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Stephens and O'Mahony became increasingly involved with Irish revolutionary politics, and attempted a rebellion at the village of Ballingarry. This attempt massively failed, forcing the two to flee from Ireland as they became fugitives. The two made their war to Paris, France, and met up with other Fenian supporters with a renewed hatred towards the British. (Doolin 2011, 117-119).
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After the Irish revolutionaries left their homeland, they finally arrived in the United States along with many other Irish nationals. The Irish nationals formed a group called the Emmet Monument Association (E.M.A.), which looked to sympathize members to the Irish cause, as well as the anti-British sentiment. The E.M.A. looked to raise awareness for a movement against the British, aligning with Stephens and O'Mahony looking towards an Irish independent movement (Doolin 2011, 89).
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With many more Irish nationals arriving in the United States, they began to feel a sense of hostility and xenophobia towards their kind, as the Westerners thought they were "know nothings". This sentiment drove the Irish people to form a tight culture as well as align with anti-abolitionist sentiments, forcing them into relations with the Northern Democrats, further aggravating the republicans and making the discrimination worse (Doolin 2011, 126-128).
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It was acknowledged that this group grew well beyond anyones expectations, perhaps due to Irish immigrants feeling left out of American society, forcing them all into a group that would accept them with grace. The next five years saw continuous and rapid expansion of the Fenian Brotherhood in the US, giving the group the ability to form a large enough force to carry out a campaign against the British (Doolin 2011, 129-131).
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Towards the end of 1858 saw the two men use their radical nationalistic agendas to persuade other Irishmen to join their group, trying to repel the American sentiment of assimilation. The Irish were becoming significantly more patriotic, signifying that the Irish independence movement went far beyond the Ireland mainland borders (Doolin 2011, 126).
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Thousands of men joined the ranks of the Fenian Brotherhood, as rumours were spreading that an assault would happen in order to annex British North America. Many of the donors to the Irish cause were becoming frustrated by the lack of tangible action by the Brotherhood, sparking the movement towards annexation. Stephens became skeptical of O'Mahony's leadership with the American brotherhood, as Stephen had returned to Ireland by this time (Doolin 2011, 164).
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As the American Civil War was drawing to a close, the Fenians gained much more support from the Irish Americans that were done serving in the Union army. The idea of focusing an attack on a nearby British colony came from General Thomas Sweeny, as his experience in the Civil War gave him an insight on how the Irish could attack the British crown indirectly (Doolin 2011, 274-275).
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With the British braking down on the Fenian Brotherhood in Ireland, the arrest of James Stephens sent outrage across the organization in America, as members saw the collapse of the Irish order of the brotherhood. This left the American organization was the last hope for any revolution against the British, creating more eagerness to attack British North America. O'Mahony was the only person who could see that this mission was distracting the true purpose of the brotherhood (Doolin 2011, 165-166).
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The Brotherhoods war department issued a letter across the organization to round up all available men to begin to march north towards British North America (Doolin 2011, 279).
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The Fenian Brotherhood began gathering in St. Albans Vermont, preparing an invasion into Canada East. Word reached President Johnson who wanted to put a stop to the Fenian movements. The US federal army started seizing the brotherhoods arsenals and supplies and it was on this day that President Johnson issued a proclamation stating that no military expedition coming from the United States can be made upon a territory of Britain (Doolin 2011, 296-296)
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The arrests of several high ranking officers, including General Sweeny happened on this day. Continuous supply raids were also ongoing against the brotherhood, however the group was not discouraged from attempting the invasion. The Fenians arrived at Pigeon Hill with a few thousand fighting men, where they would hold their ground until they had not other choice (Doolin 2011, 298).
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Canadian and British soldiers finally arrived at Pigeon Hill, forcing an immediate surrender and the collapse of the Fenian brotherhoods campaign. The frustration was mounting as many Fenians believe they could have succeeded if not for the hindrance by the Johnson administration (Doolin 2011, 299-300).
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After winning a skirmish at Frelighsburg, the brotherhood was in dire need of ammunition and supplies. Due to the intervention of the American government, the troops could not receive any of the promised supplies. This further demoralized the men as they continued to wait for backup that would never come (Doolin 2011, 302).
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With the British commuting severe punishments to several Fenian members involved in the invasion of British North America, the United States congress decided to secure the reals of many prisoners and change the death sentences to hard labour back on their side of the border. This allowed the Irish to integrate into American culture as well as secure the Irish vote for the American congress, allowing the Fenian invasion to be put behind all sides (Doolin 2011, 312-313).
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As the Fenians power significantly degraded, another force attempted to raid the village of Holbrook, Quebec. This force was easily defeated by 1000 Canadians further depleting the Fenian organization. The American government condemned this assault and considered it an illegal move, crippling the Fenian organization once again (Nash-Chambers 2021, BNA in Conflict with the US).
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A surprising attempt on Southern Manitoba saw a small amount of Fenians try to raid the territory, however the American forces stopped this attack before they even crossed the border. This attack was no sanctioned by the Fenian Brotherhood, showcasing its true demise and destruction. Although it carried out in Ireland and Britain, Fenianism was all but gone within the borders of North America at this time (Nash-Chambers 2021, BNA in Conflict with the US).
