Battle of Fish Creek: Difference between revisions

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Battle of Fish Creek

Contemporary lithograph of the Battle of Fish Creek.

Date	April 24, 1885
Location	52°36′7″N 105°56′50″W / 52.60194°N 105.94722°W / 52.60194; -105.94722 Fish Creek, Saskatchewan
Result	Métis victory

Belligerents

Provisional Government of Saskatchewan (Métis)

Dominion of Canada

Commanders and leaders

Gabriel Dumont

Frederick Middleton

Strength

200

900

Casualties and losses

4 dead

10 dead
45 wounded

v t e North-West Rebellion
Duck Lake Battleford (Looting) Battleford (Siege) Frog Lake Fort Pitt Fish Creek Cut Knife Batoche Frenchman's Butte Loon Lake

The Battle of Fish Creek, fought April 24, 1885 at Fish Creek, Saskatchewan, was a major Métis victory over the Dominion forces attempting to quell Louis Riel's North-West Rebellion. The reversal, though not decisive enough to ultimately alter the outcome of the war, halted Major General Frederick Middleton's advance on Batoche, where the Métis would later make their final stand.

Battle

NEVER HAPPEND!

References

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External links

Fish Creek battle site

v t e Protected Areas in Saskatchewan
National parks	Grasslands National Park Prince Albert National Park
Provincial parks	Athabasca Sand Dunes Battlefords, The Blackstrap Buffalo Pound Candle Lake Cannington Manor Clarence-Steepbank Lakes Clearwater River Crooked Lake Cumberland House Cypress Hills Danielson Douglas Duck Mountain Echo Valley Fort Carlton Fort Pitt Good Spirit Lake Great Blue Heron Provincial Park Greenwater Lake Katepwa Point Lac La Ronge Last Mountain House Makwa Lake Meadow Lake Moose Mountain Narrow Hills Pike Lake Porcupine Hills Rowan's Ravine Saskatchewan Landing St. Victor Petroglyphs Steele Narrows Touchwood Hills Post Wildcat Hill Wood Mountain Post
National Historic Sites of Canada in Saskatchewan	Addison Sod House Batoche Battle of Cut Knife Battle of Duck Lake Battle of Fish Creek Battleford Court House Bell Farm Biggar railway station Canadian Bank of Commerce Claybank Brick Plant College Building Cumberland House Cypress Hills Massacre Doukhobor Dugout House Doukhobors at Veregin Esterhazy Flour Mill Forestry Farm Park and Zoo Former Prince Albert City Hall Fort de la Corne Fort Battleford Fort Carlton Fort Espérance Fort Livingstone Fort Pelly Fort Pitt Fort Qu'Appelle Fort Walsh Frenchman Butte Government House Gravelbourg Ecclesiastical Buildings Gray Burial Site Holy Trinity Church Humboldt Post Office Île-à-la-Crosse Keyhole Castle Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary Moose Jaw Court House Motherwell Homestead Next of Kin Memorial Avenue Old Government House / Saint-Charles Scholasticate Prince Albert Arts Centre Saskatchewan Legislative Building and Grounds Saskatoon station (Canadian Pacific Railway) Seager Wheeler's Maple Grove Farm Steele Narrows Wanuskewin
Urban and regional parks	Carlton Trail Regional Park Cenotaph Fishing Lake Regional Park Palliser Regional Park Statue of Queen Elizabeth II riding Burmese Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald Victoria Park Wascana Centre
Museums	The Evolution of Education Museum Historical Society Museum Mendel Art Gallery RCMP Heritage Centre Rotary Museum of Police and Corrections Royal Saskatchewan Museum Saskatchewan Railway Museum Saskatchewan Western Development Museum

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 == Battle ==
+NEVER HAPPEND!
-Middleton, having led his considerable Field Force out from [[Fort Qu'Appelle]] on [[April 10]], was advancing upstream from [[Clarke's Crossing]] along the [[South Saskatchewan River]] when he fell into a hastily-organized ambush by [[Gabriel Dumont]]'s Métis. The Métis pounded Middleton's men with one devastating fusillade before withdrawing into cover and restricting themselves to [[sniper]] fire in order to conserve ammunition.
-With half of his force on the opposite bank of the river, Middleton was unable to bring his full numerical superiority to bear. His two artillery batteries opened fire on the Métis to little effect, although well-fired cannonades did succeed in driving away Dumont's [[Cree]] allies before their weight could be added to the battle.
-Despite the heavy casualties inflicted upon the enemy, Métis morale deteriorated as the battle wore on. Famished, dehydrated, and low on ammunition (conditions that had plagued them throughout the rebellion), Dumont's rebels, though relatively impervious to enemy fire from within their gullies and ravines, knew that their positions would not hold an enemy assault.
-Luckily, Middleton, distressed by the casualties he was taking, erred on the side of caution and opted for retreat. Weeks later, after news reached him of the [[Cree]] victory over [[Colonel Otter]] – to whom had been issued the dreaded [[gatling gun]] – at [[Battle of Cut Knife|Cut Knife]], Middleton embarked once more on decisive action against Batoche.
 ==References==