CANADA, DOMINION OF. 



127 



which had come from Swift Current down the 

 North Saskatchewan by the steamer North- 

 cote. This steamer also brought the much- 

 desired ammunition, a Gatling machine-gun, 

 and Lieut.-Col. Van Straubenzie, D. A. G. 

 of the Fifth Military District, who came to 

 the front, at the special request of the gen- 

 eral, to assume the rank of brigadier com- 

 manding the Infantry Brigade. When at Fish 

 Creek, Middleton received information that the 

 rebels were intrenching themselves at Ba- 

 toche. With a view to turning the flank of 

 their position, he made a detour from Gabriel's 

 Crossing by the prairie, striking Batoche at 

 right angles to the river-trail, by which the 

 half-breeds would naturally expect the forces 

 to proceed. At the same time that the troops 

 advanced by land, the Northcote, which had 

 been barricaded and manned by " C " Company 

 of the Infantry School, dropped down the 

 river. 



The troops, in fighting trim, were advancing 

 on Batoche on May 9, when the Northcote was 

 heard whistling in the direction of the village, 

 and loud volleys of musketry announced that 

 the half-breeds were making a stand. After 

 driving back a few straggling rebel marksmen, 

 the forces advanced to the high land on the 

 edge of the river, overlooking the settlement. 

 Large camps were seen on both sides of the 

 river. The guns of " A " Battery opened fire, 

 and while the cannonade was in progress the 

 rebels suddenly showed themselves at close 

 quarters, and began a fight very similar on 

 their part to that at Fish Creek. They were 

 established in deep rifle-pits, from which they 

 kept up a heavy fire on the troops, while they 

 ran but little risk themselves. All the troops 

 were engaged, and remained extended and ex- 

 changing shots with the enemy until late in 

 the evening, when the force withdrew a short 

 distance from the rebel lines and formed a 

 rough redoubt. The rebels followed the re- 

 tiring skirmishers right up to the fortified 

 encampment, and made a short but fierce 

 onslaught. This was on Saturday, and until 

 Tuesday the forces remained in the same posi- 

 tion, the general contenting himself with ex- 

 tending skirmishers around the camp each 

 morning, and keeping them there all day, ex- 

 changing shots with the rebels, and with mak- 

 ing occasional reconnaissances on the flanks of 

 the enemy's position. On Tuesday the usual 

 line of skirmishers was not extended until 

 after dinner, when the Grenadiers and Midland- 

 ers were led forward by Col. Van Straubenzie, 

 who had permission from Gen. Middleton to 

 advance his men as far as he could, instead of 

 occupying the lines to which the skirmishers 

 had been extended on the previous day. The 

 rifle-pits immediately in front of the encamp- 

 ment appeared to be deserted at the time, and 

 the troops advanced much farther than usual 

 before drawing the rebel fire. To utilize the 

 river as a cover for the left flank of the attack, 

 two companies of the Midland Battalion, who 



were on the left, had to wheel round an ob- 

 struction in the shape of a high bank and rush 

 down the steep bank to the edge of the river, 

 before the Grenadiers could advance to the 

 front without running the risk of being out- 

 flanked. The Midlanders successfully accom- 

 plished this movement, cheering the while, and 

 maintaining a heavy fire as they advanced. 

 The Midlanders having wheeled round the 

 point and got into line with the Grenadiers, 

 the latter were also advanced, and reached a 

 point much in advance of any that had pre- 

 viously been gained by the troops. The Nine- 

 tieth Battalion was deployed arid prolonged 

 the line to the right, while Boulton's horse 

 extended the line still farther in that direc- 

 tion, outflanking a formidable line of rifle-pits 

 commanding the river-trail. The troops ad- 

 vanced by a series of rushes, driving the half- 

 breeds from the pits before them. Some of 

 the rebels made a determined stand, and sev- 

 eral were clubbed to death in their pits with 

 the butt-ends of rifles. That night the attack- 

 ing force bivouacked in intrenchments hastily 

 constructed in the village, and the only remain- 

 ing object of the half-breeds seems to have 

 been to save themselves by flight. All of the 

 white prisoners taken by the rebels during the 

 insurrection were found in the cellars of the 

 houses at Batoche and released. After a day's 

 delay at Batoche the march to Prince Albert 

 was continued. The third day after the con- 

 clusive engagement Kiel surrendered himself 

 to some scouts, and was brought a prisoner 

 into camp at Guardapuy's Crossing, where the 

 forces were being ferried across to the north 

 shore. 



Meanwhile, the Northcote had run the 

 gauntlet of a heavy rebel fire from both sides 

 of the river, and, returning, arrived at Ba- 

 toche a few minutes after the cessation of the 

 firing. Two or three of her crew were slight- 

 ly wounded, and the steamer sustained some 

 damage by coming into collision with the ferry 

 cable, which had been lowered with that ob- 

 ject by the rebels. On May 19 the column 

 reached Prince Albert, which had been cut 

 off from communication with the outside 

 world for two months. Prince Albert was 

 garrisoned by a force of seventy-five mounted 

 police, under command of Lieut.-Col. Irvine, 

 Chief Commissioner of the Northwest Mounted 

 Police, and a hundred settlers, formed into a 

 volunteer corps. The loyal settlers from the 

 adjoining country, for fifty miles round, were 

 gathered at Prince Albert. 



On May 25 the advanced guard of the forces 

 set out by steamer for Battleford, and the re- 

 mainder followed in the course of the next 

 week. Battleford, about which there had 

 been considerable anxiety at the beginning of 

 the outbreak, had been relieved by the column 

 that had marched across the prairie from 

 Swift Current under the command of Lieut.- 

 Col. Otter, commandant of "C" Company, To- 

 ?onto Infantry School. The column consisted 



