Frederick Middleton

Major General Frederick Middleton at right, with wounded soldiers at Fish Creek.

Middleton was a career soldier serving in Australia, Norfolk Island, New Zealand, England, Gibraltar and Malta before coming to Canada in 1868. He instructed soldiers with the Canadian Militia for six years before returning to act as commandant of his military school, Sandhurst from 1874 to 1884. He returned to Canada as commander of the Canadian Militia. The North West Rebellion was his first major expedition on Canadian soil.

Major General Middleton

Middleton organized the militia quickly and efficiently at first. Once in the west, his contradicting or vague orders often left his officers and the NWMP confused as to his intentions. Middleton rarely left or arrived on the date he specified.

Beaten at Fish Creek by less than 300 men, Middleton became more cautious and waited until he had a massed force of 900 men before marching on Batoche. In spite of his inflexible style of attack, his force triumphed. The British government rewarded him with a knighthood and promotion to lieutenant-general; the Canadian government gave him $20,000.

Middleton disliked the NWMP and made every attempt to tarnish its reputation. Middleton himself suffered from a scandal involving the theft of furs at the end of the Rebellion, causing government attention to swing from the NWMP to Middleton himself.

Middleton returned to England where he was appointed keeper of the crown jewels in the Tower of London for two years, before his death in 1898.