In the spring of 1870 an Anglo-Canadian military force embarked on a 1,200 mile journey, half of which would be through the wilderness, bound for the Red River Settlement, the sight of present day Winnipeg. At the time the settlement was part of the vast Hudson's Bay Company controlled territories which Canada was in the process of purchasing.
The British government of the day, focused on financial retrenchment and anti-imperialist values, would have happily severed its ties with its North American colonies. Meanwhile, the dynamic American republic aspired to take control of all of the British North American territories. Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald knew that for his new country to survive it must expand across the continent and incorporate the Hudson's Bay Company's lands, and ultimately British Columbia. The HBC was in decline and wanted to give up the responsibility for its vast territories. Macdonald preferred Britain to take on this responsibility until Canada was ready, but Westminster was unwilling. Ready or not, Canada would have to act or risk the United States getting ahead of them.
In all of this, the interests of the indigenous people received scant consideration, including the residents of the Red River Settlement. The population here was comprised of the descendants of the Kildonan Scots, farmers who had arrived earlier in the century, and mixed race descendants of English and French speaking workers and First Nations women. The French mixed race group known as the Métis had developed a distinct cultural identity, referring to themselves as "A New Nation".
In 1869 the Métis were nervous of the pending Canadian takeover. They feared their property rights would not be respected. They also worried that their culture would be overwhelmed by an influx of English speaking settlers. Their concerns were reinforced when Canadian surveyors and road builders arrived in the community behaving exactly as the Métis had feared,prompting opposition.
The man who rose to lead the Métis opposition was Louis Riel, and during the winter of 1869/70 he rode roughshod over the views of the other communities in residence at Red River. These included not only the Kildonan Scots and English-speaking mixed race people, but also Métis opponents and the much smaller Canadian Party. Prime Minister Macdonald had been lax in acting to accommodate the interests of the Red River residents, but there was little interest in Canada for the events unfolding there. Matters transformed when Riel approved the execution of a member of the Canadian Party in March 1870. Much of English speaking Canada found its voice and demanded a vigorous response.
Macdonald, under pressure, wanted a military expedition dispatched and he was adamant that the British should lead it. Even after a deal was complete, resulting in the creation of the new province of Manitoba, he remained firm that a force should be sent to assume control. The British government reluctantly agreed to commit troops to the venture. The completion of the deal between Canada and the Red River settlement was a precondition of British involvement. It was also critical that the British troops get to the settlement and back again before winter set in.
Colonel Garnet Wolseley was chosen to lead the expedition, and though in many respects it was a minor operation, it is an important subject of study given it was his first independent command and he would rise to become Commander in Chief of the British Army. It also introduced a number of the personalities who would later become firmly entrenched as members of the Wolseley Ring.
Many historians have written on the events of the troubles at Red River in 1869/70, but the grueling expedition itself is usually treated as a footnote. The author seeks to rectify this imbalance by going back to the original expeditionary documents to describe exactly what the Red River Expedition was about and what the men who made up the force actually went through.
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