates for a raid on St. Albans, Vermont, a quiet city just from the Canada–U.S. border.

Lead-up and planning

The first two raiders arrived in Philipsburg, Canada East, on the morning of October 11, where they stayed at the Lafayette Hotel. More people reached the hotel throughout the day; the city served as an ideal starting-point because it was within of the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...

. Young was planning for a series of raids beginning with St. Albans, which was chosen first because it was close to the border and well-connected through roads, railways, and waterways. It also had three banks in close proximity and was a "prosperous market town". Young was the first of the raiders to arrive at St. Albans, on October 12. Upon arrival he began to inspect the city, particularly the three banks. The twenty-two young raiders planned to rob three banksthe First National, St. Albans, and Franklin County Banksand then set fire to the town using

Greek fire Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Eastern Roman Empire beginning . Used to set fire to enemy ships, it consisted of a combustible compound emitted by a flame-throwing weapon. Some historians believe it could be ignited on contact w ...

. They reached the town in pairs after Young, posing as part of a hunting and fishing club. Young was forced to postpone the raid, initially set for October 18, because the town would have been too busy, instead settling on October 19, a Wednesday, as it would be "the dullest ayof the week."

Raid

It began on Wednesday afternoon as Young set a gun off. Most townspeople "believed it was a joke or a prank", but one of the raiders soon announced "we are Confederate soldiers and you are my prisoners" they robbed St. Albans Bank, the first of the three. They took cash from several people who came in to pay deposits as well as cash in the bank, but left uncut bank notes and coins behind. The prisoners were forced to swear allegiance to the Confederate States of America before being locked in the bank. After twelve minutes, the robbers had moved on. Nine raiders were delegated to take the town as the robberies were ongoing, moving inhabitants onto the village green. Soon, resistance emerged in the form of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

George Conger, a member of the

1st Vermont Infantry Regiment The 1st Vermont Infantry Regiment was a three months' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the eastern theater, in and around Fortress Monroe, Virginia. History Responding to President Abraham Lincoln's ...

on leave, who began alerting the rest of the town and raised a group to fight back. In the face of resistance, Young and his group retreated, attempting to fire the town as they went. They reached Canada around 9:00 P.M., after crossing the Missisquoi River. While they planned to return to Montreal, the

Canadian police Law enforcement in Canada is the responsibility of police services, special constabularies, and civil law enforcement agencies, which are operated by every level of government, some private and Crown corporations, and First Nations. In contrast ...

captured or otherwise held thirteen of the men in captivity. Young soon resolved to give himself up. He took board in a house near Philipsburg. The home's owner alerted Conger, who had pursued the raiders into Canada. Conger's group took Young prisoner. He attempted to escape, but was recaptured quickly by the mob, who began attacking him. The fight was broken up by a British officer who saw that Conger's entourage returned to Vermont and that Young and seven other captured raiders were soon brought to

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal. It is situated on the west bank of the Richelieu River at the northernmost naviga ...

, where "they were treated as heroes". The raiders escaped to Canada, despite a delayed pursuit. In response to US demands, the Canadian authorities arrested the raiders, recovering . However, a Canadian court ruled that because they were soldiers under military orders, officially neutral Canada could not extradite them. Canada freed the raiders but returned to St. Albans the money found.

Aftermath

The release of the raiders angered American opinion. As U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward informed his counterparts in London, "it is impossible to consider those proceedings as either legal, just or friendly towards the United States." In Europe, news of the raid and subsequent speculation of war between Britain and the U.S. increase the price of Confederate gold bonds. As an unintended consequence, the raid served to turn many Canadians against the Confederacy since they felt that Canada was being drawn into the conflict without its consent. The Confederate agents in Canada realized that and so no further raids were made. None of the three banks still stand as of 2020. Other sites surviving are Taylor Park and the American House, where some of the raiders stayed.

Film

The 1954 film '' The Raid'' was loosely based on this incident.

References

Bibliography

External links

The St. Albans raid
virtualvermont.com
History of the raid and surrounding events
stalbansraid.com

wtv-zone.com
Newspaper article providing an eyewitness account of the St. Albans Raid
at newsinhistory.com
''Raise The Flag & Sound The Cannon''
a historical novel based on the St. Albans Raid by Donald Davison
''Waiting on a Dream''
a musical comedy about the St. Albans Raid, based on ''Raise the Flag & Sound The Cannon''
{{authority control 1864 in Canada 1864 in Vermont Raids of the American Civil War Confederate victories of the American Civil War Franklin County, Vermont St. Albans, Vermont Military operations of the American Civil War in Vermont October 1864 events Bank robberies