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Sir William Wallace commonly known as Braveheart in modern Hollywood productions.

Article Evaluation- Wolseley Expedition

I am evaluating the existing article for the Wolseley Expedition, prior to my assignment which will focus on this particular event. The overview portion of the article (first paragraph) is very messy with a series of run on sentences. in fact, much of the article is plagued with these. What is more troubling however, is that there are no citations for any of the information provided. While there are a number of references, only two are cited in footnotes. The rest may or may not have been thrown in to give more credibility to the article. It is unclear. The first source seems promising. It is a report on the Red River Expedition, making it an ideal source for information on the expedition.

The layout of the article is also troublesome. The article could be broken into multiple headings, in a better chronological framework. This would be more beneficial for incoming readers.

The talk page of the article reveals that there is a discussion on the political intent of Wolseley and the expedition. The conversation does point out a few flaws with the article, but is mainly seeking an answer to something that is speculation, and perhaps up for individual judgement, therefore not credible in a wikipedia article.

The links provided are also troublesome. For example, under the heading "Imperial Military Forces in the Red River Rebellion", which alone is an obscene title, do not work. The 1st Ontario Regiment and the 1st Quebec Rifles have links to nonexistent wiki articles. It would have been more beneficial to link these or cite these to proper sources. For the other references not footnoted, the links are broken. Therefore, I can not check their credibility.

Overall, the article needs help. There are a lot of issues with the article which I hope to fix in the coming weeks as part of my final assignment for the course. More and credible citations are needed, grammar issues, formatting issues, and much more are all needed to make this a worthwhile article.

Working Bibliography:

Comments: I plan to add to the existing article on the Wolseley Expedition a more detailed account of the expedition. I wish to examine first hand accounts, newspapers articles, and specifically the proclamation made by Colonel Garnet Wolseley on the expedition. I also wish to address the other side of te expedition, Louis Riel's motives, thoughts and opinions at the Red River in 1870, if at all possible. Through preliminary research, I have located great resources that were otherwise overlooked by the original authors of the article.

The Rebellion in the Red River Settlement, 1869-70, its causes and suppression (microfform): a lecture delivered at Clifton, October 25, 1871 Captain N. Willoughby Wallace, 60th Royal Rifles. by Nesbit Willoughby Wallace, 1872.

Tennant, Joseph R. 1920. Rough Times, 1870-1920.Fb & C Limited.

Library and Archives of Canada. Department of Militia and Defence: Registers and Lists of Officers: T:6955.Web. Accessed January 24, 2018. http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_t6955/466?r=0&s=3

Stanley, George F. 1960. The Birth of Western Canada: a History of the Riel Rebellions.Toronto:University of Toronto Press.

Proclamation of Colonel Garnet Wolseley to the Loyal Inhabitants of Manitoba, Manitoba Historical Society Website, http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/pageant/13/proclamation.shtml, accessed January 23, 2018.

Stewart, Sharon. Louis Riel: Firebrand. 9781770707269. Toronto: Dundurn, 2007. Canadian Electronic Library/desLibris. Web. 23 1 2018. Copyright © 2007. Dundurn. All rights reserved.

Article Draft:

Wolseley Expedition or the Red River Expedition of 1870 (May 1 to August 24, 1870) was a military led expedition to the Red River Settlement; currently the Province of Manitoba, led by Colonel Garnet Wolseley (hyperlink to wiki page). The expedition set out from Toronto, Ontario on May 1, 1870 and arrived at Fort Garry, Manitoba on August 24,1870. The goal of the expedition was to confront Louis Riel (hyper link to wiki) and his Metis followers in a peaceful manner to put an end to the Rebellion of 1870. The expedition successfully dismantled Riel’s provisional government while displaying military might in the face of American Expansion.

Overview of important people Who is Wolsely? Who is Dawson? Who is Louis Riel/ very brief statement of events leading up to the Expedition.

Sequence of Events/History Here I will outline the sequence of events: Planning stages, steamers, Dawson Road Issues, Solution by Wolseley, confrontation, the outcome.

Setting the Stage
Prior to the outset of the Wolseley Expedition, there had been a series of rebellions by the famous Louis Riel. The metis led by Riel at Red River were dissatisfied with the Canada Government’s deal with the Hudson’s Bay Company in the land transfer of Rupert’s land. Riel was also angry that there was no official communication between the government at Red River Settlement and the Canadian government informing them of a new governor by the name of William McDougall who had arrived and assumed control over the settlement. The first major clash of the Rebellion of 1870 came when surveyors of the Canadian government arrived at the Red River Settlement on October 11, 1869. A group of metis soldiers obstructed the surveyor’s work and forced them from the settlement. Following this clash, Riel along with loyal supporters were able to evict the local federal government including McDougall, take over Upper Fort Garry and set up a provisional government. In January and February of 1870 Riel led a series of failed negotiations with the Federal government and the HBC. On March 4, 1870 Riel executed Thomas Scott, who was a loyal supporter of the Canadian Government. There are various reasons given for his execution by scholars over the decades including it being an attempt to compel the Canadians into real negotiations, to Riel blatantly disliking Thomas Scott himself. While we may never know the true reason for the execution of Scott, we do know it sparked political and military engagements.
 * Make Maps outlining the general route taken****

History
The Dawson Road is so named after its original architect, S.J. Dawson. Dawson was given the contract to construct a road large enough for the passage of wagon-laden horses that stretched from the shores of Lake Superior to the navigable waters of the interior. Dawson was given the task of having the road permissible by May 1, when the expedition was due to arrive at that stage of the journey. However, due to unfavourable weather in the form of rain, and a series of forest fires prior to the rain fall, the road was not completed on time. Wolseley ordered a work party consisting of soldiers to aid in the road construction. After working from May 25th until mid-way through July, Wolseley decided to cut a path from the road to the River. The only other upset to the plans was the turnabout of Lake of the woods set before the mouth of the Winnipeg River. Wolsely and his flotilla were lost for several days before finally finding their portage. Wolseley sent Indian paddlers back to the other Flotillas to assist in their journey across the lake.

The expedition travelled to Georgian Bay, then by steamer across Lake Huron to the U.S. Sault Canal where men and materiel had to be transported on the Canadian side of the river. The two steamers which were hired by the Canadian Government were the ‘Algoma’ and the ‘Chicora’. The St. Mary’s canal was a canal system which went through the territory of the United States, was fundamental to moving supplies northward. The first steamer, the Algoma, made it through before the ‘Chichora’ was stopped. American border agents stopped the steamers due to the movement of soldiers and the materials of war, which were viewed as a threat. The U.S. authorities forced Wolseley to unload the Chicora of all soldiers and materials of wars prior to permitting it to pass. Wolseley then arranged the 3 mile portage of the soldiers and materials upriver on the Canadian side of the river to be loaded back onto the awaiting ‘Algoma’. The Expedition then proceeded across Lake Superior to the Department of Public Works station at Thunder Bay, which Wolseley named Prince Arthur's Landing on May 25, 1870, in honour of Queen Victoria's third son. From there the troops carried small boats to Lake Shebandowan. On August 3, 1870 the first brigades of canoes started their journey towards Fort Garry, leaving from the shores of Shebandowan. The brigades followed the original Hudson’s Bay Company trapping line until they reached Kashaboiwe lake, when the began to follow a new route which Dawson had found and constructed previously. Travelling further westwards, they passed through Fort Frances on August 4th. Wolsely made it to Lake of the Woods shortly after that, however he got lost on the Lake of the Woods. On August 15th he finally made to Rat Portage and sent back guides to help the remainder of the flotilla across the lake. On August 20, 1870 Wolseley and his troops were put in at Fort Alexander, approximately two miles north of the Winnipeg River. They proceeded down the Winnipeg River and across the south basin of Lake Winnipeg to the Red River finally arriving at Fort Garry in late August.

Wolseley formed up his troops and immediately began his advance on Upper Fort Garry. As first-hand accounts survive of the troops marching on the fort, the southern gate stood thrown open and the fort was abandoned. Fort Gary was officially reported as being taken back into the Canadian government’s control as of August 24th with a ceremonial raising of the Union Jack. Louis Riel and his followers abandoned Fort Garry with the result of it being a bloodless victory for Wolseley. The lack of resistance to the Wolseley expedition has been attributed to both the remoteness of the location, and the Federal government's efforts to avoid provoking the local inhabitants into further rebellion.[3]

Military Forces
The Wolseley Expedition was very much a united effort between the Dominion of Canada and the Royal British Army with a total of 1,214 soldiers of all ranks. The following will be an overview of the military forces present on the expedition including the commanding officer of each regiment.

Canadian Forces:

The 1st Ontario Militia was a Battalion of volunteer service men from the province of Ontario. The militia of Ontario is reported to have been keen on marching on the Red River Colony due to the death of the famed Thomas Scott who hailed from the Province. Lieutenant-Colonel Jarvis oversaw this force of 28 officers and 350 soldiers, all of which were volunteers. The 1st Quebec Militia was a battalion of Canadian servicemen from the Province of Quebec. Reports from the time state that there was very little interest among the people of Quebec for the expedition. Upon the first wave of recruits, only 88 out 350 soldiers in the Battalion were French speaking. The remaining were to be filled by English speakers. This battalion was overseen by Lieutenant-Colonel Casault along with his staff of 28 officers.

British Forces:

The 60th Rifles, a regiment from the Royal Army, was overseen by Colonel R.J. Feilden. Colonel Feilden was Second in Command of the entire Expedition and oversaw 26 officers and 350 men. These forces were known as the ‘Regulars’ and were provided by the Royal British Military.

A detachment of the Royal Artillery overseen by Lieutenant Alleyne was also a part of the Expedition. The detachment included 19 soldiers with a battery of four 7-pounder brass mountain guns.

A detachment of Royal Engineers also accompanied the Expedition. These 19 engineers were overseen by Lieutenant Hencage. This detachment was mainly concerned with the building of the Dawson Road in preparation for the main Expeditionary Force. Other Royal British troops included a detachment of 12 men from the Army Service Corps along with 18 men from the Army Hospital Corps.

Other People:

The Expeditionary Forces would not move anywhere all too fast without the company of voyageurs and teamsters to provide their transportation. Over 400 aboriginal voyageurs were hired to handle the canoes. Reports from the Expedition comment on the 100 Iroquois voyageurs from the Montreal area as being the most reliable and best equipped to handle rapid moving water. Along with the use of boat to transport men and equipment, 150 horses and 100 teamsters; men who handle horses and wagons were hired. These men were primarily meant to transport material and men from Thunderbay to Shebandowen Lake along the Dawson Road.

The Legacy
Following the successful completion of the expedition, Wolseley penned a tribute to his men in recognition of their extraordinary efforts.

The expedition's inability to sail through the Soo Locks on the Michigan (US) side of the river led to a federal government effort to build a water passageway on the Ontario side. This resulted in construction of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal, completed in 1895. That canal is now used for recreational boating as part of the national park system, and is a National Historic Site managed by Parks Canada.

Peer Review

I think this is an excellent start on the article. I like how much information you have gathered on the militaristic side of the campaign. One think you may want to consider adding is more of the political background as to what led to the creation of the expedition. Was it purely the government? Or was the government heavily influenced by the Military? It may not be possible to gather this kind of information, but keep it in mind. Another thing you may consider adding is the side of Louis Riel. How did he prepare? How was he able to gather a force enough to capture a fort? I see that you make tremendous use of a primary source, however, I also notice that your only secondary source is from the 1960s. I would suggest trying to look at the Canadian encyclopedia in order to get more updated information on the topic. That being said, I think you have a pretty good grasp on what direction you want to take on the article and wish you the best of luck with it.

Best,

Brendan Bell-Earle

Peer Review
This is a very strong start to your article. Your lead section provides an interesting summary to the topic. Structure is also another strong point as you have clearly laid out the points you wish to expand on. I appreciate your breakdown of the different military forces that were present on the expedition. I would suggest renaming the section "other people' to formalize the article. The way you present facts in this outline is very balanced. However, you heavily lean on one source throughout. Although you are neutral in how you present facts, only using one source provides a very limited view on your topic even though its a primary source. I suggest using more secondary scholarly sources. Overall this a very good start to you article and with some changed i feel that the final product will be terrific.

Adam Natalizio

Response: Thank-you so much for your detailed analysis of my article draft. I will definitely look for more secondary sources on the topic, despite how hard it has been thus far. JWallace96 (talk) 21:21, 28 February 2018 (UTC)