SEVEN OAKS
In the meantime, far removed from the Red River, other events bearing
upon this story were happening. The Earl of Selkirk had had many
troubles, and early in 1815 he was again filled with anxiety by news
received in Scotland concerning the imperilled condition of Assiniboia.
In consequence of these evil tidings he was led to petition Lord
Bathurst, secretary for War and the Colonies in the administration of
Lord Liverpool, and to ask that some protection should be afforded his
colonists, who were loyal subjects of the crown. Lord Bathurst acted
promptly. He wrote in March to Sir Gordon Drummond, administrator of
the government of Canada, saying that Lord Selkirk's request should be
granted and that action should be taken in Canada to protect the
colony. But Sir Gordon Drummond, after looking into the matter,
decided not to grant the protection which {92} Selkirk desired. He had
reasons, which he sent to the British minister.
By this time the affairs of his colony had come to such a sorry pass
that Lord Selkirk felt it necessary to travel to America. Accordingly,
in the autumn of 1815, he embarked for New York, accompanied by Lady
Selkirk and his three children, Dunbar, Isabella, and Katherine.
Arriving on November 15, he heard for the first time of the overthrow
of his colony through the machinations of Duncan Cameron and Alexander
Macdonell. At once he hastened to Montreal, where he received from
eye-witnesses a more detailed version of the occurrence. Many of the
settlers brought to the east were indignant at the treatment they had
received at the hands of the Nor'westers and were prepared to testify
against them. In view of this, Lord Selkirk applied to magistrates at
York (Toronto) and Montreal, desiring that affidavits should be taken
from certain of the settlers with respect to their experiences on the
Red River. In this way he hoped to accumulate a mass of evidence which
should strengthen his plea for military assistance from the Canadian
government. Among those whom Selkirk met in Montreal was {93} Miles
Macdonell. The former governor of Assiniboia was then awaiting trial
on charges brought against him by officers of the North-West Company.
He was never tried, however, for the charges were dropped later on.
In November Lord Selkirk saw Sir Gordon Drummond and urged that help be
sent to Assiniboia. From this time until the expiration of Drummond's
term of office (May 1816) a correspondence on this question was kept up
between the two men. No steps, however, were taken by Drummond to
accede to Selkirk's wishes, nor did he inform Selkirk officially why
his requests were denied. During the winter news of the restoration of
the colony was brought to Selkirk by a French Canadian named
Laguimoniere, who had travelled two thousand miles on foot with the
information. On receipt of this news Selkirk became even more urgent
in his appeals for armed assistance. 'If, however, your Excellency,'
he wrote to Drummond on April 23, 'persevere in your intention to do
nothing till you receive further instructions, there is a probability
almost amounting to a certainty that another season must be lost before
the requisite force can be sent up--during another year the settlers
must remain exposed to {94} attack, and there is every reason to expect
that in consequence of this delay many lives may be lost.'
Lord Selkirk wished to send a message of encouragement to his people in
the colony. Laguimoniere, the wonderful Canadian wood-runner, would
carry it. He wrote a number of letters, telling of his arrival in
Canada, giving assurance of his deep concern for the settlement's
welfare, and promising to come to the aid of the colonists as soon as
the rivers were free of ice, with whatever force he could muster.
Bearing these letters, the messenger set out on his journey over the
wild spaces between Montreal and the Red River. In some way his
mission became known to the Nor'westers at Fort William, for on June 3
Archibald Norman M'Leod, a partner of the North-West Company, issued an
order that Selkirk's courier should be intercepted. Near Fond du Lac,
at the western end of Lake Superior, Laguimoniere was waylaid and
robbed. The letters which he carried were taken to Fort William, where
several of them were found later.
As we have seen in the last chapter, it was in this same month that
Alexander Macdonell, at Portage la Prairie, was organizing his {95}
half-breeds for a raid on Fort Douglas. His brigade, as finally made
up, consisted of about seventy Bois Brules, Canadians, and Indians, all
well armed and mounted. As soon as these troopers were ready to
advance, Macdonell surrendered the leadership to Cuthbert Grant,
deeming it wise not to take part in the raid himself. The marauders
then marched out in the direction of the settlement.
The settlers in the meantime were not wholly oblivious of the danger
threatening them. There was a general feeling of insecurity in the
colony, and a regular watch had been instituted at Fort Douglas to
guard against a surprise attack. Governor Semple, however, did not
seem to take a very serious view of the situation. He was about to
depart to York Factory on business. But a rough awakening came. On
June 17 two Cree Indians arrived at Fort Douglas with the alarming
tidings that in two days an attack would be made upon the settlement.[1]
About five o'clock in the afternoon of June 19, a boy who was stationed
in the {96} watch-house of the fort cried out that he saw a party of
half-breeds approaching. Thereupon Governor Semple hurried to the
watch-house and scanned the plains through a glass. He saw a troop of
horsemen moving towards the Red River--evidently heading for a point
some distance to the north of Fort Douglas.
'We must go out to meet these people,' said Governor Semple: 'let
twenty men follow me.'
There was a prompt response to the call, and Semple led his volunteers
out of the fort and towards the advancing horsemen. He had not gone
far when he met a number of colonists, running towards Fort Douglas and
shouting in wild excitement:
'The half-breeds! the half-breeds!'
Governor Semple now sent John Bourke back to Fort Douglas for one of
the guns, and instructed him to bring up whatever men could be spared
from among those garrisoning the fort. The advance party halted to
wait until these should arrive; but at length Semple grew impatient and
ordered his men to advance without them. The Nor'westers had concealed
themselves behind a clump of trees. As Semple approached they galloped
out, extended their line into a half-moon {97} formation, and bore down
to meet him. They were dressed as Indian warriors and painted in
hideous fashion. The force was well equipped with guns, knives, bows
and arrows, and spears.
A solitary horseman emerged from the hostile squadron and rode towards
Governor Semple. This was Francois Boucher, a French-Canadian clerk in
the employ of the North-West Company, son of a tavern-keeper in
Montreal. Ostensibly his object was to parley with the governor.
Boucher waved his hand, shouting aloud:
'What do you want?'
Semple took his reply from the French Canadian's mouth. 'What do _you_
want?' he questioned in plainer English.
'We want our fort,' said Boucher.
'Go to your fort,' answered Semple.
'Why did you destroy our fort, you d--d rascal?' exclaimed the French
Canadian.
The two were now at close quarters, and Governor Semple had seized the
bridle of Boucher's horse.
'Scoundrel, do you tell me so?' he said.
Pritchard says that the governor grasped Boucher's gun, no doubt
expecting an attack upon his person. The French Canadian leapt {98}
from his horse, and at this instant a shot rang out from the column of
the Nor'westers. Lieutenant Holt, a clerk in the colony's service,
fell struggling upon the ground. Boucher ran in the direction of his
own party, and soon there was the sound of another musket. This time
Governor Semple was struck in the thigh. He called at once to his men:
'Do what you can to take care of yourselves.'
The band ignored this behest, and gathered round him to ascertain the
extent of his injury. The Nor'westers now began to bring the two ends
of their column together, and soon Semple's party was surrounded. The
fact that their foe was now helpless did not keep the Nor'westers from
pouring in a destructive fire. Most of Semple's men fell at the first
volley. The few left standing pulled off their hats and begged for
mercy. A certain Captain Rogers hastened towards the line of the
Nor'westers and threw up his hands. He was followed by John Pritchard.
One of the Bois Brules shot Rogers in the head and another rushed on
him and stabbed him with a knife. Luckily Pritchard was confronted by
a French Canadian, named {99} Augustin Lavigne, whom he had formerly
known and who now protected him from butchery.
The wounded governor lay stretched upon the ground. Supporting his
head with his hand, he addressed Cuthbert Grant:
'I am not mortally wounded,' he said, 'and if you could get me conveyed
to the fort, I think I should live.'
Grant promised to comply with the request. He left the governor in
charge of one of his men and went away, but during his absence an
Indian approached and shot Semple to death.
Meanwhile John Bourke had gone back for a field-piece and for
reinforcements. Bourke reached the fort, but after he had placed the
small cannon in a cart he was permitted by those in the fort to take
only one man away with him. He and his companion began to drag the
cart down the road. Suddenly they were startled by the sound of the
musketry fire in the distance which had struck down Semple's party.
Fearing lest they might lose the gun, the pair turned back towards the
fort. On their way they were met by ten men from Fort Douglas,
hurrying to the scene of the conflict. Bourke told his {100} comrade
to take the field-piece inside the fort, and himself joined the rescue
party. But they were too late: when they arrived at the scene of the
struggle they could effect nothing.
'Give up your arms,' was the command of the Nor'westers.
The eleven men, seeing that resistance on their part would be useless,
took to their heels. The Nor'westers fired; one of the fleeing men was
killed and John Bourke was severely wounded. For the numbers engaged
the carnage was terrible. Of the party which had left Fort Douglas
with Governor Semple there were but six survivors. Michael Heden and
Daniel M'Kay had run to the riverside during the _melee_. They
succeeded in getting across in a canoe and arrived at Fort Douglas the
same night. Michael Kilkenny and George Sutherland escaped by swimming
the river. In addition to John Pritchard, another prisoner, Anthony
Macdonell, had been spared. The total number of the dead was
twenty-three. Among the slain were Rogers, the governor's secretary,
Doctor Wilkinson, Alexander M'Lean, the most enterprising settler in
the colony, and Surgeon James White. The Irish colonists suffered
severely in proportion to their number: they lost {101} seven in all.
The Nor'westers had one man killed and one wounded. This sanguinary
encounter, which took place beside the highway leading along the Red
River to Frog Plain, is known as the massacre of Seven Oaks.
There was much disappointment among the Nor'westers when they learned
that Colin Robertson was not in the colony. Cuthbert Grant vowed that
Robertson would have been scalped had he been captured. 'They would
have cut his body into small bits,' said Pritchard, 'and boiled it
afterwards for the dogs.' Pritchard himself was carried as a prisoner
to Frog Plain, where the Nor'westers made their encampment. A savage
spirit had been aroused. Pritchard found that even yet the lust for
blood had not been sated, and that it would be necessary to plead for
the wives and children of the colonists. He remonstrated with Cuthbert
Grant and urged him not to forget that the women of the settlement were
of his dead father's people. At length the half-breed leader softened,
and agreed that Pritchard should act as a mediator. Grant was willing
that the settlers should go in peace, if the public property of the
colony were given up. Pritchard made three trips between Grant's
headquarters and the fort {102} before an agreement was reached. 'On
my arrival at the fort,' he said, 'what a scene of distress presented
itself! The widows, children and relations of the slain, in horrors of
despair, were lamenting the dead,[2] and were trembling for the safety
of the survivors.'
On the morning of June 20 Cuthbert Grant himself, with over a score of
his followers, went to Fort Douglas. It was then agreed that the
settlers should abandon their homes and that the fort should be
evacuated. An inventory was made of the goods of the colony, and the
terms of surrender were signed by Cuthbert Grant as a clerk and
representative of the North-West Company. Contrary to Grant's
promises, the private effects of the colonists were overhauled and
looted. Michael Heden records that even his clothes and blankets were
stolen.
On the evening of the same day a messenger presented himself at Portage
la Prairie bringing Alexander Macdonell an account of the massacre.
Pierre Pambrun declares that {103} Macdonell and others who were with
him became hilarious with joy. 'Good news,' shouted Macdonell in
French, as he conveyed the tidings to his associates.
Again disaster had overtaken Lord Selkirk's plans. The second
desolation of his colony and expulsion of his colonists occurred on
June 22, 1816. The evicted people set out in canoes down the Red
River. Michael Heden and John Bourke both declared that the number of
those who embarked was approximately two hundred. This total would
appear, however, to be much too large, unless additions had been made
to the colony of which we have no documentary evidence. Some
French-Canadian families had settled at 'the Forks,' it is true, but
these were not numerous enough to bring the population of the
settlement to two hundred persons, leaving uncounted the number who had
lately perished.
On June 24, as the exiles were proceeding down the river, they met nine
or ten canoes and one bateau. In these were almost a hundred armed
Nor'westers under the command of Archibald Norman M'Leod of Fort
William. M'Leod's purpose was apparently to assist in the
extermination of the colony. His first question of the party
travelling {104} northward was 'whether that rascal and scoundrel
Robertson was in the boats.' When he was told of the calamity which
had befallen Governor Semple and his band, he ordered all the exiles
ashore. By virtue of his office as a magistrate for the Indian
Territories he wished to examine them.[3]
He searched the baggage belonging to the evicted settlers and
scrutinized their books and papers. 'Those who play at bowls,'
remarked 'Justice' M'Leod, 'must expect to meet with rubbers.'
Pritchard was told to write his version of the recent transactions at
'the Forks,' and did so; but his account did not please M'Leod. 'You
have drawn up a pretty paper,' he grumbled; 'you had better take care
of yourself, or you will get into a scrape.'
Michael Heden also was examined as to his knowledge of the matter.
When M'Leod heard the answers of Heden he was even more wrathful.
'They are all lies,' he declared with emphasis.
{105}
The result of M'Leod's judicial procedure was that five of the party
were detained and placed under arrest. The others were allowed to
proceed on their way. John Bourke was charged with felony, and Michael
Heden and Patrick Corcoran were served with subpoenas to give evidence
for the crown against him, on September 1, at Montreal. John Pritchard
and Daniel M'Kay were among the five detained, presumably as crown
witnesses. After some delay--M'Leod had to visit Fort Douglas and the
neighbourhood--the prisoners were sent on the long journey to Fort
William on Lake Superior. Bourke was at once stripped of his valuables
and placed in irons, regardless of the fact that his wound was causing
him intense suffering. During the whole of the journey he was
compelled to lie manacled on a pile of baggage in one of the canoes.
Fort Douglas on the Red River was still standing, but the character of
its occupants had changed radically. At first Cuthbert Grant took
command, but he soon made way for Alexander Macdonell, who reached Fort
Douglas shortly after the affair at Seven Oaks. When Archibald Norman
M'Leod appeared, he was the senior officer in authority, and he {106}
took up his residence in the apartments of the late Governor Semple.
One day M'Leod and some followers rode over to an encampment of Crees
and Saulteaux near the ruins of Fort Gibraltar. Here M'Leod collected
and harangued the Indians. He upbraided them for their failure to
interfere when Duncan Cameron had been forcibly removed to Hudson Bay,
and he spoke harshly of their sympathy for the colonists when the
Nor'westers had found it necessary to drive them away. Peguis, chief
of the Saulteaux and the leading figure in the Indian camp, listened
attentively, but remained stolidly taciturn. On the evening of the
same day the Nor'westers returned to Fort Douglas and indulged in some
of their wildest revelries. The Bois Brules stripped themselves naked
and celebrated their recent triumph in a wild and savage orgy, while
their more staid companions looked on with approval.
According to the testimony of Augustin Lavigne, M'Leod during his stay
at Fort Douglas publicly made the following promise to an assembly of
Bois Brules: 'My kinsmen, my comrades, who have helped us in the time
of need; I have brought clothing for you I expected to have found
about forty of you {107} here with Mr Macdonell, but there are more of
you. I have forty suits of clothing. Those who are most in need of
them may have these, and on the arrival of the canoes in autumn, the
rest of you shall be clothed likewise.'
[1] For the details of the tragedy which now occurred we are chiefly
indebted to the accounts of John Pritchard, a former Nor'wester, who
had settled with his family at the Red River, of Michael Heden, a
blacksmith connected with the settlement, and of John Bourke, the
colony store-keeper.
[2] Some of the dead were afterwards taken from the field of Seven Oaks
to Fort Douglas by Cree and Saulteaux Indians. These received decent
burial, but the others, lying uninterred as they had fallen, became a
prey to the wild beasts of the prairie.
[3] An act of the Imperial parliament of 1803 had transferred
jurisdiction in the case of offences committed in the Indian
Territories from Great Britain to Canada, and had allowed the Canadian
authorities to appoint magistrates for these rather undefined regions.
M'Leod was one of these magistrates.
{108}