View source for Looting of Battleford

{{Use Canadian English|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|image= Pano Fort Battleford.jpg
|image_size= 300px
|caption=Fort Battleford National Historic Site
|conflict=Looting of Battleford
|partof=the [[North-West Rebellion]]
|date= March 30, 1885
|place={{Coord|52.738|-108.315|display=inline,title|type:landmark}}<br>[[Battleford|Battleford, North-West Territories]]}}
{{Campaignbox North-West Rebellion}}
{{Location_map+
|Canada Saskatchewan|relief=yes
| result = Cree Indians raid stores and farms for arms, ammunition and food 
| 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. 
| places =
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan| label=[[Duck Lake, Saskatchewan|Duck Lake]] | lat=52.8166 | long=-106.233 | label_size=75 | marksize=6|position=right}}
{{Location map~|Canada Saskatchewan| label=[[Battleford]] | lat=52.738| long=-108.315 | label_size=75 | marksize=7|mark=Locator_Dot2.gif|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 | 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 '''Looting of Battleford''' began at the end of March, 1885, during the [[North-West Rebellion]], in the town of [[Battleford]], Saskatchewan, then a part of the Northwest Territories.

Within days of the [[Métis people (Canada)|Métis]] victory at the [[Battle of Duck Lake]] on March 26, [[1885 in Canada|1885]]. [[Cree|Cree bands]] sympathetic to the Métis cause and with grievances of their own began raiding stores and farms in the western part of the [[District of Saskatchewan]] for arms, ammunition and food supplies while civilians fled to the larger settlements and forts of the [[Districts of the Northwest Territories|North-West Territories]].

Prominent leaders of this uprising were Chief [[Poundmaker]] and Chief [[Big Bear]]. Poundmaker and his band had a [[Indian reserve|reserve]] near present-day [[Battle of Cut Knife|Cut Knife]] about 50&nbsp;km (31 miles) west of Fort Battleford. Big Bear and his band had settled near [[Frog Lake Massacre|Frog Lake]] about 55&nbsp;km (34 miles) northwest of [[Battle of Fort Pitt|Fort Pitt]] but had not yet selected a reserve site.<ref>{{Citation
|publisher =Ryerson Press 
|isbn =
|publication-place = Toronto
|title = The war trail of Big Bear (pp. 43–46) 
|year = 1888 
|url =http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1360/51.html
|author = William Bleasdell Cameron
|publication-date = 1926
|id =

|accessdate = 2014-04-10}}</ref> Both bands were signatories of [[Treaty 6]] and were unhappy in the way it was implemented by the Canadian government. The loss of the [[American bison|buffalo]] and the inadequate rations provided by the [[Indian Agent (Canada)|Indian agents]] kept the bands in a continual state of near-starvation.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
|url = http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/treaty_6.html
|title = Treaty 6
|encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
|publisher = Canadian Plains Research Center, [[University of Regina]]
|year = 2006
|accessdate = 2013-12-08
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131115022336/http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/treaty_6.html
|archive-date = 2013-11-15
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>

==Geography==
The District of Saskatchewan in 1885 was divided into three sub-districts and had a population of 10,595. To the east the Carrot River sub-district with 1,770 people remained quiet. The Prince Albert sub-district located in the centre of the district had a population of 5,373 which included the [[Southbranch Settlement|Southbranch settlements]] with about 1,300. The Southbranch settlements was the centre of [[Louis Riel]]'s [[Provisional Government of Saskatchewan|Provisional Government]] during the Rebellion. To the west where the Cree uprising led by Poundmaker and Big Bear occurred was the Battleford sub-district with 3,603 people.<ref>{{Citation
|publisher = Henry Thomas McPhillips
|isbn = 
|publication-place = Prince Albert, NWT
|title = McPhillips' alphabetical and business directory of the district of Saskatchewan, N.W.T.: Together with brief historical sketches of Prince Albert, Battleford and the other settlements in the district, 1888 (page 23)
|year = 1888
|url = http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1740/23.html
|author = Henry Thomas McPhillips
|publication-date = 1888
|id = 
|accessdate = 2014-04-10
|archive-date = 2013-11-09
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131109100658/http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1740/23.html
|url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia
|url = http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/french_and_metis_settlements.html
|title = FRENCH AND MÉTIS SETTLEMENTS
|encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
|publisher = Canadian Plains Research Center, [[University of Regina]]
|year = 2006
|accessdate = 2013-09-17
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131109095802/http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/french_and_metis_settlements.html
|archive-date = 2013-11-09
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>

The largest settlement and the capital of the district was [[Prince Albert, Saskatchewan|Prince Albert]] with about 800 people<ref>{{Citation
|publisher = Henry Thomas McPhillips
|isbn = 
|publication-place = Prince Albert, NWT
|title = McPhillips' alphabetical and business directory of the district of Saskatchewan, N.W.T.: Together with brief historical sketches of Prince Albert, Battleford and the other settlements in the district, 1888 (p. 65)
|year = 1888
|url = http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1740/81.html
|author = Henry Thomas McPhillips
|publication-date = 1888
|id = 
|accessdate = 2014-04-10
|archive-date = 2013-12-11
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131211182250/http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1740/81.html
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> followed by Battleford with about 500 people "divided about equally between French, Métis and English".<ref>{{Citation
|publisher = Henry Thomas McPhillips 
|isbn =
|publication-place = Prince Albert, NWT
|title = McPhillips' alphabetical and business directory of the district of Saskatchewan, N.W.T.: Together with brief historical sketches of Prince Albert, Battleford and the other settlements in the district, 1888 (p. 53)
|year = 1888 
|url = http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1740/67.html
|author = Henry Thomas McPhillips 
|publication-date = 1888
|id =

|accessdate = 2014-04-10}}</ref>

Battleford is located on the [[Battle River]] near the [[North Saskatchewan River]]. On the south side of the Battle River was the Old Town and on the north side nearest the North Saskatchewan River was the New Town and Fort Battleford.<ref>{{Citation
|publisher = A.H. Hovey & Co
|isbn =
|publication-place = Toronto
|title = The history of the North-West Rebellion of 1885 (Map of Battleford 1885) p.106 
|url =http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1508/107.html
|author = Mulvaney, Charles Pelham 
|publication-date = 1885
|id =

|accessdate = 2014-04-10}}</ref>

The city of [[North Battleford]] was founded later in 1905 when the construction of the [[Canadian Northern Railway]] main line to [[Edmonton]] placed the line on the north side of the North Saskatchewan River.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
|url = http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/north_battleford_city_of.html
|title = North Battleford
|encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
|publisher = Canadian Plains Research Center, [[University of Regina]]
|year = 2006
|accessdate = 2013-12-08
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120920233750/http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/north_battleford_city_of.html
|archive-date = 2012-09-20
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>

==Siege of Battleford==
{{see also|Siege of Battleford}}
[[File:Map of Battleford 1885.jpg|thumb|400px|Map of Battleford 1885]]
On March 28, as news that several [[First Nations in Canada|Indian bands]] including Poundmaker's were on their way to Battleford, settlers began moving into the nearby [[North-West Mounted Police]] post, [[Fort Battleford]] which was under the command of Colonel Morris and 25 police. Over the next several days 500 civilians would take refuge within the [[palisade]]s. Many crossed over an unstable ice bridge on the Battle River leaving most of their possessions behind in the Old Town. During the night of March 29 nearby [[homestead (buildings)|homesteads]] were raided their horses and cattle rounded up by the bands.<ref name="looting battleford"/>

Also on the trail to join Poundmaker in Battleford were the [[Mosquito-Grizzly Bear's Head-Lean Man|Assiniboine from the Eagle Hills]] approximately 30&nbsp;km south of Battleford. On March 29, they killed their farm instructor John Payne, raided homesteads and killed a farmer by the name of Fremont.<ref name="looting battleford"/> (Itka (Crooked Leg) was later found guilty of Payne's murder and Waywahnitch (Man Without Blood) for Tremont's murder. [[1885 hangings at Battleford|Both were hanged]].)

On March 30, Poundmaker asked for a meeting with the Indian agent J. M. Rae. After Rae refused to meet with him, the combined Battleford bands took food and supplies from the abandoned stores and houses. The next day, the bands camped a few miles away bringing with them their looted provisions including cattle and horses then eventually returned to Poundmaker's reserve.<ref name="looting battleford"/>
 
The New Town was protected by its proximity to the Fort and its cannon, but the Old Town, about a mile away, was not. Every day until the arrival of [[William Dillon Otter|Colonel Otter]]'s column on April 24, the occupants of the Fort watched futilely as Cree looters raided the Old Town. Stolen vehicles and horses carried away the supplies of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] and the other merchants. The looters sacked all the public buildings, including the [[Battleford Industrial School]] (located in the Old Government House).<ref>{{cite web
| title =Government House, Battleford 
| url =http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2916| date =
| accessdate =2013-12-07}}</ref> Most homes, including the imposing home of Judge [[Charles Rouleau]], caught on fire. Just half a dozen were left standing.<ref>{{Citation
|publisher = A.H. Hovey & Co
|isbn =
|publication-place = Toronto
|title = The history of the North-West Rebellion of 1885 (Otter's March to Battleford) p.109 
|url =http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1508/110.html
|author = Mulvaney, Charles Pelham 
|publication-date = 1885
|id =
|accessdate = 2014-04-10}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
{{Main|Battle of Cut Knife}}
[[File:Poundmaker surrenders to Middleton.jpg|thumb|Poundmaker surrenders to Middleton in Battleford May 26, 1885<ref name="The Surrender of Poundmaker"/>]]
Summoned by the police at Battleford, Colonel Otter's column of Government troops arrived at Battleford, eliminating the threat. Not staying in town, on May 2 Otter's column attacked Poundmaker's camp at [[Cut Knife Creek]] but was forced to retreat from the battle. Poundmaker prevented his fighters from attacking the retreating troops.<ref name="looting battleford">{{cite news
 | last = Laurie
 | first = Patrick Gammie
 | title = Battleford Beleaguered
 | pages = VOL. V11., No 15
 | newspaper = Saskatchewan Herald
 | location = Battleford, Saskatchewan
 | date = April 23, 1885
 | url =https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Saskatchewan_Herald/Articles_on_the_Frog_Lake_Massacre 
}}</ref>

On May 14, at Eagle Hills a Battleford band captured a wagon train carrying supplies for Colonel Otter's column.

After the defeat of the Métis force at the [[Battle of Batoche]] and the surrender of Louis Riel to Middleton on May 15, Poundmaker surrendered to [[Frederick Dobson Middleton|General Middleton]] at Fort Battleford on May 26. It is estimated that three loyalists and around seven natives were killed in action as a result of the Siege of Battleford.<ref name="The Surrender of Poundmaker">{{cite web
|url = http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayEcopies&lang=eng&rec_nbr=3984357&rec_nbr_list=2837539,3636131,3022483,2934199,2838410,2837591,2837525,3984357,2837188,2835223&title=Key+to+The+Surrender+of+Poundmaker.+&ecopy=e010865536-v8
|title = Numbered key, drawn in pen and ink, to accompany the painting "The Surrender of Poundmaker to Major General Middleton at Battleford, on May 26th, 1885".
|accessdate=2015-05-11}}</ref>
*[http://esask.uregina.ca/management/app/assets/img/enc2/PDF/51C276D2-1560-95DA-430F6CC3E32921701.pdf Map of Battle Sites]
*[http://library.usask.ca/northwest/background/chronol.htm Chronology of Events (The Northwest Resistance)]

==Historiographical interpretation==
The nature of the Cree advance on Battleford, like the entire 1885 Rebellion, is a source of [[historiographical]] controversy. Historian [[Douglas Hill (historian)|Douglas Hill]] characterized the Cree group as a "war party&nbsp;... ready to take revenge for a winter of incalculable suffering" who "swooped on Battleford, killing six whites". [[George F. G. Stanley]]'s writing on the subject indicated that the Cree were not murderous but more haphazard and bumbling: they "[did] not appear to have in mind an attack upon the town" but were content with "prowling around the neighbourhood".  While [[John L. Tobias]] says that the Crees tried to demonstrate their "peaceful intent" by including women and children in their group, simply took food to sustain themselves after finding the town abandoned, and then withdrew to avoid conflict with the police.
{{wide image|North Battleford Panorama from King Hill.jpg|800px|North Battleford Panorama from King Hill showing the Yellowhead Highway leading to Battleford.}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* Hill, Douglas, ''The Opening of the Canadian West''.  Don Mills, ON: Academic Press 1967.
* Stanley, George F. G., ''Louis Riel: Patriot or Rebel''.  CHA Booklet #2, 1964.
* Tobias, John L., "Canada's Subjugation of the Plains Cree", ''Canadian Historical Review'', LXIV (December 1983): 519–548.

[[Category:North-West Rebellion]]
[[Category:Military history of Saskatchewan]]
[[Category:1885 in Canada]]
[[Category:North-West Mounted Police]]
[[Category:Looting in North America]]
[[Category:Cree]]
[[Category:First Nations history in Saskatchewan]]
[[Category:March 1885]]