Editing North-West Rebellion (section)

===April–May Métis and First Nations victories===
On April 15, 200 Cree fighters [[Battle of Fort Pitt|descended on Fort Pitt]]. They intercepted an NWMP scouting party, killing Constable Cowan, wounding another, and captured a third. Surrounded and outnumbered, garrison commander [[Francis Jeffrey Dickens|Inspector Francis Dickens]], son of the famous author, negotiated with the attackers and capitulated. Big Bear allowed the remaining police officers to leave safely. Inspector Dickens and his officers reached safety at [[Battleford, Saskatchewan|Battleford]] six days later. The Cree fighters kept the townspeople as hostages, taking them to their camp at Frog Lake, and after a second raid in May, destroyed the fort.<ref>{{Citation |author=William Bleasdell Cameron |title=The war trail of Big Bear (The Fall of Fort Pitt) |publication-date=1926 |year=1888 |url=http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1360/129.html |access-date=2013-10-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029205251/http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1360/129.html |archive-date=2013-10-29 |url-status=live |location=Toronto |publisher=Ryerson Press}}</ref>

Cree insurgents looted Hudson's Bay Company posts at [[Lac La Biche, Alberta|Lac la Biche]] and [[Green Lake, Saskatchewan|Green Lake]] on April 26.<ref name="Beal_Macleod_1984" />{{rp|234–235}} The HBC post at [[Lac La Biche, Alberta|Lac La Biche]] was pillaged. [[Fort Victoria, Alberta|Fort Victoria]] (Pakan) was attacked but the attack was thwarted.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rowand |title=The Rebellion at Lac La Biche |journal=Alberta History |volume=Summer 1973 |pages=3}}</ref>

By April 24, Middleton's column had made a gradual but unopposed advance to Fish Creek only 26&nbsp;km from Batoche. That day 200 Métis achieved a [[Battle of Fish Creek|remarkable victory]] over Middleton's column numbering 900 soldiers. The reversal, though not decisive enough to alter the outcome of the war, temporarily halted the advance of Middleton's column toward Batoche. That was where the Métis made their final stand two weeks later.<ref>{{Citation |publisher=A.H. Hovey & Co |location=Toronto |title=The history of the North-West Rebellion of 1885 (The Battle of Fish Creek) |page=127 |url=http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1508/128.html |author=Mulvaney, Charles Pelham |date=1885 |access-date=2014-04-10 |archive-date=2013-11-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111060633/http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1508/128.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Otter's column, working toward Battleford, meanwhile also suffered a setback. The column, led by Lieutenant Colonel [[William Dillon Otter|William Otter]], attacked a sleeping Cree encampment on Cut Knife Hill 45&nbsp;km northwest of Battleford on May 2. Cree fighters under war chief [[Fine-Day]] successfully held off the soldiers in the [[Battle of Cut Knife]]. Despite its use of a [[Gatling gun]], Otter's [[flying column]] of militia was forced to retreat. Big Bear did not fight in the battle and personally prevailed on the Cree fighters not to harass the retreating Canadian troops. Fine-Day was affiliated with the chief Poundmaker, who surrendered to government troops later that same month.<ref>{{Citation|publisher = A.H. Hovey & Co|location = Toronto|title = The history of the North-West Rebellion of 1885 (The Battle of Cut Knife Creek) |page=156|url = http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1508/157.html|author = Mulvaney, Charles Pelham|date = 1885|access-date = 2014-04-10|archive-date = 2013-11-11|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131111011831/http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1508/157.html|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|publisher = Department of Militia and Defence|location = Ottawa|title = Report upon the suppression of the rebellion in the North-West Territories and matters in connection therewith, in 1885: Presented to Parliament.|url = http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1519/51.html|author = Panet, Charles Eugène|date = 1886|access-date = 2014-04-10|archive-date = 2013-11-11|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131111094149/http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1519/51.html|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Beal and Macleod |title=Prairie Fire |pages=252–253}}</ref>