I Fought Riel

Book excerpt: Louis Riel personally singled out Major Charles Arkoll Boulton for execution. Thomas Scott was shot instead, but Boulton never lost his visceral hatred for the "rebel chief". A leader of the Canadian forces during the Red River Rebellion of 1869-70, Boulton was a seasoned veteran when Métis rose again in 1885. Recruiting his own force of mounted infantry he served in the heart of the action at Fish Creek and Batoche, witnessing scenes of massacre and horror, listening to First Nations leaders as they pleaded their cases, visiting the headquarters of the Métis, speaking with the English general Frederick Middleton. Boulton was privileged to be both participant in and observer of the drama of passion and ambition that idelibly marked the history of the Canadian West. First published in 1886, the narrative reproduced in I Fought Riel presents an incredibly vivid portrait of this important passage in the history of the West. With an insightful introduction by Heather Robertson.