Battle of Duck Lake

Battle of Duck Lake
Part of the North-West Rebellion
This contemporary illustration of the Battle of Duck Lake offers a romanticized depiction of the skirmish.
Date March 26, 1885 Location Duck Lake, south of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Result Métis victory
Belligerents
Provisional Government of Saskatchewan (Métis)	Canada
Commanders and leaders
Gabriel Dumont	Leif Crozier
Strength
200-250	95
Casualties and losses
5-6 dead 3 wounded	12 dead 12 wounded
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Battle of Duck Lake National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1924

Coordinates: 57°49′27.19″N 106°16′25.98″W / 57.8242194°N 106.2738833°W / 57.8242194; -106.2738833

The Battle of Duck Lake (26 March 1885) was an infantry skirmish 2.5 km outside Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, between North-West Mounted Police forces of the Government of Canada, and the Métis militia of Louis Riel's newly established Provisional Government of Saskatchewan. The skirmish 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. The battle is considered the initial engagement of the North-West Rebellion. 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.

On March 19, 1885, Louis Riel self-affirmed the existence of the new Provisional Government of Saskatchewan. Following Riel's declaration, the Canadian government sought to reassert their control over the turbulent territory. Leif Crozier, the newly appointed NWMP superintendent and commander of North-Western 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. 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.

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