BATTLE OF THE GRAND COTEAU 1851
(Last Updated: June 15, 2014)
The Battle of the Grand Coteau was perhaps the proudest memory of the Métis nation. It symbolized their highest achievement as a people. Nothing more conclusively proved their mastery of the plains by which they lived (William Morton). There are numerous versions of this battle on the web. Following are links to the best ones that I have found so far:
BATTLE AT THE GRAND COTEAU (By William Morton)
GRANT SOLDIERS OF THE BUFFALO HUNT (By Michel Lopez)
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF THE GRAND COTEAU (By Melvin Beaudry)
The only participants in the actual main battle appear to have been the hunting party from St Francois Xavier who left from there on June 15, 1851. This group consisted of 67 hunters and their wives and children, led by Jean Baptiste FALCON and accompanied by their missionary, Father Louis Francois Richer LAFLECHE. I don’t know what the population of SFX was in 1851, but we know that Cuthbert GRANT brought 80 Métis families to settle there in 1824. Before that most of the families were those at or near the NWC and HBC posts. In any case it appears that a significant percentage of the entire population of SFX must have been on this hunt. It seems like a very good possibility that George FIDLER’s boys might have been there too and, if not, certainly some of their wives and children had relatives that were involved. See GEORGE FIDLER
Unfortunately not many family names (and fewer first names) are mentioned in the stories about this battle. Here are the ones I picked out: McGILLIS, FAGNANT, BRELAND, DUMONT, FALCON, MALATERRE, WHITEFORD, MAGDALIS and MONTMINI.
Got more information? Let’s chat:
FORUM DISCUSSING PERSONALITIES in THE BATTLE OF THE GRAND COTEAU
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