St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-03
Plan of the Compaipn.

Plan of the COmpa1gn:
Winnipeg Times: The plan of operations,
as far as can be learned from dispatches re-
ceived here, is to surround the rebels on
every side and prevent their escape across
the border to American territory, which
would probably be their move when the
troops appeared in force. 1t is therefore pro-
posed to advance the main body of the
troops under Gen. Middleton from
Qu'Appelle and send another around to
Battleford, so as to cut off retreat from the
south and west and effectualy hem in the
rebels. A force will also be advanced to
Prince Albert to relieve the garrison there,
while another stationed at Qu'Appelle will
cut off the retreat Of the rebels eastward.
The only thing now remaining to be done is
to rush the troops to the front as quickly as
possible. This would also have au excellent
effect on the rebels, as the presence of such
large body of troops would undoubtedly
awe them into remaining quiet.
The expedition is to be well secuted and
a large body of scouts sufficient to protect the
troops from a surprise has been engaged.
Philip Houri, native of the plains, will act
as leader. The men are paid from three to
ten dollars day, and are all mounted.
They paraded before Gen. Middleton to-day,
and although rough looking
lot showed some expert horsemansh ship.
should the campaign come down to actual
fighting, it will not be series of pitched
battles in which the artillery could with its
heavy guns play havoc with the squares of
the rebels, but instead, the insurgents will
conduct regular guerilla or Indian warfare.
They hold no villages or towns to be stormed
and taken and by forming ambuscades and
peppering away at the troops from behind the
cover of bluffs and hills can play great havoc
with their numbers. These halt-breeds,
born on the plains and accustomed to
handling a gun since childhood, are crack
shots, and should active fighting take
place will not be despised. An order has
been given to teamsters to discard their
sleighs and provide themselves with wagons.
Your correspondent talking to-day with Scott
the mail contractor, who has just returned
from Humboldt, obtained from him the opin
ion that it was a mistake. North of Fort
Qu'Appelle he says the snow is very deep
and will remain on the ground for two or
three weeks yet. The trail is only the width
of sleigh runner, and the wagon wheels
will run off into the deep snow.
making travel of ten miles day all that
can be done. The police who went up few
days ago under Col. Irvine used sleighs and
made mail stations, forty miles apart, every
night. 1t is now stated the posts Duck
Lake and Battleford are to be deserted, the
police retiring on Prince Albert. If this is
the case it will be to the relief of that town
that the expedition will march. During the
past ten weeks large quantities of freight have
been dispatched north, in some cases the own
ers being in hope that the insurgents would
seize it and enable them to claim a good
round indemnity from the government.
Much of this is now at Humboldt. At this
point the police have left a lot of supplies, and
the last mail which left here has been ordered
to lay over there until the arrival of the
troops. Our friend Riel is meanwhile OBJ
tanning considerable notoriety over l. the
affair. There are good many sen sational
reports running loose about him. A few
weeks ago he proposed to leave for Montana,
but the breeds demurred. ''All right, "-he said,
'but if you want me to stay you must fight"
was the answer, and the result is well
known. 1t is said that Re's force now
numbers iully twelve hundred and that he
has some guns. The breeds are armed with
Winchester rifles and have been drawing
ammunition all winter. Mr.. Riel certainly
picked upon very .disagreeable season of
the year for his opponents.
A general break up may be expected
at any moment, and where now is
hard trail Of snow will then exist, 1000
sloughs making travel almost impossible.
The nights will be cold and the troops will
suffer good deal of inconvenience. At
present a driving blizzard reminds us that
winter is not over, and a cold wind from
the northwest freezes ones ardor for the
march.
The length of time that will be occupied
by the expedition is variously estimated.
From careful calculations and what teamsters
say, at least two weeks will be occupied each
way.
CANNON SHIPPED FOR CANADA.
LONDON, April "A complete battery of
muzzle-loading niue-pounders, with ammu-
milton, has been shipped to Canada for use
In suppressing the rebellion in the North
west.