Northwest Rebellion Part 2 Flashcards
How did the Government respond to the attack at Duck Lake?
- The Government responded by sending 3000 troops out west to put down the Metis Rebellion
Who was the General in command of the troops?
- General Middleton was in charge of the troops
How was the government response different to the Metis now, compared to what it was back in 1870 during the Red River Resistance?
- The Government now responded with many troops right away and didn’t negotiate with the Metis petition.
How many troops were sent out by the Canadian Government to put down the Metis Rebellion?
- 3000 troops. Some were trained British soldiers and some were Canadian troops
What weapon did the troops bring with them to use for the first time against the Metis? What did this weapon look like, and how did it operate?
- The Gatling Gun was first used in the Northwest Rebellion.
- It was the first automatic weapon that could fire one hundred rounds
per minute - It was hand cranked and the bullets fired through rotating barrels
- The large gun sat on a large axel that was pulled by animals
- It was difficult to aim
What happened at the Battle of Fish Creek?
- Dumont and his militia ambushed General Middleton’s troops and forced them to retreat
Gabriel Dumont wanted to launch several surprise attacks against Middleton’s troops in the countryside where the Metis could take advantage of their knowledge of the land. Why did Riel not allow that to happen?
- Riel believed that God was on their side and wanted them to fight the British at Batoche
What was so important about the Battle site of Batoche?
- It was the home base of the Metis. If they lost there, they had nowhere else to go.
After a valiant battle, the Metis were forced to surrender to the British. What are 2 reasons that the Metis lost the battle?
- The Metis only had 50-60 militia left, against 800 military troops
- The Metis ran out of ammunition and couldn’t get supplies because the
British had Batoche surrounded
When the Battle of Batoche was over, what happened to Riel and Dumont?
- Louis Riel surrendered, hoping that his trial might bring support to the cause of the Metis
- He made a deal before surrendering, that the government would let the rest of the Metis go free
- Dumont escaped to the United States and reclaimed his fame as a part of a travelling Wild West show, using his skill as a sharpshooter
What happened to the location of Riel’s trial?
- The trial was moved from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Regina, Saskatchewan
Why did it move, and what does that tell you about the Government’s intentions?
- Winnipeg had a much higher percentage of Metis people that might try to support Riel if called to a jury
- The government wanted to make sure that the jury would find Riel guilty
What was Riel charged with, and what would his penalty likely be if found guilty?
- Riel was charged with Treason, and if found guilty he would be executed.
The Catholic Church in Quebec hired the best French defense lawyer to go to Regina to defend Louis Riel. What was his strategy to help Riel avoid being found guilty?
- He wanted Riel to plead not guilty by reason on insanity, then he could not be found guilty of Treason because he was not responsible for his actions.
Riel did not like the plan and fired his lawyer. Why would he not follow that plan?
- Riel did not like the plan because he was very proud and did not want to plead that he was insane.
- He also did not want the Metis people to look like fools for following an insane leader.
