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137-788: 21 killed The Battle of Seven Oaks —also known as the Seven Oaks Massacre and the Seven Oaks Incident —was a violent confrontation of the Pemmican War between the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and the North West Company (NWC) which occurred on 19 June 1816 near modern-day Winnipeg , Manitoba. Resulting in a decisive victory for the NWC over their rivals in the North American fur trade ,

274-635: A French translation of the Ojibwe word meaning "half-burnt woodsmen;" a name the Métis earned because their skin was generally lighter than that of the full-blooded Natives. The natives of the Red River district were primarily of the Saulteaux nation, known today as the northern or plains Ojibwa. They traded with both the NWC and HBC and, despite frequent attempts by the NWC to pit them against its rival, remained neutral in

411-449: A HBC-backed colony in the Red River as a direct threat to their existence. The NWC first protested directly to the HBC, hired lawyers to dispute the HBC's charter, and even published anonymous articles in newspapers to dissuade prospective settlers by pointing out the hardships of the journey, the harshness of the land and stating that the settlers would all be massacred by Indians. However, despite

548-490: A NWC boat loaded with pemmican was being sent down the Assiniboine from Qu'Appelle , sent John Warren with a party of fifty men with two field pieces to seize it. The men had instructions to fire their muskets at any boat that passed and drive them ashore, and any that might refuse should be sunk by cannon fire. The colonists openly refused to obey the latter order, however. The NWC's John Wills at Rivière la Souris , hearing of

685-540: A battery on the shore of the Red River to prevent NWC boats from passing. In his spare time, Colin Robertson tested the readiness of the HBC blockade by floating an old, empty boat down river, unbeknown to the blockaders. Upon seeing it, the men rushed out and began firing at it without orders. May 8 found the HBC's Pierre Pambrun with 25 men transporting 22 bales of furs, 600 bags of pemmican and 23 stands of arms from Brandon House to Fort Douglas. They were driven ashore near

822-535: A blacksmith, by the name of Gardepie...making lances, and daggers; also repairing guns and pistols for the different half-breeds then going upon the expedition for the destruction of the colony...During their stay at Qu'Appelle, their whole amusement was in shooting at the mark, singing war songs, practicing with their lances and telling each other how they would kill the English – meaning the settlers – and they also often told me they were going to kill them like rabbits." At

959-476: A brief exchange of fire took place with no casualties. That same day a canoe arrived at Fort Gibraltar from Fort William announcing the end of the War of 1812 and proclaimed "peace with all the world except Red River." Macdonnell's men next made off with the colony's cattle. Colonists Duncan McNaughton, Alexander Mclean and John McLeod, riding near Frog Plain, observed the stolen cattle. They attempted to drive them back to

1096-651: A colony, as well as arms to protect it from the Indigenous inhabitants and Americans (Great Britain and the United States then being on the brink of war), consisting of 200 muskets, 4 brass 3-pound field pieces, 1 howitzer and 3 swivel guns courtesy of the British Colonial Department . In September the settlers arrived at York Factory and entered winter quarters there. Because of a lack of boats to transport Selkirk's settlers and their vast supplies, they spent

1233-571: A company of volunteer militia from the Red River settlers, armed them with muskets and appointed himself as commander. By doing so, Macdonell was invoking the rights of the Hudson's Bay Company Royal Charter, which they felt the NWC was violating. In 1815, Selkirk was in Montreal raising men to defend his colony. He first petitioned the British government for regular infantry. In March, Lord Bathurst instructed

1370-473: A confrontation. This order was given as there was a swamp about three-quarters of a mile opposite Fort Douglas that left only a narrow plain which allowed passage. Before reaching Fort Douglas, around 24 Métis broke off and rode ahead to set up camp at the Frog Plains. The remaining 26 men continued with the carts. The Métis that were included in this party were covered with paint and wore feathers in their hair as

1507-526: A contingent of regular soldiers also petitioned the government for his own soldiers that his company may not be discriminated against. He only managed to negotiate for two officers of De Meuron's regiment to take a leave of absence for six months. Lieutenants Bromby and Missani departed Montreal for Fort William in spring of 1816. Being on leave of absence, these men were now common citizens with no military authority, but they continued to wear their military uniforms. McGillivray also recruited Charles De Reinhard,

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1644-653: A course for the North West Company's inland headquarters, Fort William , with the intention of rescuing the HBC prisoners and arresting those responsible for the acts of violence against his colony and the Hudson's Bay Company. Also in July, the British government, in an effort to put an end to the Pemmican War, instructed the Canadian Governor-General Sir John Sherbrooke to send a party into

1781-497: A discharged sergeant of De Meuron's Regiment. In addition, those company partners formerly in the Corps of Voyageurs continued to act in the capacity of military officers. Duncan Cameron often signed his letters during this time as "Captain, Voyageur Corps." The Voyageur Corps was a regiment raised by partners of the NWC and made up mostly of NWC voyageurs which fought in the War of 1812 . In fact,

1918-512: A gunfight ensued when the settlers tried to arrest Boucher and seize his horse. Early reports said that the Métis fired the first shot and began the fray, but an ensuing investigation by Royal Commissioner William Bachelor Coltman determined with "next to certainty" that it was one of Semple's men who fired first. The Métis were skilled sharpshooters and outnumbered Semple's forces by nearly 3 to 1. The Metis killed 21 men, including Governor Semple, while suffering only one fatality. On

2055-405: A large NWC and Métis force was gathering there to attack the colony. This was Semple's second warning. Meanwhile, Cuthbert Grant and a party of Canadians departed Portage des Prairie by canoe followed by a number of Métis on horseback, numbering around 50 men total, to deliver 20 bags of much needed pemmican to Bas de la Rivière. Because of the HBC blockades, the party was forced to land 10 miles from

2192-557: A large party was at Portage la Prairies and would attack the colony within 2 days. Semple did not believe the NWC had the strength to accomplish it, but began to keep a 24-hour watch at Fort Douglas. Chief Peguis offered his services to protect the Red River against the Nor'Westers, but Semple declined. Peguis then encamped with his men along the river opposite the colony. On June 18, the HBC's Patrick Corcoran, who escaped imprisonment at Fort Qu'Appelle arrived at Fort Douglas and informed Semple that

2329-462: A limited number of HBC servants might stay, as it was to the advantage of the Métis to have competing trading companies in the area. In March 1816, the HBC seized and then destroyed Fort Gibraltar to prevent the NWC from trans-shipping pemmican from the Forks to their brigades coming in from Fort William on Lake Superior . On 19 June 1816, Cuthbert Grant led two groups of North West Company employees,

2466-413: A location with good soil and a temperate climate far in the interior. He quickly discovered the region best fitting his needs fell within the territory of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). Selkirk began in 1808 buying shares of the HBC in order to acquire the land he needed. Because of the crippling competition with the North West Company (NWC), the HBC's stock at this time was down from 250% to 50%, and he

2603-521: A number of soldiers, and by his guard, with whom he encamped about 800 or 900 yards above the Fort, on the opposite shore. Within two or three hours, eleven boats full of men, in the uniform of De Meuron's Regiment, came into the River, and were followed by one boat and two canoes loaded with arms and stores, &c. The troops immediately joined Lord Selkirk at his encampment, Cannon were landed, and drawn up, pointed at

2740-629: A party of NWC voyageurs to whom they gave the stolen guns. The unmounted guns were conveyed by canoes to Fort Gibraltar where field carriages were made for them. When Governor Macdonell returned, NWC officer Severight attempted to arrest him, but Macdonell resisted stating a legally appointed governor cannot be arrested and taken from his post. Macdonnel detained Severight for several hours and then released him. Alexander Macdonnell's force swelled in May with NWC employees passing between their wintering posts and Fort William and with local Métis, freemen and Cree from

2877-535: A party of about 60 mounted Métis and First Nations freighters, towards Seven Oaks (known to the Métis as la Grenouillière , or Frog Plain) to escort a shipment of pemmican to Lake Winnipeg to supply NWC canoe brigades from Montreal which had to pass by en route to Athabasca . In retaliation for the destruction of Fort Gibraltar , the group stopped a flotilla of HBC canoes coming down the Qu’Appelle River and seized their shipment of stolen pemmican destined for

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3014-419: A party of around 27 of his followers captured colonist John Warren and three others while travelling between Fort Daer and Turtle River. Fed-up, Governor Macdonell met with the Nor'Westers at Fort Pembina and successfully arranged a prisoner exchange. In 1815 NWC partner Duncan Cameron now began to implement the company's plan to dislodge the Red River settlers. This was done primarily by threatening to unleash

3151-415: A peace agreement. To try to prevent bloodshed and to help alleviate the general starvation of the NWC caused by Macdonell's confiscation of all the Nor'Wester's provisions, the men agreed that Governor Macdonell should keep 200 bags of pemmican and return the rest that had been seized. In exchange, the Nor'Westers would release Mr. House and supply the colony with provisions during the coming winter. It appears

3288-494: A peace settlement with Cuthbert Grant and on the next day, Grant went to Fort Douglas and presented Sheriff Macdonnell, the colony's second-in-command, with Pritchard's capitulation terms and negotiated a surrender. Back at Portage des Prairie, Alexander MacDonnell was informed of the Battle of Seven Oaks and departed for Fort Douglas. On June 21, Alexander Mackenzie's brigade from Fort William encamped at Netley Creek, 40 miles north of

3425-492: A special inquiry into the incident, and appointed Lieutenant Colonel William Bachelor Coltman as Royal Commissioner, who set his investigation in motion in May 1817. Delivered to the British House of Commons on 24 June 1819, Coltman's report exonerated the Métis, concluding that the first shot was fired at François Boucher from Semple’s side. The fighting did not last longer than 15 minutes. Coltman also concluded that, before

3562-545: The Great Lakes route but to avoid Fort William by taking the Fond-du-lac / Rainy Lake route to the Red River. On March 20, Colin Robertson's men captured Fort Pembina, arrested several NWC employees and Métis and confiscated the fort's arms and ammunition. Around this time, Governor Semple built the armed schooner named "Cuthullin" to deny NWC access to Lake Winnipeg and put it under the command of Lieutenant Holte. He also erected

3699-685: The Gros Ventres . Fort Ellice replaced it. Brandon House was moved four times on the north bank of the Assiniboine River between Brandon, Manitoba , and the mouth of the Souris River , in what is now the Municipality of Glenboro-South Cypress . A man named Barkley from the United States had a post between the first two locations at an unknown date. The exact locations of these posts do not seem to have been determined. The first Brandon House

3836-465: The Hudson’s Bay Company established a small depot across the river, at what is now St. Boniface . In 1809, the North West Company arrived to establish Fort Gibraltar at the Forks, which would be built in 1810 by John Wills, Cuthbert Grant’s brother-in-law. During this time, Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk , sought to settle the Red River region, planning to bring Scottish settlers to

3973-511: The Rivière la Souris post. Governor Macdonell next built a battery on the Assiniboine River to more effectively command the river and another on the Red River near Fort Douglas. The Red River blockade soon captured two NWC light canoes with 2 clerks, 20 men and 2 chests of arms. The voyageurs were paroled, but the clerks and the chests of arms were sent to Fort Douglas. On June 18, 1814, the NWC's John Macdonald met with Governor Macdonell to work out

4110-448: The 24th and were forced ashore by Alexander Mackenzie's men. John Pritchard and several others were sent to Fort William as prisoners escorted by Lieutenants Brumby and Misani. The remaining settlers were allowed to continue to Jack River House. Shortly after, the rear guard from Swan River arrived. Around the 25th of June, the combined Fort William and Swan River Brigades arrived at Fort Douglas and Alexander Mackenzie took over operations in

4247-534: The Athabasca district. Robertson was convinced to stay and help re-establish the Red River Colony and dispatched a party of 100 men under John Clark to Athabasca to carry out his mission there. Robertson with the displaced settlers and around 20 HBC employees arrived at the ruins of Fort Douglas on August 19 and began rebuilding the fort. On October 15, 1815, Duncan Cameron, the Nor'Wester in charge of Fort Gibraltar

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4384-532: The Baymen and settlers testified that the opening shots came from the Canadians and Métis, as the first and second shots felled Lieutenant Holte and Governor Semple. In Commissioner Coltman's report on the incident, he agreed with the Nor'Wester's version. After the battle, John Pritchard was sent to the Métis camp at Frog Plain and was there under the protection of Cuthbert Grant. The night of the battle, Pritchard negotiated

4521-431: The Baymen searched for it and found the three Canadians encamped with an empty boat. Warren questioned them about their provisions and threatened to arrest them, but he received no response. After a search of one or two days, the cache of 96 bags of pemmican was discovered and taken to Ft. Douglas.(p. 31) The HBC next blockaded the high-road the Nor'Westers used to circumvent the river blockade, which, besides disrupting

4658-471: The English establishment of the regular army and veterans of the Napoleonic Wars . These men, though no longer enlisted soldiers, still retained their military uniforms which consisted of light blue faced red coats, trousers and black felt shakos . Selkirk provided them with muskets, bayonets and cartridge pouches and paid them out of his own pocket. William McGillivray, hearing that Selkirk had obtained

4795-595: The English," but he refused. The Nor'Westers only managed to recruit a handful of Natives, but they refused to attack the settlers once they arrived on the scene the following year. Within days of Duncan Cameron's arrival at the Red River District in September he arrested sheriff John Spencer and sent him to the NWC's Fort Gibraltar located south of the Red River colony. As the canoe that was conveying Spencer to Lac la Pluie passed Fort Douglas, several colonists broke into

4932-647: The Forks and to establish the Red River Colony (also known as the Red River Settlement). In 1812, Selkirk’s men began building Fort Douglas on the west side of the Red River, downstream from the NWC’s Fort Gibraltar. The Métis saw the Settlement as a threat to their way of life. Because the project was so poorly planned, the settlers went hungry in 1812 and 1813. They would move south for winter at

5069-479: The Fort, and balls were ready piled beside them, as prepared for a siege and bombardment." Wilcocke went on to describe the opposing force at Fort William: "Their numbers together must have exceeded 500 men, and the place, though not properly a Fort, but merely a square of houses and stores, surrounded by a strong and lofty picket fence, contained an ample supply of arms and ammunition, and was capable of considerable resistance." Brandon House Brandon House

5206-520: The HBC sent one Colin Robertson to Montreal to raise a party to oppose the NWC in the Athabasca District. Posing as one of Lord Selkirk's agents selling land in the Red River District, Robertson secretly raised a band of 160 voyageurs. They departed for Athabasca on May 17 in 16 canoes. In February the Métis set up a camp on the Turtle River plains and began harassing Red River settlers by stampeding

5343-675: The Hudson's Bay Colony, the North West Company and the Métis—who who supplied the NWC with pemmican—viewed it as a ploy by Selkirk to monopolize the commodity, which was important to the NWC. The Métis did not acknowledge the authority of the Red River Settlement, and the Pemmican Proclamation was a blow to both the Métis and North West Company. The NWC accused the HBC of unfairly monopolizing the fur trade. In 1815 through 1816, environmental conditions left pemmican in short supply, and

5480-484: The Indians did; not a typical Métis practice. The paint was supposedly given to them by the Canadians in order for them to appear more intimidating to the Red River settlers. At 5 pm, a guard on duty in a watchtower at Fort Douglas saw the party of mounted Métis and gave the alarm. Semple soon arrived, observed them with his spy glass and quickly assembled a party of 20 colonists and Baymen, stating they should go and meet with

5617-422: The Indians on the colony and offering the colonists free passage to Upper Canada. Not every Nor'Wester in the Red River District was interested in the destruction of Selkirk's colony. Around this time, the NWC clerk Aulay McAulay refused to sell firearms and ammunition to the Métis to use against the colony. Consequently, at the next rendezvous at Fort William, Aulay was not allowed to dine at the general mess-table,

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5754-572: The Métis Nation . For many years, the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers—whose access had previously been controlled by the Assiniboine people —had been a meeting place for the fur trade in British North America (in modern-day Winnipeg , Manitoba). The Forks were also home to Ojibwe newcomers, Cree traders, and Métis buffalo hunters . In the first decade of the 19th century,

5891-443: The Métis and ascertain their intentions. Semple's men were armed, but Semple gave orders that no one was to shoot unless attacked. However, other witnesses testified that the Baymen bragged they would "have the Métis' provisions or their lives." Several Métis entered Lot #3 of the colony to obtain information from the people there. Several colonists then fled towards Fort Douglas for protection. Semple departed Fort Douglas, heading along

6028-487: The Métis and thus preventing them from hunting buffalo . Part of the confiscated provisions were taken across the river to Brandon House , while the rest was taken to Fort Douglas under an armed escort. Next, Macdonell's men confiscated 200 bags of pemmican from a HBC trader named Stett who was transporting 300 bags to York Factory. Shortly afterward, the NWC's Duncan Cameron took an armed party of voyageurs to locate and arrest an HBC trader named House who had helped break into

6165-540: The Métis in command of the settlement, having seized Fort Douglas. The battle marked one of the first documented times the Red River Métis declared their nationhood , asserting themselves as la Nouvelle Nation ('the New Nation') with rights to trade as they wished and travel freely on their own land. It was also one of the first times that the flag of the Métis Nation was flown. The British government called for

6302-486: The Métis side, 16-year-old Joseph Letendre dit Batoche died, and Joseph Trottier was wounded. One of the main assumptions as to why many fewer of Grant's men were killed than Semple's is because the latter mistakenly thought they had won. After the first round of fire, the Métis threw themselves on their backs to reload their firearms, but the colonists perceived them to be on the ground because they were killed, and began celebrating. Semple’s men were then taken by surprise when

6439-438: The Métis, having reloaded, rose up and resumed firing. According to oral tradition, the Métis gathered that night in their Frog Plain camp to celebrate their victory. There, Métis poet and balladeer Pierre Falcon , Grant’s brother-in-law, wrote “La Chanson de la Grenouillère” about the battle. Demoralized from the losses, the settlers gathered their belongings the day after the battle and sailed north for Norway House , leaving

6576-425: The NWC may have continued issuing military commissions to their partners even after the regiment was disbanded on March 1, 1815. At Red River, Duncan Cameron acted in the capacity of a Captain with Alexander Macdonnell as his lieutenant and Seraphim Lamarre as his ensign. Likewise, Cuthbert Grant was perceived as a captain of the Métis, with William Shaw as his lieutenant and Peter Pangman as his ensign. At this time,

6713-410: The NWC traded for it at several outposts in the Red River District and transported it to their Bas de la Rivière depot on Lake Winnipeg where it was distributed to brigades of north canoes passing between Fort William and Athabasca or transported to Fort William where it was issued to brigades going to the company's eastern and southern districts. The majority of the NWC's pemmican was purchased from

6850-436: The NWC's best efforts, Selkirk's colony was to proceed. In July 1811, Scottish and Irish settlers consisting of 25 families embarked aboard HBC and private ships led by the colony's appointed governor Miles Macdonell (whom the local First Nations would later dub "chief of the gardeners"). Those colonists who could not afford their passage indentured themselves to the HBC. They brought with them everything they needed to build

6987-470: The NWC, nearly starved.(p. 33) Additional settlers arrived at the colony in the spring of 1813 and the settlers finally began building proper houses and planting crops. The NWC's John Wills ordered John Pritchard to buy as much Red River pemmican as possible. Pritchard succeeded in buying a third more than usual. Provisions were scarce in the colony at the beginning of 1814. Governor Macdonell, in an attempt to prevent much needed provisions from leaving

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7124-717: The NWC. Around this time the Fort William brigade departed consisting of a number of company employees and partners, Lieutenants Bumby and Missani of the De Meuron's and former De Meuron soldiers Frederick Heurter and Charles Reinhard all under the joint command of Alexander Mackenzie and Archibald Norman Macleod. For arms they brought two crates of trade guns. En route they stopped at Fort Lac la Pluie where they were augmented by 20 First Nations and another canoe of voyageurs. While there they dispatched an express canoe to Fond du Lac to raise another party of First Nations people to meet them at

7261-579: The Nor'Wester's use of the road, also would prevent the local natives and Métis from passing. One native family was taken prisoner. Upon learning this, the local Métis offered aid to the Nor'Westers for an attack on the HBC blockade, but the offer was declined. On May 29, 1814, Governor Macdonell sent John Spencer, the colony's sheriff, to seize provisions at the NWC's Rivière la Souris post. He confiscated 500 bags of pemmican, 96 kegs of grease and 9 bales of dried meat.(p. 28) He also confiscated two chests of NWC-owned guns to prevent them from being sold to

7398-531: The North West Company had one killed and one wounded, plus an unknown number of native casualties. This event would come to be known as the Battle of Seven Oaks after the name of the location at which it took place. There was at first much disagreement as to who fired the first shots of the battle. The Nor'Westers and Métis testified that Semple's men fired first and that the first shot was directed at Boucher who appeared to be resisting Semple's attempt to arrest him, while

7535-474: The North West Company headquarters and supply base at Fort William . Selkirk attempted to prosecute several members of the NWC for murder and kept Boucher in prison for nearly two years without specific charges. The NWC men were tried at York, Upper Canada , in 1818. All trials ended in acquittals, and the remaining charges were dropped. Members of the North West Company counter-sued Selkirk, whose health and influence subsequently declined. Selkirk died in 1820, and

7672-525: The North West Company in the 1770s changed this. The North West Company and others generally traded beyond the actual reach of the HBC, but generally still within their territory, easing the burden for natives of those regions to travel the long distance to Hudson Bay to trade. To compete with the North West Company, the HBC began expanding inland. In 1774 they built Cumberland House on the Saskatchewan River delta and soon had outposts situated throughout

7809-521: The North West and Hudson's Bay companies. For 100 years the London-based Hudson's Bay Company dominated the North American fur trade operating almost exclusively from their depots along the shores of Hudson Bay (though their charter, granted by Charles II in 1670 gave them exclusive rights to trade along the banks of any connected waterway), but competition from various Montréal merchants and later

7946-694: The Red River Colony. Grant’s men escorted their boats of supplies back up the Assiniboine River and seized Brandon House trading post. The horsemen continued towards Lake Winnipeg divided in two groups, one on each side of the Assiniboine River. HBC employees spotted Grant's second group, and HBC Governor Robert Semple and 26-28 men (a group of HBC men and settlers) went out on foot to confront them. Catching up with Grant's men at Seven Oaks, Semple challenged them. The North West Company sent François-Firmin Boucher to speak to Semple's men. He and Semple argued, and

8083-596: The Red River Colony. On June 18 the brigade arrived at Bas de la Rivière where they took on more men as well as muskets and 2 brass three-pound cannon. The firearms were issued out and Reinhard and Heurter were ordered to instruct the voyageurs in the military manual-of-arms and platoon exercise. Some voyageurs refused. One observer stated: "A Canadian named Forcier positively refused to take a gun, and most of them took them with great reluctance, observing to me, that they were not engaged to take up arms and to make war like soldiers, and wished to do their duty as such – to navigate

8220-479: The Red River colony and because it was located outside of Selkirk's land grant. Once together, they would siege the fort and settlement and starve them into submission. The plan was to be set in motion in May. In March, Governor Semple temporarily put Colin Robertson in command of the Red River Colony while he toured the HBC posts in the district. In 1816 Robertson, hearing rumours that a party of Métis, Indians and NWC voyageurs were gathering at Fort Gibraltar to attack

8357-483: The Red River colony and began planning their attack, still unaware of events. The following day Chief Peguis' Saulteaux retrieved the body of Semple and 9 others and brought them by cart to Fort Douglas and buried them in a mass grave in a grove of trees south-west of the fort. The remaining dead were left on the battlefield. That evening, the Red River settlers numbering 180, retreated by boat towards Jack River House. The retreating Red River settlers passed Netley Creek on

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8494-408: The Red River colony. Macdonnell, with a party of around 60 voyageurs and Métis established a camp at Frog Plain, 3 or 4 miles from Fort Douglas and erected a battery of 4 guns to prevent boats coming or going from the colony. It was provided with shot forged by the NWC blacksmith at Fort Gibraltar. On June 10 several colonists fired at a party of Métis conveying provisions to their camp at Frog Plain and

8631-501: The Red River from the HBC’s headquarters at Point Douglas. On June 10, during a shootout between Métis and remaining settlers at HBC’s Fort Douglas, one of Macdonell’s men was killed when a cannon exploded, and three others were wounded. At this time, Cuthbert gained more men as many of Selkirk’s people went over to the Métis side, as well as the Irish who were initially hired to prepare the way for

8768-399: The Red River. Selkirk was eventually granted a sergeant's detachment of the 37th Regiment consisting of around 14 men commanded by Sergeant Pugh, not as an official military representative but to act as Selkirk's personal guard. Selkirk next turned to the HBC. The HBC was allowed to raise armed forces for their protection under a clause in their charter. It stated: "We do give and grant unto

8905-621: The Souris River, it was a center for trade with the Mandans in North Dakota . It was moved four times and there were related forts nearby. The first post was abandoned by 1811 in favour of other nearby sites, including the Brandon House No. 4 site several miles to the northwest. Around 1750, a French missionary lived in the area. Before 1793 there were ill-documented independent traders in

9042-598: The XY Company built Fort La Souris on the opposite (south) bank of the river. In 1804 the NWC absorbed the XY Company and Fort Assiniboine was moved to the Fort La Souris site. In 1801 the NWC built a small post about half a mile upstream. The HBC established this one in May 1811 on the south side of the river six miles above the mouth of the Souris. Peter Fidler (explorer) was in charge from 1811/1812 to 1819. In May 1816, during

9179-405: The area and perhaps in 1793 a small post was established two miles upstream from the Souris by Ronald Cameron, a clerk to Peter Grant. In the period 1793 to 1811, the North West Company was then first to arrive followed very shortly by the Hudson's Bay Company . The XY Company had a post from 1798 to 1804. In 1793, Cuthbert Grant Sr. and John MacDonnell of the North West Company established

9316-472: The arms locker to give them the weapons needed to mount a rescue. They drove the canoe ashore, but Spencer convinced the settlers not to kill the Nor'Westers and to let them carry out their duty. As Duncan Cameron appeared nearby again that evening, one colonist fired at him to no effect. In October, 1814 Governor Macdonell sent notes to the NWC outposts in the region in the name of Lord Selkirk ordering them to abandon their posts within six months. He then raised

9453-512: The arrival of the Selkirk settlers only made the shortage worse. MacDonnell resigned as governor of the Red River Colony in 1815, after several conflicts and suffering from "severe emotional instability." He was replaced by Robert Semple , an American businessman with no previous experience in the fur trade. On 7 June 1815, Métis leader and NWC clerk Cuthbert Grant established a Métis camp La Grenouillère (Frog Plain), 6.4 kilometres (4 mi) down

9590-538: The battle, neither side intended to engage in a fight. He also argued that Selkirk and Semple should have known that their enforcement of the Pemmican Proclamation showed "a blameable carelessness as to the consequence, on a subject likely to endanger both the peace of the country and the lives of individuals." On 12 August 1816, Selkirk and a force of 90 soldiers who had been discharged from the De Meuron and De Watteville regiments arrived from eastern Canada and captured

9727-542: The beginning of the 19th century, Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk attempted to resettle his fellow Scotsmen in North America. By 1808, Selkirk had founded two colonies, one on Prince Edward Island , another at Baldoon in Western Ontario, and was looking to establish a third. The eastern coastline of Canada was already settled and no longer had any tracts of land large enough to support a colony, so Selkirk looked for

9864-401: The blockade and not seeing the boat he expected, dispatched a party of six men to investigate, avoiding the blockade by taking the high-road around the river. Wills' men found the boat crew encamped on the river shore and ordered them to cache the provisions in a hidden place. Seeing this party of armed Nor'Westers, the HBC battery obtained reinforcements. When the boat did not appear as expected,

10001-406: The buffalo herds they were hunting. The Métis also detained Red River settler John Macleod for six days while he was conveying a message to them from Governor Macdonell. At the same time, Governor Macdonell arrested HBC defector Peter Pangman who was now working for the NWC, and later arrested Nor'Wester Hugh Heney for his role in detaining John Macleod. In retaliation, Métis leader Cuthbert Grant with

10138-415: The canoes and carry goods over carrying places." The brigade consisting of around 150 men departed the next day. About the same time the rear-guard left Swan River with forty men under the command of John Macdonald. While leading his brigade to the Red River Colony, Alexander Macdonell dispatched Cuthbert Grant and 25 Métis to plunder the Hudson's Bay Company's Brandon House. On June 1, Grant's men broke open

10275-477: The colonists met with Governor Macdonell and suggested that he surrender himself to end the violence. On June 15, the Nor'Westers attacked the Red River colony in force, taking a number of prisoners and throwing up a rampart with cannon around the grain store. They also let the colonists' horses loose to trample their crops. The next day, the NWC's Alexander Mackenzie and Simon Frazer arrived from Fort William and wrote to Governor Macdonell that if he surrendered himself

10412-411: The colonists returned fire. Four colonists and Baymen were wounded by enemy fire, and John Warren was nearly killed when his wall gun bursts. Eventually, the Métis entered the Red River colony and occupied several houses including that of John Pritchard which they set up as their headquarters. Several colonists were evicted and their houses burned. After the last attack on June 11 which lasted half an hour,

10549-456: The colonists should abandon the colony and resettle in the woods a few miles below the forks and that both parties should live in peace. The Métis rejected this proposal. They finally agreed to the following terms: The settlers agreed to these terms and fled by boat towards Jack River House (later renamed Norway House ) under the guard of local Cree who offered to convey them as far as Lake Winnipeg. HBC trader John Mcleod and three men remained at

10686-467: The colony and promising to restore the stolen artillery. Fort Gibraltar was a mere half-mile from the Red River Colony and had been the staging point for the attack on the settlement. Robertson next attempted to take the NWC's Fort Qu'Appelle, but found it heavily guarded and retreated back to Fort Douglas. In November 1815 the newly appointed governor of Red River Colony Robert Semple arrived with around 160 new settlers and Baymen and assisted in re-building

10823-540: The colony and were themselves driven off by several shots from Macdonnel's men. One John Early's gun misfired and he apologized stating he surely would have killed McNaughton, as his gun was loaded with two balls. The Métis now took matters into their own hands. Parties of Métis paraded in front of the Red River settlement day and night singing war songs to intimidate the settlers. Some settlers were abducted and their houses were dismantled or burned. Settlers continually deserted, often taking away arms and ammunition belonging to

10960-472: The colony as representatives of the HBC and to maintain the colonists' crops. On June 24, the Métis burned Fort Douglas and the colony's mill, stables and most of the empty houses. This was done by cutting open the windward side to allow the breeze to spread the flames. The goods and horses belonging to the colony were given to the Métis as gifts. The fleeing settlers stopped at Jack River House. While there they were met by Colin Robertson and his brigade bent for

11097-415: The colony at a place called the "Passage" where they loaded the pemmican onto two carts to take them overland past Fort Douglas and re-embark them at Frog Plain. Part of the force remained to rendezvous with the NWC forces from Fort William and Swan River; around 50 continued towards Frog Plain, but not before being ordered to keep as far away from Fort Douglas and the colony as the terrain would allow to avoid

11234-438: The colony would be left in peace. Governor Miles Macdonell subsequently surrendered himself and made a verbal agreement with the NWC for the following terms: On June 22, Governor Macdonell departed a prisoner for Fort William. Later that day, the Métis resumed firing at the colonists. The HBC's James Sutherland and one Mr. White met with the Métis at Frog Plain to negotiate a new peace settlement. Sutherland and White proposed that

11371-432: The colony's cannons to prevent their leaving. As a result, on April 3 a party of disgruntled settlers led by George Campbell detained the officers in the mess room of Fort Douglas, broke into the colony's warehouses and stole a number of artillery pieces, weapons and tools, carrying them off on horse-drawn sleighs while the imprisoned officers watched through the mess-room windows. The colonists then met with Duncan Cameron and

11508-402: The colony, captured Fort Gibraltar for the second time on March 17. On searching Duncan Cameron's room, a copy of a letter was found in which Cameron requested James Grant of Fond du Lac to raise a party of Indians to send to Red River in order to pillage the colony. Upon his return, Governor Semple ordered the fort to be dismantled to prevent it from being used again as a base to strike against

11645-402: The colony. In Athabasca, John Clark's brigade arrived late in the season and low on provisions. He sent detachments to the NWC's English River post (Île-à-la-Crosse), Fort Chipewyan, Slave Lake post and Peace River post. Twenty of Clark's men perished from the severe climate and hunger. The remaining surrendered to the NWC who maintained them through the winter and gave them transportation out in

11782-480: The colony. Fort Gibraltar consisted of one house measuring 64 feet long for the partners, one house of 28 feet and one of thirty feet for the men, a kitchen of 15 feet, three warehouses, a blacksmith shop, a stable and an ice house. Its dismantling took 30 men around a week to accomplish, which they did by using axes and hammers to remove the wooden pegs which held the timbers together. The best timbers were floated on rafts to Fort Douglas where they were used to re-enforce

11919-418: The colony. The Nor'Westers erected another battery with one piece opposite Fort Douglas. A breastwork was thrown up around it partially made from wood taken from dismantled houses. Duncan Cameron dispatched parties of armed men along various roads to capture any wandering settlers. In June, NWC forces attacked the colony no less than 4 times, often firing at the dwelling houses from hidden positions. In every case

12056-466: The company more dependent on the Red River pemmican than ever. The NWC disregarded the proclamation and Gov. Macdonell was obliged to enforce it. On March 14, 1814, John Warren (who was a clerk in the colony) and 15 or 16 armed colonists travelled to the Métis hunting camp at Turtle River to acquire provisions. That night several NWC sleighs arrived to do the same, and Warren's men forced them back empty handed. Shortly afterward, Gov. Macdonell, hearing that

12193-554: The confrontation was the climax in a long series of dispute in the Canadas . The battle is also known as the Victory of the Frog Plain ( French : la Victoire de la Grenouillère ) among Métis People , whose members fought for the NWC during the battle. The event would mark one of the first times the Métis asserted themselves as la Nouvelle Nation ('the New Nation') and fly the flag of

12330-600: The country, the ordinary resources derived from the buffalo and other wild animals hunted within the territory, are not deemed more than adequate for the requisite supply, wherefore it is hereby ordered, that no person trading in furs or provisions within the territory for the Honourable Hudson's Bay Company, the North West Company, or any individual, or unconnected trader or persons whatever, shall take out any provisions, either flesh, dried meat, grain, or vegetable." Both North West and Hudson's Bay companies formally protested

12467-438: The dispute between the fur companies. The Red River District was also home to a small community of retired NWC voyageurs, called "freemen" because they were free of their contracts with the company. The Red River pemmican was absolutely vital to the NWC. Without it, the company could not adequately feed its employees. William McGillivray later swore in a court of law that the NWC could not function without it. The Nor'westers saw

12604-401: The district issued the " Pemmican Proclamation " on January 8. It read, in part: "Whereas the welfare of the families at present forming settlement on the Red River, within the said territory, with those on their way to it...as also those who are expected to arrive next autumn, renders it a necessary and indispensable part of my duty to provide for their support. In the yet uncultivated state of

12741-617: The district. It is unclear whether the colony was destroyed at this time or whether there was little to destroy in the first place. However, Fort Douglas was left intact. The colony's schooner, then anchored in the river near the fort, was beached and its sails, cordage and ironwork were removed, the mast being erected as a flag pole in Fort Douglas. The ship's hull was then burned. Late in June or early July, most NWC partners and voyageurs departed Red River for their wintering posts leaving Fort Douglas in

12878-505: The end of May or early June the Qu'Appelle brigade departed consisting of around 80 armed voyageurs with two swivel guns commanded by Alexander MacDonell and an unknown number of Métis following overland on horseback. On the 11th of June, Colin Robertson left the Red River District after a series of disputes with Governor Semple. It is said that Robertson, instead of flying the HBC's Red Ensign behind his canoe, flew an empty pemmican sack as an insult to

13015-501: The field. They then called out to Bourke to come fetch the body of Semple, apparently in a mocking tone. Fearing a trick, Bourke again retreated to Fort Douglas. As the party retreated, the Métis fired on it, wounding Bourke and killing Duncan McNaughton. The account given by Boucher in his own 1819 pamphlet differed strongly from Pritchard's. The battle lasted only 25 minutes. In the end, 21 Red River settlers and Hudson's Bay Company employees were killed, including Governor Semple, while

13152-555: The first Fort Assiniboine (not to be confused with Fort Assiniboine on the Athabasca River). From the first year they traded in buffalo robes with the Mandan villages on the upper Missouri. In 1797, explorer David Thompson passed through on his way to determine the latitude and longitude of the Mandan villages. In 1804, when the NWC absorbed the XY Company, Fort Assiniboine was moved across

13289-458: The first to fall. The Métis dismounted and began firing from behind their horses. The remaining Baymen and settlers rushed towards Semple to give him aid, and being thus concentrated together, were cut down in short order. John Pritchard surrendered and was protected from the Métis by Boucher, who recognized him. Boucher received some blows and threats from the Métis but kept Pritchard safe. Michael Heden, Michael Kilkenny and Surgeon Mccoy fled towards

13426-488: The gates and stole literally everything inside, even the fort's grind stone. The stolen goods were divided among the raiders except the furs and ammunition which were claimed by the NWC. On June 16 the Qu'Appelle brigade arrived at Portage la Prairie and encamped. Expecting an attack, their stock of provisions and stolen furs were landed and formed into a defensive square on which two swivel guns were mounted. The next day 2 Métis went to Fort Douglas and warned Governor Semple that

13563-413: The governor of Canada to "give such protection to the settlers on Red River as could be afforded without detriment to his Majesty's services in other quarters." However, British commanders were reluctant to send troops to Red River because of the difficulty in transporting them such long distances. Selkirk pointed out that the Nor'Westers annually sent large quantities of bulky goods hundreds of miles beyond

13700-507: The hands of the around 40 Métis under Cuthbert Grant. Most of the cannons were brought to Athabasca to protect that quarter. During this time, Lord Selkirk was en route to the Red River Colony with reinforcements. On the 24th of July, while encamped at the Falls of St. Mary (also known as Sault Sainte Marie ) he was informed by a messenger that the colony had been destroyed. Instead of striking out to re-take his colony, Selkirk immediately plotted

13837-612: The investigation, deliver the Prince Regent's proclamation and to arrest Lord Selkirk. To give them some clout with the Indians, Coltman was commissioned a lieutenant-colonel and Fletcher a major in the British Indian Department . On August 12, between 10 and 11 am, Selkirk arrived at Fort William. Samuel Wilcocke recorded what happened next: "His Lordship came into the River Kaministiquiâ with four canoes, attended by

13974-591: The junction of the Pembina and Red rivers, relying on the meat provided by the Métis and the NWC, as well as corn purchased from the Peguis Band . On 8 January 1814, Miles MacDonell , governor of the Red River Colony, issued the Pemmican Proclamation , which prohibited export of pemmican from the colony for the next year. While Macdonell claimed that the proclamation was meant to guarantee adequate supplies for

14111-400: The local Métis and to a lesser degree from the local First Nations people and freemen. The Métis were the descendants of French Canadian fur traders and their native wives. By the early 1800s, the Métis had formed large communities and were in the process of creating their own unique identity. The particular Métis band around Red River was referred to as Bois-Brûlés or "burnt wood," which was

14248-532: The new NWC post. It was supplied from Fort Albany on James Bay. McKay lived up to his nickname by shooting at Joseph Augé who ran the NWC post. From 1795, they traded with the Mandans. There were usually two trips per year, in October and January. Using dog sleds or horses, they followed the Souris River as far as Minot, North Dakota and then headed southwest across the prairie. The Assiniboines sometimes tried to block

14385-399: The north of the creek in a plowed field. The second Brandon House was six miles upriver from the Souris on the west bank and the NWC post on a high bank across the river. Kavanagh (1946) has this as 49°42′19″N 99°40′09″W  /  49.70528°N 99.66917°W  / 49.70528; -99.66917 , but he also puts the first Brandon House on the east bank at this location which

14522-592: The north. The local Saulteaux arrived at the colony to help protect the settlers and stated that their presence would dissuade the Cree from attacking. However, the Saulteaux departed after 2 weeks upset at not being compensated for their assistance. Afterwards, 10 or 12 cows belonging to the colony were found riddled with arrows. It is unknown whether this was done by the Métis or the disgruntled Saulteaux. With his small army, Alexander Macdonnell finally began to take action against

14659-504: The northwest, in some cases directly across from their adversaries, sparking a period of intense competition. The Red River region also contained the North West Company's pivotal provisioning depots. Unlike the Hudson's Bay Company, which imported most of its provisions from England, the NWC relied heavily upon locally procured pemmican. Pemmican was made of dried buffalo meat pounded into a powder and mixed with melted buffalo fat in leather bags. To procure pemmican in sufficient quantities,

14796-431: The other clerks were ordered not to associate with him, and he was sent back to Montreal aboard a loaded Montreal canoe as a sign of disgrace. The Nor'Wester's offers of free passage soon had the desired effect. Coupled with the harsh living conditions in the region, disgruntled settlers began leaving the colony. Archibald Macdonald, then in command of the colony while Gov. Macdonell was temporarily away, threatened to use

14933-437: The proclamation, but Lord Selkirk, being the majority shareholder of the HBC was able to deal with his company's complaints through official channels. Special Commissioner Coltman, the government official later charged with investigating the Battle of Seven Oaks , suggested that Gov. Macdonell waited for an opportune moment to release his proclamation, the idea of which he had brought up some time earlier, and suggested that moment

15070-412: The rapids at Portage la Prairie by Cuthbert Grant and around 50 armed Canadians and Métis. Pambrun and his goods were captured and sent to Qu'Appelle. The NWC later testified that they found the furs in some abandoned boats. While a prisoner at Qu'Appelle, Pierre Pambrun observed the Nor'Wester's preparations for their attack on the Red River Colony. He wrote: "I remained a prisoner at Qu'Appelle...I saw

15207-472: The river to the site of Fort La Souris#1. In 1806, Alexander Henry the younger passed through. The man in charge was François-Antoine Larocque who later reached the Yellowstone River. In 1807, the fort was torn down and its parts rafted downstream to Fort des Épinettes . In 1793, Donald McKay le malin and John Sutherland of the Hudson's Bay company established Brandon House about 100 yards away from

15344-400: The river. McCoy was shot and wounded. Heden and Kilkenny crossed the river in an old boat and returned to Fort Douglas later that night. According to John Pritchard's published account, Bourke, fearing his cannon would be captured, escorted it back to Fort Douglas and soon returned with a stronger party. As Bourke approached the battle site, he observed the Canadians and Métis still in command of

15481-429: The road towards the colony and immediately observed the Métis party increase in number. These re-enforcements were either members of the advance party returning from Frog Plain or the party returning from scouting the colony. Seeing the Métis force swell, while at the same time seeing the fleeing colonists, Semple sent John Bourke back to Fort Douglas to bring up a piece of artillery and to dispatch reinforcements to protect

15618-534: The said company shall have any plantations, forts or factories." Selkirk wrote to the King's Attorney and Solicitor General informing them of his intentions to raise an army per the HBC charter and requested their approval, but no response was made. Thus, Selkirk raised a force consisting of 180 Hudson's Bay Company employees and around 150 soldiers recently discharged from the De Meuron and De Watteville regiments. De Meuron's and De Watteville's were two Swiss regiments on

15755-440: The said governor and company free liberty and license in case they conceive it necessary to send either ships of war, men or ammunition unto any of their plantations, forts or places of trade aforesaid for the security and defence of the same and to choose commanders and officer over them and to give them power and authority to continue or make peace or war with any prince or people whatsoever, that are not Christian in any place where

15892-521: The settlement, as their contracts expired on June 1. The Métis thereafter increased their demands that the settlers leave the Forks, under order from the four chiefs of the Métis: Grant, William Shaw, Robert Bonhomme Montour, and Peter Bostonais Pangman. Surveyor and Brandon House district manager Peter Fidler negotiated with the Métis chiefs at their camp at Frog Plain. On 20 June 1815, Pangman instructed Fidler that no colonists were to remain, but that

16029-402: The settlers and HBC employees, and contained company store houses as well as the governor's house, often referred to as the "Government House." Settlers began constructing huts to see them through the winter, but the late season forced many of them to winter at nearby HBC posts. However, these posts had insufficient provisions to support the extra people and the settlers, though given provisions by

16166-434: The settlers free passage to Upper Canada. It was decided that partners Duncan Cameron and Alexander Macdonell (the cousin and brother-in-law of Gov. Miles Macdonell) should oversee the operation in the Red River District. Unofficially however, the partners plotted to attack the colony. This was to be done by first disarming it and then paying the Indigenous people of Lac Rouge and Fond du Lac to destroy it. Of course, this plan

16303-504: The settlers. Semple waited for Bourke and his cannon, but Bourke was delayed and Semple continued towards the Métis. Half a mile from Fort Douglas, Lieutenant Holte's gun discharged accidentally. Semple was "very much displeased" and scolded him, telling him to be more careful and reiterated that no one should shoot unless fired on. The Canadians and Métis, now numbering around 60, rode towards Semple's party. Seeing this, Semple and his men took several steps backward and began to spread out. When

16440-432: The so-called Pemmican War , Cuthbert Grant and his men seized a load of pemmican coming down from Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan and then plundered Brandon House and took their loot across the river to Fort La Souris. The following year the fort was almost completely destroyed by fire, but Peter Fidler began rebuilding it in 1817. By 1821, there was a cart trail north of the river that was used in preference to canoes. When

16577-449: The spring and part of the summer of 1812 building four wooden boats, finally departing in mid-summer. The settlers arrived in the fall at the colony site, at a bend in the Red River about a half mile north of the forks of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. The settlers built a fort along a small stream southwest of the colony, named Fort Douglas in honour of Lord Selkirk. The fort was to be shared by

16714-497: The spring. In 1816, the wintering partners at Fort William made plans to destroy the Red River Colony for the second time. The plan was to raise three separate forces which would converge on the colony simultaneously, one would come from Qu'Appelle, the second from Fort William and the third from the Swan River Post as a rear guard. The NWC's Swan River Post was unmolested by the HBC during this period, because of its distance from

16851-524: The terms were more or less followed. Commissioner Coltman later testified that the agreement was kept with "some little deviations." That summer, during the general meeting at the North West Company's annual rendezvous at Fort William, the partners discussed how to deal with the Red River problem. It was officially agreed that the Red River District needed to be re-enforced, that arrest warrants should be issued for John Spencer, John Warren and Miles Macdonell and that Selkirk's colony should be reduced by offering

16988-528: The territory to deliver a proclamation from the Prince Regent calling for an end to the hostilities between the fur companies, the discharging of all soldiers under their employment, the removal of all blockades and the return of all confiscated goods and property. They were also to investigate the incidents and make any necessary arrests. In the fall of 1816, Governor-General Sherbrooke appointed William Coltman and John Fletcher as special commissioners to conduct

17125-557: The trade and a few traders were killed. In 1796 John Evans (explorer) reached the Mandan country from near Saint Louis. Brandon House seems to be the first HBC post to hear of the Lewis and Clark Expedition . In 1809, Manuel Lisa 's group arrived on the upper Missouri and in 1812 the trade was abandoned to the Americans. In 1806 to 1807, there were 53 men at the post. In 1807, part of the saga of Isobel Gunn may have taken place here. In 1798,

17262-485: The two companies merged in 1821 Brandon House was moved across the river to Fort La Souris. In 1824, it was closed as part of George Simpson's attempt to consolidate posts. In 1811, the NWC closed Fort des Épinettes and built a second Fort La Souris 200 yards from Brandon House#2. In June 1814, during the so-called Pemmican Wars , Miles Macdonell sent a group of men from the Red River Colony and seized some thirty tons of pemmican and other food at Fort La Souris. Some

17399-517: The two companies merged in 1821. The Hudson's Bay Company gave Cuthbert Grant an annual salary in 1828 and the position of "warden of the plains of Red River." The Manitoba Historical Society erected an obelisk monument in 1891 commemorating the battle at the intersection of Main Street and Rupertsland Boulevard in the Winnipeg district of West Kildonan , the approximate centre of the battle site. The site

17536-548: The two parties were within gunshot-range of each other, the Métis spread into a half-circle in front of Semple's men. A French-Canadian clerk named François-Firmin Boucher approached Semple. At the same time, Bourke departed Fort Douglas with a cannon and 8 or 9 men. Boucher and Semple exchanged some words and Semple reached for the reins of Boucher's horse, or, according to some accounts, he reached for Boucher's gun, apparently in an attempt to arrest him. Several shots were immediately fired and Lieutenant Holte and Governor Semple were

17673-405: The walls and build an additional house. What remained of Gibraltar was then burned to the ground.(p. 40) Meanwhile, Selkirk set out from Montreal with around 140 discharged soldiers from the De Meuron and De Watteville regiments, his sergeant's detachment of the 37th Regiment and around 150 HBC servants with a number of artillery and even an oven for heating cannonballs. His plan was to travel

17810-550: Was able to buy a majority share equalling £100,000 (in comparison the whole of the HBC stock was worth about £150,000). In May 1811 the HBC granted Selkirk 116, square miles of company territory which encompassed most of the Red River watershed. Today this region is shared by Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, North and South Dakota and Minnesota. The region was already occupied at that time by numerous tribes of Native Americans and Métis , as well as containing outposts belonging to both

17947-490: Was captured while riding on the plains. While being interviewed by Colin Robertson, Cameron informed him that most of the arms stolen from the Red River Colony were being stored at his fort, though the stolen artillery was spread throughout the district. Therefore, Robertson sent 12 men under the command of Alexander McLean to capture Fort Gibraltar and retrieve the colony's arms. Robertson returned Fort Gibraltar to Cameron after he signed an agreement ceasing all hostilities against

18084-575: Was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1920. Parks Canada installed new interpretive signs as part of their reconciliation with the Métis, and the Seven Oaks Park was re-landscaped. The site was officially reopened on 19 June 2016 to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle. [REDACTED] Media related to Battle of Seven Oaks at Wikimedia Commons 49°55′55″N 97°07′16″W  /  49.93194°N 97.12111°W  / 49.93194; -97.12111 Pemmican War At

18221-494: Was not recorded in the meeting notes, but there is an abundance of evidence to support it; for instance, Daniel Mackenzie, the officer in charge of the Fond du Lac District received a letter from Duncan Cameron in the spring of 1815 stating that he had orders to destroy the colony, and the chief of the Fond du Lac Indians later testified that Daniel Mackenzie offered him all the goods at Leech Lake, Sandy Lake and Lac la Pluie to "make war on

18358-604: Was on the north bank of the Assiniboine about two miles above the mouth of the Souris River on the Yellow Quill Trail to Portage la Prairie opposite something called "Five Mile Creek". Kavanagh (1946) has this at 49°40′25″N 99°37′45″W  /  49.67361°N 99.62917°W  / 49.67361; -99.62917 , the XY post at the edge of the woods below the mouth, one post across the river in an obvious clearing and another to

18495-453: Was taken to Brandon House but most was sent downriver to the River settlements. In 1821, the two companies merged and Brandon House was moved to the Fort La Souris site. Brandon House was re-established in 1828 to prevent the Indians from taking their trade to Pembina, North Dakota . The site was 12 miles upriver due to the lack of trees for building at the old site. It was closed when the area became trapped out and because of fear of attack by

18632-524: Was the American victory at the Battle of Lake Erie which occurred September 10, 1813 which gave the Americans command of Lake Erie and threatened the NWC's ability to transport goods, furs and provisions over the Great Lakes. Issuing the proclamation at this time therefore would have starved the Nor'westers out of the region. In fact, the Nor'Westers would later testify that the British loss of Lake Erie rendered

18769-439: Was the first fur-trading post or posts of the Hudson's Bay Company on the southern prairies, operating from 1793 to 1824 during the Assiniboine River fur trade . It was located at several places on the north bank of the Assiniboine River between Brandon, Manitoba , and the mouth of the Souris River , about 21 miles southeast of Brandon in what is now the Municipality of Glenboro-South Cypress . Because of its location near

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