The departure of Colonel Wolseley this morning was characteristic of the man. He made up his mind to start at daylight this morning in order to overtake Colonel Bolton’s party before they should be compelled by the marshes to abandon their carts and take to pack horses, and though various little difficulties hovered in the distance, threatening to delay his departure, as other departures had been delayed, his nervous anxiety to “get on” anticipated and frustrated what has hitherto proved themselves overpowering.
— Molyneux St. John, Globe, September 10, 1870
Colonel Wolseley left Fort Garry early on the morning of September 10. The previous day he had ridden up to Lower Fort Garry to inspect the Quebec Battalion and ensure they were set for winter. Wolseley said he was struck by “the marked improvement in the appearance and bearing of the men,” since he had last inspected them in Thunder Bay. The men seemed healthy, having filled out “under the influence of hard work, good food, and abstinence from liquor.” Wolseley complemented the officers on “the efforts that must have been made by them in the interval between the two inspections.” While “anything but credible” at Thunder Bay, Wolseley told the men they could now “challenge comparison with any regiment of foot in the service.” Lieutenant Colonel Louis-Adolphe Casault thanked Wolseley for his kind remarks and said, “The good order of the battalion was attributable to the zeal felt by the officers and men in following an officer for whom they entertained feelings of admiration and respect.”
When he got back to Fort Garry, Wolseley drafted an order relinquishing command and wrote a message to the Volunteers. In typical style, the colonel had the address read to the men after he left the next day.
HUDSON BAY HOUSE
FORT GARRY, 9th Sept. 1870
FIELD FORCE ORDERS
1. Col. Wolseley has handed over command of the troops in the Province of Manitoba to Lieut. S.P. Jarvis [actually, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Jarvis], 1st Ontario Rifles, who will assume command of them from this date.
2. The following address is to be published in Regimental Orders and read to the men on Church Parade next Sunday.
By order,
JAMES F. MACLEOD
Brigade Major
To the Soldiers of the Militia Regiments of the Red River Expeditionary Force:
In Saying “Good-bye” I beg that each and all of you will accept my grateful recognition of your valuable services, and my best thanks for your zeal you have displayed in carrying out my orders. I congratulate you upon the success of our Expedition, which has secured to this country a peaceable solution to its late troubles.
The credit of this success is due to the gallant soldiers I had at my back; upon you fell the hard labour in which officers and men vied as to who should do the most.
Nothing but that “pluck” for which British soldiers, whether born in the Colonies or in the Mother Country, are celebrated, could have carried you so successfully through the arduous advance upon this place.
From Prince Arthur’s Landing to Fort Garry is over 600 miles, through a wilderness of forest and water, where no supplies of any description obtainable. You had to carry on your backs a vast amount of supplies over no less than 47 portages, making a total distance of upwards of seven miles, a feat unparalleled in our military annals. You have descended a great river, esteemed so dangerous from its rapids, falls, and whirlpools that none but experienced voyageurs attempt its navigation. Your cheerful obedience to orders has enabled you, under the blessing of Divine Providence, to accomplish your task without, I may say, any accident.
Although the banditti who had been oppressing the people fled at your approach without giving you an opportunity of proving how men capable of such labours could fight, you have deserved as well of your country as if you had won a battle.
Some evil-designing men have endeavoured to make a section of this people believe that they have much to dread at your hands. I beg of you to give them the lie to such a foul aspersion upon your character as Canadian soldiers by continuing to comport yourselves as you have hitherto done.
I desire to warn you especially against mixing yourselves up in party affairs here: to be present at any political meeting, or to join in any political procession, is strictly against Her Majesty’s Regulations — a fact which I am sure you have only to know to be guided by.
I can say, without flattery, that although I have served with many armies in the field, I have never been associated with a better set of men. You have much yet to learn of your profession, but you have only to attend as carefully to the orders of the officer whose command I now hand you over, as you have done to mine, to become shortly a force second to no corps in Her Majesty’s service.
My best thanks are especially due to Lieut.-Cols. Jarvis and Casault for the punctuality with which they have executed their orders.
I bid you all “Good-bye” with no feigned regret. I shall ever look back with pleasure and pride to having commanded you; and, although separated from you by thousands of miles, I shall never cease to take an earnest interest in your welfare.
G.J WOLSELEY
Commanding Red River Expeditionary Force
At daybreak the next morning, Archibald and a group of Ontario Battalion officers came down to the river to see Wolseley off. As the “first streaks of dawn” rose in the east, and the stars “still visible,” the boat “pulled down the Assiniboine, and the colonel and Irvine turned to wave their last goodbye to those on shore.”
Colonel Wolseley reached Thunder Bay on September 22 and had to wait 36 hours for the Chicora to arrive. (One can only imagine the consternation.) He made Collingwood on Tuesday, September 27. Waiting for him there was a telegram from Lieutenant General James Lindsay with instructions to report post-haste to Montreal to join him on a steamer bound for England on Saturday, October 1. Fearing he would miss the last train to Montreal, Wolseley had the managing director of Northern Rail requisition “one of the best engines in the rolling stock” to take him to Toronto. The Telegraph reported the trip was made “in exceedingly short time, the spin from Aurora [Ontario] being accomplished in 50 minutes.”
On board the 7:30 p.m. Grand Trunk Express to Montreal, Wolseley agreed to talk with a Daily Telegraph reporter who stayed on “as far as Whitby for the purpose of obtaining information of the expedition.” The conversation was reported as follows:
Reporter: The public here have been very anxious to know from some good authority how the Volunteers conducted themselves on the way up. Can you oblige me with the information, Colonel?
Wolseley: I can, and I shall only be too glad to let the Canadian public know through the columns of your popular journal the high opinion I hold of the Volunteers of Canada. From the day of our departure from Collingwood, I never heard a murmur of disgust. Nothing but the pluck, for which British soldiers, whether born in the colonies or at home, are proverbial, could have carried us through the fearful arduous task. The road, as you know, from Prince Arthur’s Landing to Fort Garry is upwards of 600 miles long, one huge wilderness of forest and water. There were no facilities for obtaining supplies. We had to carry our kit and rations on our backs, and carry them we did with the most unflinching ardour. We crossed 47 portages, making a total distance of seven miles, and that is a feat which I believe no military expedition ever performed before.
The obstacles that lay in our way were formidable, but as the Scotch say, “We set a stout heart to a strait brae,” and arrived at our destination without any accident of any account. Although I was delighted at the conduct of the Volunteers from first to last, I had expected that some of them would get discontented when the excitement and novelty of the first few days’ march had died out. But, no, they kept up their pluck and portaged, canoed, and trudged through wilderness and bush with a cheerfulness that took me by surprise. They were all anxious to measure bayonets with the banditti at the fort, and that made them overcome the difficulties that mightily and daily beset them. As they neared Riel’s capital, they grew at times feverish, just as I have seen soldiers when they expected to come across the enemy. On the morning that we sighted the fort, they were in the brightest spirits.
It would have been a sorry day for Masters Riel, O’Donoghue, and company if they had offered resistance. There would have been no holding my men back. When we found the horses gone and the stable empty, a general feeling of disappointment pervaded all ranks, but there was no help for it. We were enthusiastically received by the English settlers, the French hanging back as if ashamed of the part they had played. I had little time to look around me while at the fort, but things seemed to be in a muddled state. However, we worked hard, and after a few days’ relaxation, matters settled down quietly.
Reporter: Did the Volunteers conduct themselves well on entering the fort? I mean, did they refrain from putting their animus against the half-breeds in a practical shape?
Wolseley: Yes, they behaved better than I expected. A few got drunk and were put down in the “black” book, but they kicked up no ungainly rows. We had a couple of fights or so, but they originated in drink, and the other spectators quickly interfered and stopped them.
Reporter: Did you see a dispatch in this morning’s Telegraph giving particulars of the death of the French half-breed Goulet, who was an active abetter in the murder of Scott?
Wolseley: Yes, I read that coming down from Collingwood. I am persuaded in my own mind that he was neither insulted nor driven to death by any of the expeditionary force. My predecessor, Lieutenant-Colonel Jarvis, keeps up a rigid discipline, and I don’t think such a sad mistake could have been committed by the Volunteers. I imagine that it was the result of a drunken brawl with the Indians or voyageurs.
Reporter: Do you think the peace of the territory is now perfectly secured?
Wolseley: I think so. Governor Archibald is taking the right steps to bring about a general reconciliation of all parties, and everyone will say that it is to his own advantage to keep quiet and live contentedly. The Indians are perfectly satisfied with what has been done for them so far, and Bishop Taché is doing his best to crush any dissatisfaction that may still exist among some of the French settlers.
Reporter: Will Fort Garry require a permanent garrison?
Wolseley: No, I should think not. Fifty policemen would be force enough to preserve order. The only difficulty now is that of creating an amnesty to those concerned in the insurrection, and that will soon be remedied.
Reporter: Do you think, Colonel, that the territory is likely to draw immigrants?
Wolseley: I am certain of it. It is really a magnificent country, well adapted in every way for supporting an immense population, and I am sure that it will someday be one of the richest and most populous districts, not only in Canada but in the known world.
The Red River Expedition marked the end of Garnet Wolseley’s official duties in Canada, which proved formative to the rest of his career. In 1873, he was promoted to major general and led a British campaign to victory against Ashanti forces during the Third Anglo-Ashanti War in present-day Ghana. His officer corps included many from the Red River Expedition, including William Francis Butler. Five years later, Lieutenant General Wolseley led British forces in the final stages of the Anglo-Zulu War in southern Africa. In 1882, Adjutant General Wolseley led 31,000 British troops in putting down a revolt in British-controlled Egypt. Wolseley’s last field campaign was in 1884 when, as general, he led an expedition to rescue Major General Charles George Gordon from the besieged Sudanese capital of Khartoum. Recalling the success of Canadian voyageurs in 1870, Wolseley arranged for 390 Volunteers to convey the force’s boats and supplies up the Nile River “as we sent the little expeditionary force from Lake Superior to Fort Garry on the Red River in 1870.” While Wolseley finished his career as commander-in-chief of the British Army, many remember him immortalized as “the very model of a modern major-general” in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance.