Prince Albert Volunteers
Encyclopedia
The Prince Albert Volunteers or Prince Albert Rifles were a historical body of militia
organized in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
, which served as Canadian government militia during the North-West Rebellion
.
"Gentleman" Joe McKay, an Anglo-Metis
scout of the North-West Mounted Police was sent to Prince Albert from Fort Carlton
to enlist about 20 men as volunteers on 20 March 1885. On the 21st, 22 men were sworn in before Lieutenant Colonel Sproat. The volunteers were commanded by Captain Moore, who had retired from the Canadian militia. On the 23rd they arrived at Fort Carlton and were armed with Snider-Enfield
rifles.
They saw their only action fighting alongside the police against Gabriel Dumont's Metis
forces at the Battle of Duck Lake
on March 26, 1885, where they suffered the heaviest casualties of combatants involved. Most of those who died are buried at St. Mary's Anglican Church cemetery just west of Prince Albert. Nine of them were killed at Duck Lake, their bodies left on the field until emissaries from Louis Riel
arranged for their safe retrieval by citizens of Prince Albert.
For the remainder of the rebellion the volunteers stayed penned up in the stockade at Prince Albert, safeguarding the community until relieved by General Frederick Middleton and his Northwest Field Force after the Battle of Batoche
.
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
organized in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated in the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan...
, which served as Canadian government militia during the North-West Rebellion
North-West Rebellion
The North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada...
.
"Gentleman" Joe McKay, an Anglo-Metis
Anglo-Métis
A 19th-century community of the Métis people of Canada, the Anglo-Métis, more commonly known as Countryborn, were children of fur traders; they typically had Orcadian, Scottish, or English fathers and Aboriginal mothers. Their first languages were generally those of their mothers: Cree, Saulteaux,...
scout of the North-West Mounted Police was sent to Prince Albert from Fort Carlton
Fort Carlton
Fort Carlton was a Hudson's Bay Company fur trade post from 1810 until 1885. It was rebuilt by the Saskatchewan government as a provincial historic park and can be visited today...
to enlist about 20 men as volunteers on 20 March 1885. On the 21st, 22 men were sworn in before Lieutenant Colonel Sproat. The volunteers were commanded by Captain Moore, who had retired from the Canadian militia. On the 23rd they arrived at Fort Carlton and were armed with Snider-Enfield
Snider-Enfield
The British .577 Snider-Enfield was a type of breech loading rifle. The firearm action was invented by the American Jacob Snider, and the Snider-Enfield was one of the most widely used of the Snider varieties. It was adopted by British Army as a conversion system for its ubiquitous Pattern 1853...
rifles.
They saw their only action fighting alongside the police against Gabriel Dumont's Metis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
forces at the Battle of Duck Lake
Battle of Duck Lake
The Battle of Duck Lake was a skirmish between Métis soldiers of the Provisional Government of Saskatchewan and Canadian government forces that signalled the beginning of the North-West Rebellion.-Prelude:...
on March 26, 1885, where they suffered the heaviest casualties of combatants involved. Most of those who died are buried at St. Mary's Anglican Church cemetery just west of Prince Albert. Nine of them were killed at Duck Lake, their bodies left on the field until emissaries from Louis Riel
Louis Riel
Louis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
arranged for their safe retrieval by citizens of Prince Albert.
For the remainder of the rebellion the volunteers stayed penned up in the stockade at Prince Albert, safeguarding the community until relieved by General Frederick Middleton and his Northwest Field Force after the Battle of Batoche
Battle of Batoche
The Battle of Batoche was the decisive battle of the North-West Rebellion. Fought from 9 May to 12 May 1885 at the ad hoc Provisional Government of Saskatchewan capital of Batoche, the greater numbers and superior firepower of Middleton's force could not be successfully countered by the Métis ,...
.
Members killed at Duck Lake
- Constable Joseph Anderson
- Constable James Bakie
- Constable Skeffington C. Elliott
- Constable Alexander Fisher
- Constable Daniel McKenzie
- Constable Daniel McPhail
- Constable Robert Middleton
- Captain John Morton
- Corporal William Napier