Fred Middleton agreed with Prime Minister Macdonald's suggestion that men from the Prairies would "be much more serviceable than town-bred men who comprise our cavalry." He suspected that they knew the country better, had tough horses suited to the conditions, and would learn to fight as easily as the rest of his untrained army.
Hastily organized settlers did most of the scouting for the militia columns. For this, cavalry officers of the militia, and even some modern historians, never forgave Middleton since the eastern cavalrymen were assigned to the rear areas.
French's scouts, shown here, were one of the contingents. Their commander had been a British officer before he became a prairie homesteader. He was killed at Batoche, leaving a wife and four young children.
