John Stoughton Dennis
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel John Stoughton Dennis (19 October 1820 – 7 July 1885) was a Canadian surveyor, militia
officer, and civil servant.
In 1866, Dennis led an ill-fated militia attack
against the Fenians
at Fort Erie
. Dennis is noted for his role in precipitating the Red River Rebellion
by his 1869 surveys of the Red River Settlement. He was the father of Colonel
John Stoughton Dennis Jr., who also became a noted surveyor and militia officer http://www.landsurveyinghistory.ab.ca/Characters/Dennis_JS.htm.
In 1882 he was created a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
.
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
officer, and civil servant.
In 1866, Dennis led an ill-fated militia attack
Battle of Fort Erie (1866)
The Battle of Fort Erie was a bloody skirmish in the afternoon immediately following the Battle of Ridgeway on June 2, 1866 in Canada West. The Fenian force, withdrawing from Ridgeway towards the United States, met and defeated a small force of Canadian militia at Fort Erie, then known as the...
against the Fenians
Fenian Brotherhood
The Fenian Brotherhood was an Irish republican organization founded in the United States in 1858 by John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny. It was a precursor to Clan na Gael, a sister organization to the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Members were commonly known as "Fenians"...
at Fort Erie
Fort Erie
Fort Erie was the first British fort to be constructed as part of a network developed after the Seven Years' War was concluded by the Treaty of Paris at which time all of New France had been ceded to Great Britain...
. Dennis is noted for his role in precipitating the Red River Rebellion
Red River Rebellion
The Red River Rebellion or Red River Resistance was the sequence of events related to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by the Métis leader Louis Riel and his followers at the Red River Settlement, in what is now the Canadian province of Manitoba.The Rebellion was the first crisis...
by his 1869 surveys of the Red River Settlement. He was the father of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
John Stoughton Dennis Jr., who also became a noted surveyor and militia officer http://www.landsurveyinghistory.ab.ca/Characters/Dennis_JS.htm.
In 1882 he was created a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
.