Hunters' Lodges
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The Hunter Patriots or Hunters' Lodges were an obscure secret society of filibusters in the United States during the mid-19th century. They appear to have somewhat resembled Freemasons structurally and were dedicated to the eviction of the British Empire from North America and the "liberation" of Canada. It is claimed that their lodges may have numbered as many as 60,000 members.
The Hunters, as they were often called, were associated with the Upper Canada Rebellion in Canada. They attacked Windsor, Ontario in 1838 and were driven off and dispersed after a pitched battle (the Patriot War). In November 1838, a force of about 1500 men started from New York to seal off the St Lawrence River and thereby allow a hypothetical revolt to take place in Upper Canada. This was apparently intended to mirror the Texas Revolution that had recently separated Texas from Mexico.
About 300 men actually occupied and held a stone windmill at Prescott, Ontario where a five day battle called The Battle of the Windmill was fought against British regulars and Canadian militia (both of which were dominated by members of the Orange Order at the time). The rebels were eventually captured, tried, and, in some cases, executed.
