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Thirty and a half useful facts worth knowing about the Métis By Micheline Marchand

You can’t judge a book by its cover, or a soldier by his uniform, or lack of

Fact number 13: The Métis veterans of the didn’t get what they deserved

Ever since there have been armed conflicts, states at war have never hesitated to recruit civilians to fight their enemies. Once the peace is made, the decommissioned soldiers often feel like they’ve been forgotten, even neglected. The Métis who join the militia to defend their country during the War of 1812 are no exception. It should be remembered that this conflict takes place during the turbulent times of the Napoleonic wars. The , occupied in its struggle against the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte in Europe, drastically reduces its military personnel in North America. Madison, the American president at the time, is of an expansionist mind, and wagers that he’ll be able to crush the small English army still remaining on the continent. From the outset, the British know that to push the invaders back they will require the support of the people living on the land to be defended: the Métis, the and the French-Canadians. All these groups fear an annexation of their country by the Americans. Some of these people join the militia, the temporary regiments formed by the British government to protect its territorial interests. It’s the case for many Great Lakes Métis who enlist in the Michigan Fencibles unit and are notably part of the forces that take Mackinac and Prairie du Chien. So what do these Métis Fencibles look like? They wear a blue capot (wool coat), a colourful sash, buckskin leggings and a pouch with beadwork. With a pipe in their mouth, a ration of pork and bread planted at the end of their bayonet, they line-up for the military inspection while continuing to talk, laugh and complain about their rations. Is this our image of a soldier? Maybe not, but it is how Grace Lee Nute describes the voyageurs and Métis militia in The voyageurs. These men who make a mockery of military conventions can’t be forced into and orderly mould. Despite appearances, the British are able to rely on these reliable people, used to hard work, and determined to defend their homeland at all costs. The Fencibles are decommissioned in 1816, but many of the volunteers who were part of the militia are expecting some form of compensation which they don’t receive. In 1825, William McKay, the former lieutenant-colonel of the Michigan Fencibles, writes several letters in the name of the soldiers he once commanded, including a sizeable contingent of Métis. He asks Sir Peregrine Maitland, the lieutenant governor of Upper Province, to acknowledge the military service of the militia men during the War of 1812 so that they may receive compensation for their time in the army. He states that many of the former militia men have never received any pay. He admits that he should have made this request sooner, but explains that he fully expected that in due course the government would naturally compensate those who defended the country. Faced with the difficulty of obtaining official documents, MacKay, in his last letter to the government, adds a list of the members of the Michigan Fencibles corps at the time of its decommissioning at Michilimackinac in July of 1815. This list, prepared by James Pullman, a former lieutenant with the Michigan Fencibles, does not include the names of all the Métis who took part in the war, for instance those who helped to take Mackinac, but it does list the names of 65 militia men, including many Métis. Some of these veterans will receive small land grants of infertile lots on the west side of Penetanguishene Bay. Even then, they will still have to continue petitioning the government to obtain the full recognition of their military service. You would think that a government that was so quick in granting 2 lands to settlers arriving from far away countries could have easily shown more generosity towards the Métis. Alas no.

Surveyor General Office Map of June 8th 1830 Penetanguishene Source: Library and Archives Canada /RG 5, Civil Secretary’s Correspondence. Sundries/ A1, Vol. 100, no. 2/C-6870 When the War of 1812 broke out, the British were quick to ask for and accept help from the Métis. It’s unfortunate that they weren’t as quick to recognize the value of this group’s contribution in defending Canada. These militia men, perhaps somewhat haggard looking and more concerned about remaining free than fitting properly into the military mould, were nevertheless true to the cause of those soldiers who fought with all their heart for their country at a time when the British were more worried about defending England on the other side of the ocean than Canada.