Travis Michelsen
Travis was born in the Canadian Maritimes and was raised in rural Manitoba, where his father was posted as an officer with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. With his father’s influence, Travis gained a strong interest in the military history of the British Empire, with a firm focus on the North-West Campaign of 1885 (Second Anglo-Métis War/North-West Rebellion/Second Riel Rebellion).
He was often recommended to write a book on the Second Anglo-Métis War, as he had studied the topic extensively and spoke of it often. Travis managed to take the time he needed to increase his studies and begin writing. He found that most books about the North-West Rebellion regurgitated the same story, using the same small handful of sources as one another. This offered a consistently limited and distorted view of the conflict and prevented the public from gaining any real interest in the war. Travis grew determined to offer the most accurate telling of events possible and gathered over 170 letters, diaries, memoirs, interviews, etc. from those who were there, from which he has based my work. He thoroughly compared each account to piece together what really transpired. Through these primary sources, he is able to assure that the stories of our veterans are not lost.
The Second Anglo-Métis War: A Guide to the 1885 North-West Campaign
The spring of 1885 saw hundreds of dissatisfied persons living on the vast plains of the British Empire's westernmost reach: The North-West Territories of Canada. Years of resentment led such dissidents to rise in arms against Canada's Dominion Government, a government that met in Parliament 3,000 km from the affected communities. Unable to touch the Prime Minister and his government, anger was directed to the most recognisable and accessible representatives of the Crown in the region; the North-West Mounted Police.
Within weeks, a Mounted Police column was ambushed with disastrous results, forts were besieged, and settlers were massacred. Some 5,500 Canadian Militiamen, seeking adventure, duty, justice and vengeance surged into the North-West to put an end to the troubles, thinking their mere presence would disperse any inkling of rebellion. The clouds of war, however, had settled and the months that followed would prove to be no picnic.
Through years of research and the analysis of over 550 primary sources, swaths of new information is uncovered in this book, calling widely accepted views of the North-West Campaign into question, and presenting information in a way that has never been done before. For the first time, a comprehensive look is had at the actions of the Canadian Militia of 1885, how they lived, dressed and fought. A voice is given to share the story of these brave men through photographs, illustrations, and a compelling commentary achieved through thorough cross examination of their own words.
