The reminiscences of an actor in two rebellions in the Canadian
North-West may not unreasonably be expected to interest the people of
the Dominion, and in some degree to arrest attention in the wider circle
of the Empire. The peril that menaced the North-West, during both
insurrections, was for a time great. In the first revolt, fortune
signally favoured the country ; arid, without bloodshed, Canada was
happily delivered from trouble. In the later rebellion, the heroism and
endurance of her loyal sons enabled the country to overcome sedition and
to quell the rising. How and by whom this was effected, forms the burden
of the following pages. To a great extent the work is a personal
narrative of the two rebellions; which are here treated of as a whole
and in detail. For the personal narrative, no apology, I take it, is
necessary, as the record of an eye-witness of passing events of moment
has admittedly the merit of freshness and interest. That it has these,
the author, with becoming modesty, hopes. I have inserted the names of
the officers and men who served in the campaign of 1885, for which I am
indebted to the Grip Printing and Publishing Company. It is taken from
the list of names already compiled by them for their work. These, with
the list of killed and wounded, also the official despatches of
Major-General Sir Fred. Middleton and the other commanding officers
will, I trust, make it a valuable book for future reference.
THE AUTHOR.
RUSSELL, SHELL RIVER, MANITOBA,
February 4th, 1886