Battle of Duck Lake The Battle of Duck Lake ( 26 March 1885 ) was an infantry skirmish 2 . 5 km outside Duck Lake , Saskatchewan , between North - West Mounted Police forces of the Government of Canada , and the Métis militia of Louis Riel ' s newly established Provisional Government of Saskatchewan . The skirmish lasted approximately 30 minutes , after which Superintendent Leif Newry Fitzroy Crozier of the NWMP , his forces having endured fierce fire with twelve killed and eleven wounded , called for a general retreat . The battle is considered the initial engagement of the North - West Rebellion . Although Louis Riel proved to be victorious at Duck Lake , the general agreement among historians is that the battle was strategically a defeat . Prelude . On March 19 , 1885 , Louis Riel self - affirmed the existence of the new Provisional Government of Saskatchewan . Following Riel ' s declaration , the Canadian government sought to reassert their control over the turbulent territory . Leif Crozier , the newly appointed NWMP superintendent and commander of North - Western Saskatchewan ' s forces , requested immediate reinforcement to Fort Carlton because he feared the growing instability created by Riel and the ever growing possibility of a First Nations uprising . Battle . The forces met about 2 . 5 kilometres outside Duck Lake on a snowy plateau covered by trees , shrubs , and a few log cabins . Having spotted Crozier ' s force , Gabriel Dumont ordered his men to set up defensive positions around the log cabin and lie in wait . Similarly , Crozier ' s scouts informed the superintendent of the movements of the Métis ; subsequently , Crozier ordered his men to halt and deploy their sleighs parallel to the road which was just before them . Both sides took up defensive positions . Aftermath . The battle toll was high for the government forces . Twelve men were killed , and eleven men seriously injured . For the separatists , five Métis warriors were killed in the skirmish , including Dumont ' s brother . Furthermore , Gabriel Dumont himself was injured in the head by a passing bullet . Losing to Riel and the Métis force came as a great shock to Crozier ' s superiors . Colonel Acheson Irvine , Crozier ' s supervisor , suggested that Crozier ' s officerial prowess and judgement was overruled by impulsiveness . Legacy . The site of the battle was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1924 . In the spring of 2008 , Tourism , Parks , Culture and Sport Minister Christine Tell proclaimed in Duck lake , that " the 125th commemoration , in 2010 , of the 1885 Northwest Resistance is an excellent opportunity to tell the story of the prairie Métis and First Nations peoples ' struggle with Government forces and how it has shaped Canada today . " Duck Lake is home to the Duck Lake Historical Museum and the Duck Lake Regional Interpretive Centre , and murals which reflect the history of the rebellion in the area . The Battle of Duck Lake , the Duck Lake Massacre , and a buffalo jump are all located here . The " First Shots Cairn " was erected on Saskatchewan Highway 212 as a landmark commemorating the scene of the first shots in the Battle of Duck Lake . The Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine at St . Laurent north of Duck Lake is a local pilgrimage site .