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Louis Riel Returns From Exile in U.S.
The month prior, four men from Batoche, Northwest Territories travelled to Montana to where Riel was, to try to persuade him to come back to Canada, to make another attempt to negotiate with the Canadian government for Métis and aboriginal rights. After two day, he agreed, and decided to come back to Canada. July 5th, 1884 was the day he arrived back at Batoche. -
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Major Battles and Events Leading up to and During the Northwest Rebellion
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Battle of Duck Lake
Led by Gabriel Dumont, military commander appointed by Louis Riel, the Battle of Duck Lake began when a Cree representative and a police interpreter got into a scuffle at a conference. The Métis soon attacked the police, taking them by surprise, eventually forcing them to retreat. Twelve of the policemen were killed, along with five of the Métis. -
Frog Lake Massacre
The massacre started when a group of Cree invaded and attacked Frog Lake, in search for Thomas Quinn, an Indian agent who had mistreated the Cree. At his refusal to leave with his captors, he was shot. In the chaos that ensued, eight other white men were killed. Eventually, the six Cree that began the massacre were tried and hanged for their roles in the Frog Lake Massacre -
Battle of Fish Creek
Gabriel Dumont, Métis military commander, had gathered approximately 150 Métis and First Nations soldiers to ambush government soldiers settled at Fish Creek. At first, they were taken by surprise, but soon called in for reinforcements, but not before there were some casualties. In the end, both parties were forced to retreat. -
Battle of Cut Knife
War chief Fine Day, defeated 300 government soldiers with the aid of his limited amount of fighters. The battle lasted six hours, and finally, the government forces retreated. In the end, eight government soldiers were killed, along with five natives. -
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Battle of Batoche
Disatisfied with Dumount's guerilla warefare methods, and ordered the troops to stay put and defend Batoche. This soon proved as a fatal mistake, as it gave the government a big advantage, so now could concentrate on one place to attack. Soon enough, 900 Canadian soldiers arrive at Batoche to fight 300 Métis. The battle lasted for three days, before the Métis leader, Riel was captured, and Dumont fled to America. -
Final Battle at Loon Lake
This was the day that the last battle of the Northwest Rebellion took place. Even after Riel's capture, the Cree continue to fight the government troops, but were quickly and easily defeated, as they had no professional commanding officer, but only Chief Big Bear, and Chief Wandering Spirit. This battle ended the Northwest Rebellion. -
Execution of Louis Riel
While on trial, Riel had pleaded not guilty for his actions, his reason being insanity. His mental health was thoroughly examined, and in the end, was found to be sane. Soon, he was hanged at the early age of 41 in Regina, Nothwest Territories.
