View source for Battle of Duck Lake

{{short description|1885 battle in Saskatchewan, Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Coord|52|49|27.19|N|106|16|25.98|W|display=title}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| image= Battle of Duck Lake.jpg
| image_size = 300
|caption=This contemporary illustration of the Battle of Duck Lake offers a romanticized depiction of the skirmish.
|conflict=Battle of Duck Lake<br><small>{{nativename|fr|Bataille du lac aux Canards}}</small>
|partof=the [[North-West Rebellion]]
|date=March 26, 1885
|place=[[Duck Lake, Saskatchewan|Duck Lake]], south of [[Prince Albert, Saskatchewan]]
|result= Métis victory
|combatant1=[[Provisional Government of Saskatchewan]]  ([[Métis people (Canada)|Métis]])
|combatant2={{Flagicon image|Canadian Red Ensign 1868-1921.svg}} [[Canada]]
|commander1=[[Gabriel Dumont (Métis leader)|Gabriel Dumont]]{{WIA}}<ref>{{cite web | title=Gabriel Dumont - Métis Leader, NW Resistance, Canada &#124; Britannica | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gabriel-Dumont/The-North-West-Resistance }}</ref>
|commander2=[[Leif Crozier]]
|strength1=200–250<ref name="ducklake">{{cite book
|publisher = A.H. Hovey & Co
|location = Toronto
|title =The History of the North-west Rebellion of 1885: Comprising a Full and Impartial Account of the Origin and Progress of the War, Scenes in the Field, the Camp, and the Cabin; Including a History of the Indian Tribes of North-western Canada
|url =http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1508/33.html
|last=Mulvaney |first=Charles Pelham
|date = 1886
|page=32
|access-date = 2014-04-10}}</ref>
|strength2=95<ref name="ducklake"/>
|casualties1=5–6 dead<ref name="ducklake"/><ref>{{cite web
|url =http://www.metismuseum.ca/media/db/11980
|title=Heroes of the 1885 Northwest Resistance. Summary of those Killed.
|last=Barkwell |first=Lawrence J.
|publisher = Louis Riel Institute
|date = 3 March 2010
|access-date = 2013-11-13}}</ref><br/>3 wounded<ref name="ducklake"/>
|casualties2=12 dead<ref name="ducklake"/><ref name="casualties">{{cite book
 |publisher    = Department of Militia and Defence
 |location     = Ottawa
 |title        = Report upon the suppression of the rebellion in the North-West Territories and matters in connection therewith, in 1885: Presented to Parliament
 |url          = http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1519/15.html
 |last         = Panet
 |first        = Charles Eugène
 |date         = 1886
 |page         = xi
 |access-date  = 2014-04-10
 |archive-date = 2023-10-09
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20231009113854/http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1519/15.html
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref><br/>12 wounded<ref name="ducklake"/><ref name="casualties"/>
|notes = {{Designation list |embed=yes |designation1=NHSC |designation1_offname=Battle of Duck Lake National Historic Site of Canada |designation1_date=1924 }}
}}
{{Campaignbox North-West Rebellion}}
{{Location_map+
|Canada Saskatchewan|relief=yes
| width = 305
| float = right
| caption = The [[District of Saskatchewan]] in 1885 (within the black diamonds) included the central section of Saskatchewan and extended into Alberta and Manitoba.<br>The Métis conflict area is circled in black.
| places =
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan| label=Duck Lake| lat=52.8166 | long=-106.233 | label_size=75 | marksize=7|mark=Locator_Dot2.gif|position=right}}
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan| label=[[Battleford]] | lat=52.738| long=-108.315 | label_size=75 | marksize=6|position=bottom}}
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan| label=[[Frog Lake Massacre|Frog Lake]] | lat=53.831 | long=-110.358| label_size=75 | marksize=6|position=left}}
  {{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan| label=[[Battle of Fort Pitt|Fort Pitt]] | lat=53.65 | long=-109.751 | label_size=75 | marksize=6|position=right}}
  {{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan| label=[[Battle of Fish Creek|Fish Creek]] | lat=52.60 | long=-105.947| label_size=75 | marksize=6|position=right}}
 {{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan| label=[[Battle of Cut Knife|Cut Knife]] | lat=52.75 | long=-109.0166| label_size=75 | marksize=6|position=left}}
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan| label=[[Battle of Batoche|Batoche]] | lat=52.755 | long=-106.116| label_size=75 | marksize=6|position=left}}
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan| label=[[Battle of Frenchman's Butte|Butte]] | lat=53.627 | long=-109.575| label_size=75 | marksize=6|position=bottom}}
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan| label=[[Battle of Loon Lake|Loon Lake]] | lat=54.04 | long=-109.0| label_size=75 | marksize=6|position=right}}
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan| label= | lat=52.755 | long=-106.116| label_size=75 | marksize=30|mark=Cercle noir 50%.svg|position=left}}
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan | lat=52 | long=-112| label_size=75 | marksize=10|mark=Diamond_sheer_black_20.png}}
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan | lat=55 | long=-112| label_size=75 | marksize=10|mark=Diamond_sheer_black_20.png}}
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan | lat=52 | long=-98| label_size=75 | marksize=10|mark=Diamond_sheer_black_20.png}}
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan | lat=55 | long=-98| label_size=75 | marksize=10|mark=Diamond_sheer_black_20.png}}
 }}

The '''Battle of Duck Lake''' was an infantry skirmish on 26 March 1885 between [[North-West Mounted Police]] forces of the Government of Canada, and the [[Métis people (Canada)|Métis]] militia of [[Louis Riel]]'s newly established [[Provisional Government of Saskatchewan]].{{sfnp|Morton|1972|page=4}} The skirmish took place {{convert|2.5|km|mi}} outside [[Duck Lake, Saskatchewan]], and lasted approximately 30 minutes, after which Superintendent [[Leif Newry Fitzroy Crozier]] of the NWMP, his forces having endured fierce fire with twelve killed and eleven wounded, called for a general retreat.{{sfnp|Morton|1972|page=5}} The battle is considered the initial engagement of the [[North-West Rebellion]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Barkwell|first=Lawrence J.|title=Veterans and Families of the 1885 Northwest Resistance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Iy0ZygAACAAJ&pg=PP1|year=2011|publisher=Gabriel Dumont Institute|location=Saskatoon|isbn=978-1-926795-03-4}}{{page needed|date=May 2019}}</ref> Although Louis Riel proved to be victorious at Duck Lake, the general agreement among historians is that the battle was strategically a disappointment to his cause.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

==Prelude==
On March 19, 1885, [[Louis Riel]] self-affirmed the existence of the new [[Provisional Government of Saskatchewan]].{{sfnp|Morton|1972|page=XXII}}  Following Riel's declaration, the Canadian government sought to reassert their control over the turbulent territory. [[Leif Newry Fitzroy Crozier|Leif Crozier]], the newly appointed NWMP superintendent and commander of northwestern Saskatchewan's forces, requested immediate reinforcement to [[Fort Carlton]] because he feared the growing instability created by Riel and the ever-growing possibility of a First Nations uprising.{{sfnp|Wallace|1998|page=63}}
	Riel dispatched emissaries to deliver an ultimatum calling for the surrender of Fort Carlton without bloodshed. Crozier's representatives rejected the demand and vowed that the [[Métis]] leaders would be brought to justice.{{sfnp|Wallace|1998|page=69}}

	On March 25, in need of supplies for his men and horses, Crozier ordered Sergeant Alfred Stewart, [[Thomas McKay (N.W.T. politician)|Thomas McKay]], and seventeen constables to Hillyard Mitchell's general goods store at [[Duck Lake, Saskatchewan|Duck Lake]].{{sfnp|Haydon|1971|page=130}}  Unbeknownst to Crozier, however, commander [[Gabriel Dumont (Métis leader)|Gabriel Dumont]] (Riel's right-hand man) and his Métis force had already entrenched themselves on the road to Duck Lake. On the morning of the 26th, Stewart's party encountered the band of Métis near Duck Lake. After ample harassment, Stewart decided not to risk a physical engagement, and chose to return to Fort Carlton; no shooting occurred.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stanley|first=George F. G.|title=Louis Riel|year=1963|publisher=The Ryerson Press|location=Toronto|page=315}}</ref> Crozier rallied together a larger force, which included 53 NWMP non-commissioned officers and men, 41 men of the [[Prince Albert Volunteers]], and a 7-pounder [[cannon]], and set out to secure the much-needed supplies and to reassert the authority of the Canadian government in the [[District of Saskatchewan]].{{sfnp|Stanley|1960|page=326}}

==Battle==
The forces met about {{convert|2.5|km|mi}} outside Duck Lake on a snowy plateau covered by trees, shrubs, and a few log cabins.{{sfnp|Stanley|1960|page=326}}  Having spotted Crozier's force, Gabriel Dumont ordered his men to set up defensive positions around the log cabin and lie in wait. Similarly, Crozier's scouts informed the superintendent of the movements of the Métis; subsequently, Crozier ordered his men to halt and deploy their sleighs parallel to the road which was just before them. Both sides took up defensive positions.{{sfnp|Stanley|1960|page=326}}

Gabriel Dumont dispatched his brother, Isidore, and an elderly half-blind chief, Assiwiyin, with a white flag in hopes of distracting Crozier's forces.<ref name = "virtmuseum1">{{cite web
  | title = The Battle of Duck Lake (March 26, 1885)
  | work = Back to Batoche
  | publisher = Gabriel Dumont Institute
  | url = http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/expositions-exhibitions/batoche/docs/proof_en_battle_of_duck_lake.pdf
  | access-date =3 December 2013}}</ref>  The superintendent, believing that Dumont was interested in a [[parley]], walked forward with an English Métis interpreter, [["Gentleman" Joe McKay]].{{sfnp|Wallace|1998|page=74}}<ref name = "virtmuseum2">{{cite web
  | title = How the Battle of Duck Lake Began: Two Perspectives
  | work = Back to Batoche
  | publisher = Gabriel Dumont Institute
  | url = http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/expositions-exhibitions/batoche/docs/proof_en_how_duck_lake_batoche.pdf
  | access-date =3 December 2013}}</ref>  During the half-hearted discussion, Crozier came to believe that Isidore and Assiwiyin were stalling so that the Métis force could manoeuvre to flank his own men. As they began to leave, both Assiwiyin and Isidore attempted to draw their guns, prompting Crozier to give McKay the order to fire. A brief scuffle ensued between the two parties, which resulted in McKay shooting and killing both Isidore and Assiwyin.{{sfnp|Wallace|1998|page=74}}<ref name="virtmuseum2" />

	Despite the firepower and training of Crozier's militia, the Métis force were more numerous and their position within the log cabins and the tree line proved to be an efficient advantage.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stanley|title=Louis Riel|page=317}}</ref>  In an attempt to relieve the pressure on the Prince Albert Volunteers, Crozier ordered the 7-pounder to target the log cabins. After numerous discharges, a shell was placed in before the powder charge was inserted, which disabled the cannon for the remainder of the battle.{{sfnp|Stanley|1960|page=328}}

	Within half an hour, Crozier recognized the unavoidable and sounded a general retreat back to Fort Carlton. The Métis were eager to chase down Crozier and his retreating force, but Louis Riel intervened and declared the battle over.{{sfnp|Stanley|1960|page=328}}

==Aftermath==
The battle toll was high for the government forces. Twelve men were killed, and eleven men seriously injured.{{sfnp|Stanley|1960|page=328}} For the opposing side, five Métis warriors were killed in the skirmish, including Dumont's brother. Furthermore, Gabriel Dumont himself was injured in the head by a passing bullet.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stanley|title=Louis Riel|page=318}}</ref>  Losing to Riel and the Métis force came as a great shock to Crozier's superiors. Colonel [[Acheson Irvine]], Crozier's supervisor, suggested that Crozier's officerial prowess and judgement was overruled by impulsiveness.{{sfnp|Stanley|1960|page=329}}

Fort Carlton, a trading post with few defensive installations, was now in serious risk of attack. Immediately, Colonel Irvine summoned a council to discuss the future of Fort Carlton. The resounding unanimous decision was in favour of the evacuation and destruction of the fort.{{sfnp|Haydon|1971|page=133}} By 4&nbsp;am on 28 March, the last sleigh had left the smouldering fort.{{sfnp|Stanley|1960|page=330}}

In the span of three days and with the loss of only five men, Riel's forces had defeated Crozier's militia, forced the destruction and scavenged the remains of Fort Carlton, and spread fear of a Métis uprising throughout the [[North-West Territories]]. Riel's plans were not completely successful, though: he had hoped to capture Crozier and his men as hostages so that he might force the government's hand. Thus, while tactically successful, the battle of Duck Lake  proved to be a strategic disappointment for Riel.{{sfnp|Stanley|1960|page=332}}

==Legacy==
{{Quote box
| width   = 30em
| bgcolor = #c6dbf7
| align   = left
|quote="Duck Lake Battlefield—Here, on 26th March 1885, occurred the first combat between the Canadian Government Forces, under Major L.N.F. Crozier, and the Metis and Indians, under Gabriel Dumont. {{lang|fr|Ici, le 26 mars, 1885, eut lieu la première rencontre entre les troupes du gouvernement du Canada, commandées par le Major Crozier, et les Métis et Indiens commandés par Gabriel Dumont.}}"
| source=National Historic Sites and Monuments Board<ref>{{cite web
  | title = Duck Lake Battlefield Plaque |work=The Virtual Museum of Métis History and Culture
  | publisher = Gabriel Dumont Institute
  | url = http://www.metismuseum.ca/resource.php/04282
  | access-date =20 September 2009}}
</ref>}}
The site of the battle was designated a [[national historic site of Canada]] in 1924.<ref>{{CRHP|12916|Battle of Duck Lake|6 August 2012}}</ref>

In the spring of 2008, Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Christine Tell said in Duck Lake, that "the 125th commemoration, in 2010, of the 1885 Northwest Resistance is an excellent opportunity to tell the story of the prairie Métis and First Nations peoples' struggle with Government forces and how it has shaped Canada today."<ref>{{cite press release
  | title = Tourism agencies to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Northwest Resistance/Rebellion
  | publisher = Government of Saskatchewan
  | date = 7 June 2008
  | url = http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=3ceddf25-86ef-4433-86ea-cfe3cc69472d
  | access-date = 20 September 2009
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091021102620/http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=3ceddf25-86ef-4433-86ea-cfe3cc69472d
  | archive-date = 21 October 2009
  }}</ref>

Duck Lake is home to the Duck Lake Historical Museum and the Duck Lake Regional Interpretive Centre, and murals which reflect the history of the rebellion in the area.  The Battle of Duck Lake and a [[buffalo jump]] are located here.  The "First Shots Cairn" was erected on [[Saskatchewan Highway 212]] as a landmark commemorating the scene of the first shots in the Battle of Duck Lake.  The [[St. Laurent de Grandin, Saskatchewan|Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine at St. Laurent]] north of Duck Lake is a local pilgrimage site.<ref>{{cite web
 |title        = History of Duck Lake and Area
 |publisher    = Duck Lake Regional Interpretive Centre
 |url          = http://www.dlric.org/history.html
 |access-date   = 20 September 2009
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080820193842/http://www.dlric.org/history.html
 |archive-date = 20 August 2008
 |url-status     = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
  | title = Attractions and Tourism: Town of Duck Lake, Saskatchewan
  | work = M.R. Internet
  | publisher = Town of Duck Lake
  | year = 2007
  | url = http://ducklake.ca/visiting/attractions.php
  | access-date = 2009-09-20
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091213051255/http://ducklake.ca/visiting/attractions.php
  | archive-date = 2009-12-13
  | url-status = dead
  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
  | last = McLennan
  | first = David
  | title = Duck Lake: The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
  | publisher = Canadian Plains Research Center University of Regina
  | year = 2006
  | url = http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/duck_lake.html
  | access-date = 2009-09-20
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121106123527/http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/duck_lake.html
  | archive-date = 2012-11-06
  | url-status = dead
  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
  | title = Battleford, Batoche & Beyond Tour along the Yellowhead Highway
  | work = Yellowhead It! Travel Magazine
  | publisher = Yellowhead Highway Association
  | url = http://www.yellowheadit.com/saskatchewan/tours/battleford_batoche_and_beyond.php
  | access-date =2009-09-20 }}
</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of battles won by Indigenous peoples of the Americas]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

;Sources
* {{cite book|last=Haydon|first=A.L.|title=The Riders of the Plains: a Record of the Royal North-West Mounted Police of Canada, 1873-1910|publisher=M.G Hurting|location=Edmonton|date=1971|orig-year=1910}} &ndash; 1910 edition; {{Internet Archive|id=ridersofplainsre00hayduoft|name=The Riders of the Plains}}
* {{cite book|last=Morton|first=Desmond|title=The Last War Drum: The North West Campaign of 1885|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5jolAAAAMAAJ&pg=PP1|series=Canadian War Museum|volume=5|year=1972|publisher=Hakkert|isbn=9780888665126 }}
* {{cite book|last=Stanley|first=George F.G.|author-link=George Stanley|title=The Birth of Western Canada: a History of the Riel Rebellions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLBxAAAAMAAJ&pg=PP1|edition=2nd|year=1960|publisher=University of Toronto Press}} &ndash; [http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1544.html First Edition (1936) available at University of Alberta Library]
* {{cite book|last=Wallace|first=Jim|title=A Trying Time: the North-West Mounted Police in the 1885 Rebellion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZvoRAQAAIAAJ&pg=PP1|year=1998|publisher=Bunker to Bunker Books|isbn=978-1-894255-00-4}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite encyclopedia |title=Battle of Duck Lake |first=Bob |last=Beal |date=4 March 2015 |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |edition=online |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-duck-lake}}
* {{cite encyclopedia |title=North-West Rebellion |first1=Bob |last1=Beal |first2=Rod |last2=Macleod |date=22 February 2019 |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica Canada |edition=online |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/article/north-west-rebellion}}
* [http://www.ourroots.ca/page.aspx?id=163902&amp;qryID=8cece23b-1e2e-4366-93c5-1c1db65da312 The Story of Saskatchewan and its people Volume 1 (Duck Lake)]{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{Saskatchewan parks}}
{{NHSC}}

[[Category:Battles of the North-West Rebellion|Duck Lake]]
[[Category:National Historic Sites in Saskatchewan]]
[[Category:March 1885]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Métis|Duck Lake]]