Four Months Under Arms

              A Tactical

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Blunder
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The Snider-Enfield rifles that were held in stock at Carlton issued to the volunteers. We drilled twice a day in the barsquare and took our turn at guard duty. Supplies at the Fort was not sufficient for the extra number of men and horses. Mr Mitchell told the officer that there was a large supply of beef and oats at his farm, and at day break on the 26th of March, four police teams with a driver and one armed policeman in each sleigh, started for the farm, when they were met by a party of about 20 well armed horsemcn, under command of Gabriel Dumont. The horsemen opened files to each side of the road permitting the sleighs to pass through, then closed files, and Dumont gave the police the option of going b3ck empty handed or fight. As the odds were too heavy, they returned to the Fort. and reported what had happened. ' were rack THE BATTLE OF DUCK LAKE A Serious Tactical Blunder. The assembly was sounded. and every man except the guards square, when the officer explained the '-ined up in the barrack situation and called for volunteers. Everyone of the P. A. men stepped forward, and the Sergt.-Major selected 23 of us, which included five P. A. teamsters. A ration of hardtack and cheese and 60 rounds of ball cartridge for our Snider-Enfield rifJes was issued to each man, and we were assigned to ride with the teamsters who had brought us from Prince Albert. The police had their own equipment, and the force numbered 96 men. Lawrence Clarke, Chief Factor of the H.B. Co., and Thos McKay had come from P. A. the day before in their own light sleigh. and they also went out with the police officers, and the column started about 11 a.m, A six pounder gun, and crew, under command of Inspector Gagnon was taken. The wheels cut deep into the snow and the column had to wait several times for it to close up. A mounted patrol of two Prince Albert volunteers, J. B. Mack and Alex Stewart were riding approximately 400 yards ahead of the column. The column had passed the place where the sleighs had been turned back in the morning, and also Beardy's reserve, and had seen nothing of the enemy. The first sleighs had just gone down a slight slope in the road, and were starting up the long slope ahead, when the patrol who had re8ched the top signalled to stop, and raced back and reported a large number of rebels coming out of the village of Duck Lake, about one and a half miles away, Had Major Crozier rushed his forces to the top of the hill he would have dominated the level prairie below over which the rebels were coming, thc outcomc of the battle might have been much different, but he halted the column in the depression, and immediately began to station his forces, which was a fatal mistake. About 70 yards to the east of the road was a small slough or pond, with dense growth of willow and poplar all about it. Orders