Book Reviews and Notices : Suppression of the Rebellion in the North West Territories of Canada, 1885. BY GENERAL SIR FRED MIDDLETON. Edited, with introduction, by MAJOR G. H. NEEDLER. University of Toronto Studies: History and Economic Series. Vol. XII. (Toronto: The University of Toronto Press. 1948. Pp. xix, 80. $2.00.)

• Published date: 01 September 1949
• Author: Emil Lucki
• Date: 01 September 1949
• DOI: 10.1177/106591294900200340
• Subject Matter: Articles

458

Suppression

of

the

Rebellion

in

the

North

West

Territories

of

Canada,

1885.

BY

GENERAL

SIR

FRED

MIDDLETON.

Edited,

with

introduction,

by

MAJOR

G.

H.

NEEDLER.

University

of

Toronto

Studies:

History

and

Economic

Series.

Vol.

XII.

(Toronto:

The

University

of

Toronto

Press.

1948.

Pp.

xix,

80.

$2.00.)

This

is

not

a

new

historical

document,

for

it

was

first

published

in

serial

form

in

London,

England,

in

the

United

Service

Magazine

(Novem-

ber

and

December,

1893,

and

January

and

February,

1894).

But

the

inaccessibility

of

this

English

monthly

to

the

Canadian

reader

justified

the

republication

of

Middleton’s

account.

Middleton’s

narrative

begins

with

his

departure

from

the

scene

of

the

rebellion;

tells

the

story

of

the

preparations,

the

marches,

and

the

engagements;

and

closes

with

the

words

with

which

he

took

leave

of

his

forces

when

the

rebellion

was

surpressed.

The

account

is

brief,

readable,

and

at

times

humourous

and

exciting.

Throughout

it

Middleton

reveals

himself

as

a

rugged

and

a

fearless

soldier,

somewhat

professionally

con-

descending,

but

apparently

quite

considerate

of

the

welfare

of

his

raw

troops,

and

certainly

appreciative

of

the

aid

rendered

him

by

the

officials

of

the

Hudson

Bay

Company

and

others.

Obviously

Middleton

would

not

impugn

his

own

generalship,

but

what

he

failed

to

do

in

this

respect,

the

editor,

Major

G. H.

Needler,

now

a

scholar

but

in

1885

a

corporal

in

K

Company

of

the

Queen’s

Own

Regiment

serving

with

Middleton’s

second

column

under

Lieutenant

Colonel

Otter,

did

for

him,

both

in

the

introduction

and

in

the

copious

explanatory

and

critical

notes.

Major

Needler’s

emendations

are

not

to

be

disputed,

and

his

criticism

of

Middleton’s

generalship

at

the

Fish

Creek

engagement

seems

to

be

in

order.

But

his

attack

on

Middleton’s

apparent

unconcern

for

the

alarmist

reports

from

Battleford

and

elsewhere

seems

to

be

too

severe.

As

a

professional

soldier

Middleton

could

hardly

allow

himself

to

be

startled

into

any

hasty

action

of

relief

at

the

first

cry

for

help.

University

of

Utah.

EMIL

LUCKI.

Deutschland,Jahrbuch

1949.

EDITED

BY

DR.

KLAUS

MEHNERT

AND

DR.

HEINRICH

SCHULTE.

(Essen:

West

Verlag.

1949.

Pp.

502.)

While

the

Germans

in

the

past

produced

an

abundance

of

special

handbooks,

they

did

not

publish

an

overall

yearbook.

Hence,

the

present

work

is

a

commendable

innovation,

supplying

as

it

does

a

comprehensive

survey

of

post-war

Germany.

The

editors,

assisted

by

about

a

hundred

qualified

persons,

have

attempted

to

produce

a

thorough

and

factual

hand-

book.