The American branch of the Fenian movement -or the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood- was founded in 1858. Its members were Irish nationalists forced into exile by political persecution or choosing exile to continue the struggle for independence after the collapse of the "Young Ireland" movement in 1848. Eventually the movement attracted many members in New York, New England, and the Great Lakes region, a development that caused much concern north of the border in British North America. The American Civil War provided new impetus for the Fenians. They felt that the ambiguous British position might draw the Union government into a war with Great Britain. Although this never materialized, the Fenians did use the Civil War as a training ground for its own soldiers.