William Morris

Inspector Morris' signature.

William S. Morris, originally from New Brunswick, was appointed to the NWMP in 1884. He had little experience dealing with settlers or with Indigenous people and seemed uncomfortable in doing so. During the rebellion, Morris was in charge of Battleford, with 43 men at his command. In his report at the end of the rebellion, he took much of the credit for some events, while blaming problems on others.

His report was published in eastern newspapers - when the citizens of Battleford read Morris' accounts, they countered with an account of their own. Morris was greatly disliked by the people of Battleford who felt that he could have done more during the Rebellion to safeguard their houses and possessions.