The Red River Expedition 1870 | Wolseley's First Command

The Red River Expedition 1870 (in Canada) was the last British-led military campaign in North America.

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It was also the first campaign to be led by Victorian British general, Sir Garnet Wolseley.
Sometimes referred to as the Wolseley Expedition, it was in response to the Red River uprising led by Louis Riel in modern day Montana.


The Red River Expedition in 1870, was the last ever British-led military campaign in North America.

It was also the first campaign led by Victorian military hero - Sir Garnet Wolseley.

Link to my video on the life and career of Sir Garnet Wolseley:
   • General Sir Garnet Wolseley - The Mod...  

It’s fame is not from the battles fought - in fact, there were no battles fought - but in Wolseley’s ability to transport his army over 600 miles through the Canadian wilderness without losing a single life.

His level of planning and sheer audacity became the hallmarks of his future campaigns, and in this Red River Expedition, he started to gather the first officers of his fabled Wolseley (or Ashanti) Ring.

Without losing a single man, Wolseley covered 600 miles across wilderness and through waterways in just 96 days.
And then he had effectively stopped the rebellion (the Red River Rebellion / Red River Uprising / The First Riel Rebellion) in its tracks without firing a single shot.

The campaign had cost £300,000 of which London had only had to fork out £100,000, the Canadians had footed the rest of the bill.
The Canadians were able to continue their westward advance and Manitoba joined Canada as a province not a colony .

And true to Gladstone’s promise, the British troops were soon on their way home. Wolseley had managed to do what most generals don’t: His troops were home for Christmas!

He would go on to lead the attempt to rescue Gordon in Khartoum in the 1880’s.
Once more he decided to conduct a water-born expedition all the way up the Nile.
To assist him, he would call upon those same voyageurs who had helped him achieve his very first success in the Red River Expedition.

Many argue that the delay as those men were gathered and then transported across the Atlantic, lost crucial time and would cost Gordon his life.

Link to my video about General Sir Garnet Wolseley's Nile Expedition:
   • The Nile Expedition to rescue General...  

#redriverexpedition1870 #redriverrebellion #britisharmy #louisriel #garnetwolseley

Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:51 Canadian Confederation
1:40 The Red River Uprising
2:45 Louis Riel
4:40 British Troops Requested
7:14 General Garnet Wolseley
9:50 Red River Expedition
12:40 Voyageurs
15:07 Wolseley's Ashanti Ring
17:40 British reach Fort Garry
20:00 Wolseley the Hero
20:45 Conclusion
21:21 The History Chap


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My name is Chris Green and I am on a mission to share stories from British history. Not just because they are interesting but because, good or bad, they have shaped the world we live in today.

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